In the yard in Maine, the most stunning transformation that occurred during the transition from summer to fall was of the burning bushes. These small trees went from rather modest plants to the most ostentatious ones in the garden, with vividly pink leaves...
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| Fall foliage of the burning bush (Euonymus alatus). |
... and multitudes of brilliantly red fruits.
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| Burning bush branches loaded with dehisced fruits. |
As I was admiring the burning bushes, one leaf with a bit more green on it stood out from the others.
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| A pale green assassin bug (Zelus luridus) nymph on the burning bush. |
Hanging on to the leaf was an immature pale green assassin bug (
Zelus luridus) waiting to grab prey with its sticky forelegs and then stab the prey with its sharp beak.
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| The assassin bug nymph raising its sticky forelegs in defense, or maybe in preparation for attack! |
Though the assassin bug initially seemed disturbed by my attention, I kept seeing it on the same leaf over the next couple of days. Then, the leaf fell from the tree and the assassin bug disappeared with it.
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