Stink Bug - Cosmopepla lintneriana
Insect Order: Hemiptera / Family Pentatomidae. Formerly known as C. bimaculata  
Also known as two-spotted stinkbug or twice-stabbed stinkbug.
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Stink bugs feed on developing seed of many hosts including trees, shrubs, vines, weeds and many cultivated crops. They may also feed on the stems and foliage when seed are not present. Both nymph and adult stink bugs pierce plants with their needlelike mouthparts and suck sap from pods, buds, blossoms and seeds. The degree of damage depends on the developmental stage of the plant when it is attacked. Immature fruit and pods become deformed as they develop. Seeds are often flattened and shriveled. Germination can be reduced, or the seeds may fail to germinate at all.

The family name, Pentatomidae, comes from the Greek "pente" (five) + "tomos" (a section); perhaps a reference to the 5-segmented antennae, or perhaps a reference to the body, which, when viewed from above, appears to be divided into 5 large sections. The scutellum is the largest section.

These stinkbugs are small as stink bugs go - about 7mm.

Like all true bugs, this insect is a plant feeder, injecting enzymes which break down plant tissues and cell walls, then vacuuming up the resulting nutritional slurry. Because twice-stabbed stinkbugs feed on a wide variety of plants, including milk thistle, echinacea, asparagus, oats, mint and goldenrod, they are found in a wide variety of habitats.

They are active from May until September here in the American midwest. These colorful bugs are by far the most numerous stink bugs here in the western suburbs of Chicago. I find infestations of hundreds of individuals in very small areas of forest.