A little over two weeks ago, I found a cluster of bright yellow eggs underneath a linden (
Tilia sp.) leaf.
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| A cluster of lady beetle eggs on the underside of a linden leaf. |
Although I did not need to wait for the eggs to hatch to know what was inside -- developing lady beetle larvae -- I hoped to see the larvae before they dispersed. Therefore, I made a mental note of where the leaf was and occasionally checked on the eggs. Finally, after two weeks, there was a change.
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| The lady beetles shortly after hatching. |
The lady beetle larvae had emerged from their eggs. Soon, they would spread out in search of food. Checking the surrounding leaves, I saw that the lady beetle larvae would not have to go far to find a plentiful supply of aphids. However, they would have competitors, as more batches of lady beetle larvae were hatching nearby.
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| A linden aphid (Eucallipterus tiliae) on a nearby leaf. |
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