Got an answer.. "swamp milkweed leaf beetle" from a contributor on Wintersowing.

We have those too, lots of them. Every year. They can chew a healthy milkweed right down to the nub, if there are enough of them. I kill some of them by dropping them into "the soapy cup of death." But I have not eradicated them, & I don't intend to.

Yesterday, my kids and I traveled north to our usual release area for female moths (had a bunch of polys to let go). While they were taking care of the moths, I looked at catalpa and milkweed for caterpillars. I found one of those beetles on the milkweed. I don't remember ever seeing one before and wondered what it was. Now I know what it was. Thanks for the info.

KC

The nymph stage is worse than the beetle. They look like potato bugs and eat just as much as the adults.

Here is a link that might be useful: Labidomera clivicollis - Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle

KC why would you want a catalpa worm? I love most sphinx moths and even keep plants for my tomato hornworms but the catalpa worms are another story. They can completely defoliate a good size tree in no time but that's not the real problem. The worst part is all the frass. It literally rains down on you. It's so gross. My catalpa tree overhangs part of my deck and I have to hose it off several times a day during an infestation. I've had up to 3 generations of worms in a single season! The only thing they are good for is fish bait.