Macro

Thirteen spotted ladybird beetle hunting for aphids. Ladybugs are not bugs, nor are they ladies.  The ladybug, more appropriately called the ladybird beetle, is a friend to farmers and gardeners alike.  The ladybug got its name during the middle ages in Europe.  It turns out the farmers were having quite a tough time with an outbreak of aphids.  They must have been Catholic because they prayed to The Virgin Mary for help.  Not long after the crops recovered from the infestation, delivered by a host of ladybugs.  I guess they didn't care for the name marybug and the term ladybug stuck. The story above is one of many possible explanations of how the ladybug obtained its moniker (reference:  click here ).  Whether true or not, the title is ubiquitous and these beetles are found worldwide.  In Canada alone, there are 150 species.  Altogether there are about 5000 species.  Ladybirds, like all beetles, have complete metamorphosis.  Their development goes from an egg to larva to p

The skeletonizing of a leaf by a leaf miner. Born to tunnel; a simple egg laid on a leaf produces a tiny caterpillar.  It immediately becomes an industrial machine, boring into the leaf and consuming the matter between layers.  Barely visible to the human eye, it proceeds in a relatively straight line until it finds an obstacle.  Undeterred, it changes direction and continues its momentum; becoming larger with each centimeter consumed.  The tunnels become larger and its progress faster.  Soon it has consumed almost half an entire leaf.  Thwarted by the main vein running through the middle, it is now large enough to chew through the tougher structure.  Continuing the destruction, the caterpillar finds an outside edge.  It is time to rest.  Spinning silken web, it makes a bed out of the very vegetation it has been consuming.  When it wakes, it will no longer be a caterpillar, but a newly emerged moth bent on laying its own eggs to start the cycle all over again. This caterpillar is

Willow sawfly larvae feeding on a willow leaf. Insects can be very hard to identify, and sometimes even getting the right group of insects can be challenging.  The above photo of a sawfly larva is a good example. Initially, one would probably mistake these caterpillar-like creatures as being either butterfly or moth larvae.  Both sawflies and lepidoptera (the group butterflies and moths belong to) have similar looking young.  The easiest way to tell if it is a caterpillar or sawfly is by paying attention to the prolegs. Prolegs are those peculiar suction cup type feet that exist at the back end of caterpillars.  We know all insects have 6 legs, so why do caterpillars seem to have so many more?  It turns out the first three pairs are the true legs.  The caterpillar's head is close to them.  The rest of the caterpillar has a series of false legs, called prolegs, which continue to the end of the individual.  The number of proleg pairs will help identify if it is a sawfly larva