What insects are on the zinnias this week?
This little assassin bug nymph has orange spots that match the flower heads.
I doubt this Geron bee fly is fooled.
Getting outdoors is a great way to celebrate Earth Day.
Are you doing anything special for Earth Day today?
Remember the little brown katydid from two weeks ago?
I didn’t see any katydids last week, but this might be why:
There is now a slightly larger green katydid on the zinnias.
Is it the same katydid? Of course I have no way of knowing for sure. Insects do molt their exoskeletons in order to grow, and it is possible that some katydids change color when they molt. It apparently is the same species, at least.
By the way, now the aphids and lacebugs are completely gone. Wonder what will show up next week…
When teaching about insect metamorphosis, one easy way to have children to act out molting is to put a large shirt on the child backwards (the insect’s exoskeleton usually splits down the back). Don’t button the shirt, but overlap the sides so it lays down in the back. Ask the child to get out of the shirt, or molt, without using their hands. Most children learn pretty quickly how to wiggle and squirm their way out, but it does give them an impression of how complicated it is for the insect.
Have you ever seen an insect molt?
What are on the zinnias this week?
In just one week a number of insects have “colonized” the zinnias.
Some aphids have come over from the local sunflowers. (Sunflower aphids, Uroleucon helianthicola)
A lacebug has found the leaves. I see those all the time on brittlebush.
Am I worried about these insects on my zinnias? Not really, because along with the plant-feeding insects come the insect-feeding insects.
Look, there’s already an aphid mummy with a parasitic wasp inside.
Although it isn’t the best photo, there’s also a lacewing larva. Lacewing larvae eat insects like aphids and lacebugs in large quantities.
Did you see the katydid last week? It is gone now.
It is interesting and enlightening to observe a small group of plants closely over time.
Any guesses what might show up next week?
For more information, see Roberta Gibson Writes.
© 2025 Growing With Science Blog
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑