I would like help identifying an unusual insect (just curiosity). I spotted the insect on a Eupatorium (Joe Pye Weed) flower, so it is likely attracted to nectar. I trapped and released the insect just for a closer look. I would say the length was 1/4 to 1/2 inch, and the body was very thin, not much wider than a toothpick. The insect had two wings and looked beetle-like to me, that is the wings folded neatly over the body when not in flight, although I am not an expert in insect classification. The markings were brilliant, alternating orange and black/yellow stripes going around the body (like a zebra) rather than parallel to the length. By "black/yellow", I mean that these stripes were subdivided into black and yellow regions in an intricate pattern. I did a web search for common beetles with these markings, but didn't turn up anything quickly. I'm pretty sure that my insect is not a cucumber or potato beetle.

Since Ailanthus is generally considered undesirable (it has bad habits, like spreading into a huge thicket by runner roots, and producing a toxin that interferes with growth of other plants in its vicinity), the Atteva punctilla might be classified as a beneficial insect, although it doesn't do enough damage to seriously impact the Ailanthus.

There are hundreds of images of this tiny but photogenic insect on the web. Here are a few:

http://www.bugguide.net/node/view/1762

http://entweb.clemson.edu/museum/moths/local/moth16.htm

I totally agree that this is a wonderful little insect! I see them only rarely, and it's always a great surprise!