Back to the hollyhocks.
The light is so lovely on the white flowers.
Wait, what’s that on the stem below the buds at the top?
It is a tiny praying mantis nymph.
Too cute.
Have you ever seen a newly-hatched praying mantis nymph?
Tag: praying mantis (Page 2 of 5)
I must admit I wasn’t optimistic I would find much in our yard on January 3. It has been cold in the morning and insects aren’t usually active when it’s cold.
Wait. What’s that tiny green thing?
It’s a little praying mantis.
There’s something in the brittlebush flower.
That’s a crab spider with some prey.
What is this?
Although they look a bit like honey bees, these are flies. I didn’t get a clear look, but probably flower flies in the family Syrphidae.
Not to shabby for a winter day.
Did you guess the identities of the milkweed insects from last week? Let’s check.
- The yellow-orange insects on the stem are aphids. More specifically, they are the oleander aphid, Aphis nerii. Hint: Aphids are the ones with two “tailpipes” or cornicles on the back.
2. The red and black one insect might be hard to tell from this angle, but it is a true bug. A little one with two white dots in the wing is a small milkweed bug, Lygaeus kalmii.
3. This one was tough because the photograph isn’t very close. It is an assassin bug, Zelus renardii. It is probably waiting for a bee or fly to capture.
4. I think everyone recognized the praying mantis. In this case, it is the Mediterranean mantis, Iris oratoria. (See previous post).
5. This one is tricky. Cirrelda correctly recognized it is a lady beetle.
6. The pale green oval at the end of the hairlike stalk is the egg of a lacewing. (Life cycle in previous post).
7. The cute striped caterpillar will turn into a monarch butterfly.
At this time of year, the butterfly will probably migrate farther north to lay its eggs on another milkweed plant.
We’re glad it stopped by.
For more information, see Roberta Gibson Writes.