Ross Hoddinott / 2020VISION / Pair of mating soldier beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) on Common ragwort (Senecio jacobaea), Arne RSPB reserve, Dorset, England, UK, August. Did you know? In some areas this insect is called the “bloodsuck...

Wild Wonders of Europe / Bartocha / Common red soldier beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) pair mating on Wild carrot (Daucus carota carota) flower, Hvblege, Mn, Denmark, July 2009

Kim Taylor / Black-tipped Soldier Beetle {Rhagonycha fulva} taking off from Creeping Thistle {Cirsium arvense} Surrey, England.

Heather Angel / Saxon wasp (Dolichovespula saxonica) and Common red soldier beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) feeding on Broad leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine). Surrey, England, UK. August.

Sandra Bartocha / Soldier beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) Mon, Denmark, September.

Rod Williams / Common Red soldier beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) on Creeping thistle, Sutcliffe Park Nature Reserve, Eltham, London, UK July

Rod Williams / Three Common red soldier beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) on thistle, Sutcliffe Park Nature Reserve, Eltham, London, England, July.

Loic Poidevin / Common red soldier beetles (Rhagonicha fulva) on Wild carrot (Daucus carota) Vendee, France, June

MYN / Edwin Brosens / Soldier beetles (Cantharis rustica) mating, Oude Buische Heide Nature Reserve, Achtmaal, Netherlands. May. meetyourneighbours.net project

Alex Hyde / Pair of mating Soldier beetles (Rhagonycha fulva), Peak District National Park, Derbyshire, UK. July.

MYN / Matt Cole / Soldier beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) on a dew covered seed head, Leicestershire, England, UK, July. meetyourneighbours.net project

Paul Harcourt Davies / Checkered beetel (Trichodes alvearius) a colourful soldier beetle, Orvieto, Italy, May

Adrian Davies / Black-Tipped Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) group with some mating, on Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) The Gower, Wales, July

Nick Upton / Black and red soldier beetles (Cantharis rustica) mating on a grass blade, Wiltshire meadow, UK, May.

Eric Baccega / Soldier beetle (Cantharis fusca) on plant Alsace, France

Eric Baccega / Soldier beetle (Cantharis fusca) on plant, Alsace, France

Nick Upton / Common red soldier beetles / Black-tipped soldier beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) feeding and mating on Wild Carrot / Queen Anne's lace flowerhead (Daucus carota), chalk grassland meadow, Wiltshire, UK, Ju...

Ross Hoddinott / Black-tipped Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) on grass stem. Tamar Lakes, Cornwall, UK, July.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Soldier beetles (Cantharidae), mating on Cowpen Daisy, Golden Crownbeard (Verbesina encelioides), blooming. Laredo, Webb County, South Texas, USA, April.

Rolf Nussbaumer / Soldier beetles (Cantharidae) mating on Cowpen Daisy / Golden Crownbeard (Verbesina encelioides) blooming. Laredo, Webb County, South Texas, USA, April.

Mark Moffett / Soldier Beetle (Cantharidae) feeding on Southern Magnonia (Magnolia grandiflora) flower nectar, National Arboretum, Washington D.C.

Laurent Geslin / Black and red soldier beetle (Cantharis rustica) spreading its wings on a flowerhead in a garden in Paris, France

Stephen Dalton / Soldier beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) pair mating on plantain flower, UK

Stephen Dalton / Soldier beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) pair mating on plantain flower, UK

Stephen Dalton / Soldier beetle (Cantharis pellucida) taking off, Multiflash sequence image

Dietmar Nill / Soldier beetle (Cantharis fusca) mating pair, Germany

Wild Wonders of Europe / Radisics / Soldier beetles (Cantharis fusca) mating on Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) Hortobagy National Park, Hungary, July 2009

Scott Leslie / Soldier Beetle (Cantharidae) pair on lily pad, West Stoney Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada

Scott Leslie / Soldier Beetle (Cantharidae) on lily pad, West Stoney Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada

Scott Leslie / Soldier Beetle (Cantharidae) on lily pad, West Stoney Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada

PREMAPHOTOS / Striped caterpillar larva of Cinnabar moth (Tyria / Callimorpha jacobaea) beside a mating pair of warningly coloured Soldier beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) UK

SINCLAIR STAMMERS / Soldier beetles mating (Rhagonycha fulva) England, UK

Kim Taylor / Black-tipped soldier beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) covered in pollen, UK. after feeding on

PREMAPHOTOS / Soldier beetles on ragwort {Rhagonycha fulva} England, UK

Kim Taylor / Black-tipped soldier beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) on hawkweed, Surrey, England

Premaphotos / Soldier beetles (Cantharis livida) mating pair, UK

Premaphotos / Common soldier beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) mating on Creeping thistle flower, with a second male trying to dislodge the mating male, UK

Premaphotos / Black-and-red soldier beetle (Cantharis rustica) mating pair, UK

Premaphotos / Black-and-red soldier beetle (Cantharis rustica) mating pair, UK

Premaphotos / Common soldier beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) mating pairs on Creeping thistle flower, UK

Roman Willi / Common red soldier beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) pair mating on flower head, Lucerne, Switzerland. July. Focus stacked.

Nigel Cattlin / Four Red soldier beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) pollinating the white flowering umbel of Common hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium), Berkshire, UK. July.

Bruce Thomson / Plague soldier beetles (Chauliognathus lugubris) swarming on vegetation, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.

Nick Upton / Common red soldier beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) mating while nectar feeding on Common hogweed flowers (Heracleum sphondylium), Wiltshire, England, UK, July.

Nick Upton / Common red soldier beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) nectar feeding and looking for mates on Common hogweed flowers (Heracleum sphondylium), Wiltshire, England, UK, July.

Nick Upton / Common red soldier beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) nectar feeding and looking for mates on Common hogweed flowers (Heracleum sphondylium), Wiltshire, England, UK, July.

Nick Upton / Common red soldier beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) mating while nectar feeding on Common hogweed flowers (Heracleum sphondylium), Wiltshire, England, UK, July.