possibly Yellow Bitterweed – Helenium Amarum
“Possibly” because the identification was made in the field and I haven’t gotten a sure ID since returning home…It seems to me that th Helenium Amarum has only 8 petals and that this one in the picture has at least 9 I can count. I haven’t even tried to identify the bug yet. It does look as though it has been the target of a wasp which has laid eggs on it (those hairy looking things on its back). Insects don’t usually stay still for photo opportunities,
bob's brain: living well with a movement disorder and other comorbidities 
I got an identification on the insect from entomologist Mike Quinn. The species is documented at http://bugguide.net/node/view/111171 and is known as Acmaeodera ornatoides. The larvae bore into oaks and other trees and feed on the wood. The adults are nectarivorous as shown in the photo.
As for the flower, it appears to be a Slender-Stem Bitterweed, Hymenoxys scaposa. But since I didn’t take a photo of the full plant, it is difficult to confirm it.
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