More Pollen

Soldier Beetle, Cantharis rustica, visiting a Hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna.  Spring Park, 5 June 2013.

Here's another beetle, also eating pollen.  These are sometimes called Soldier or Sailor Beetles because of their red and black patterning, like an old-fashioned military uniform.  They are good flyers, and you might think the air was full of bees as they move from plant to plant, but when they land you can see what they really are.

The black mark on top of the thorax varies a little in detail between individuals.  It's usually described as triangular, but to me it is more of a heart shape.