Growing With Science Blog

What’s that small insect on the bottle tree?

Looking closer…

Oh, a praying mantis nymph. How cute!

Do you see praying mantids in the summer?

Most of us can recognize adult lady beetles,

but what about the immature stages, the larvae and pupae?

Don’t they look bizarre? The larva in the third photograph (with the pupa) has attached itself to the leaf in preparation of becoming a pupa too.

These are the larvae and pupa of the multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis . I took these photos on a recent trip to upstate New York. These lady beetles were intentionally introduced to the United States in the early 1980’s.

Sometimes the unexpected events make the best stories.

I was taking photographs of some geese, when my mom pointed out this dragonfly.

Can you see the waves it is making in the water, like a helicopter?

It’s a female laying her eggs in the water.

Have you ever seen dragonflies lay their eggs?