Springing to life, part one

Just in time for the first days of spring, the Texas bluebonnets spread from sparse glimpses of blue to cover all the nearby meadows.

A field of Texas bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) in bloom.

Though the bluebonnets were not yet swarmed with visitors (the way they were last spring at the peak of their bloom), I found a variety of insects on the blossoms, including honey bees, lady beetles...

A seven-spotted lady beetle (Coccinella septempunctata) on a bluebonnet inflorescence. 

...and even large, menacing wasps.

A paper wasp (Polistes sp.) feeding from bluebonnet flowers.

However, the many butterflies that also appeared with the mild spring weather were mostly attracted to another type of flower.  To be continued...

A caterpillar in the bonnet

The bluebonnets attracted many more visitors than just bees this spring.  Among these other visitors were caterpillars – which came to feed on, rather than from, the flowers.

A caterpillar feeding on the buds of a Texas lupine (Lupinus texensis).

However, the flowers were not the most enticing part of the bluebonnets for herbivores.  Soon after the seeds pods began maturing, they started to become riddled with holes.  Meanwhile, the seeds that should have been developing inside were damaged or even completely missing.

Texas lupine seed pods after a seed predator attack.

The first insect that I found in the vicinity of the holes was a lady beetle. 

A seven-spotted lady beetle (Coccinella septempunctata) by a freshly chewed hole in a Texas lupine seed pod.

Yet, nearly all lady beetles, including the one pictured here, are primarily predators of other insects, not of seeds.  Therefore, it seemed unlikely that the lady beetle was the culprit.  Then, what was making all the holes?  To be continued…

Gotta find them all!

The park across the street has a sign advertising some of the organisms that are likely to be found by visitors to the park. (Note that the sign does not include the organisms most likely to find visitors to the park, namely the mosquitoes and chiggers).

Which one of these doesn't quite belong?

I have already made considerable progress in documenting each of the organisms on the sign (and have either seen or heard all but one of them).  Here is a quick guide to each organism, starting from the top left of the sign:

Ladybug: I have found at least three species of ladybugs (a.k.a. lady beetles) in the park.  However, since the drawing was specifically of a seven-spotted lady beetle, I will show that species too.  This species was an interesting choice for the sign, given that it is not native to North America.

Two seven-spotted lady beetles (Coccinella septempunctata).

Dragonfly: I was absorbed in watching a bee (notably omitted from the sign) when I was startled by the sound of the dragonflies pictured below.  They were making a violent clattering as they beat their wings against the vegetation in their struggle.

A male (left) attempting to mate with a female (right) variegated meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum).

Turtle: I didn't even have to cross the street to find a turtle.  The one pictured below was on the grass along the sidewalk outside my apartment.

Probably a red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), but it was hiding its "ears" along with much of the rest of its head.

Squirrel: You may have noticed that I skipped over the acorn.  I don't remember seeing any in the park, but they may have been there (I was not looking specifically for them) or they may have all been hidden by the many squirrels, most of which appear quite well fed.

A fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), but still no acorn.

To be continued...

Ladies in waiting

A little over two weeks ago, I found a cluster of bright yellow eggs underneath a linden (Tilia sp.) leaf.

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.

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.

A linden aphid (Eucallipterus tiliae) on a nearby leaf.

Not quite a lady-killer

During the day, the most numerous visitors to the flowers in our garden in Florida were not bees, butterflies, moths, flies, or, indeed, anything flying.  Instead, the flowers were occupied by foraging ants.  While I watched, these ants were never interrupted by any competitor for the flowers' nectar or pollen.  An incident I observed one evening suggested why the ants were left to benefit alone, by demonstrating how aggressively the ants could defend their chosen flowers from trespassers.  As I walked through the garden, my flashlight revealed a cactus lady beetle (Chilocorus cacti) on a Pentas sp. flower.  At that same moment, the lady beetle was being inspected by an ant.

An ant inspects a cactus lady beetle (Chilocorus cacti) on a Pentas sp. flower.

The ant approached more closely, and very soon after they came into contact, the ant closed its mandibles around the lady beetle's exposed wing.

The ant holding onto the lady beetle's wing.

Though the lady beetle dragged the ant across several flowers, for some time it was not able to escape.  If there had been more ants in the vicinity, the lady beetle might have been in some danger of being overwhelmed. 

The lady beetle tries to crawl away, but is held back by the ant.

As it was, the lady beetle eventually pulled loose, and without any apparent damage to its wing.  Once free, the lady beetle made its quick departure from the flowers.

And then there were none

I periodically check on the aphids on the pine tree and have been keeping track of one colony in particular.  In early November, this colony was growing rapidly.  However, after reaching a peak of nine aphids, the colony went into decline.  It lost one then another of its three adults, leaving just one adult surrounded by a few juveniles.

The dwindling colony of aphids.

A few days later, all the aphids of the colony were gone.  They may have succumbed to the cold and wind, or perhaps to something even more sinister. 

A seven-spotted ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata) on the pine tree.

Although I haven't seen any ladybugs (such as the one pictured above) on the pine tree for the last few weeks, I have caught glimpses of a few camera-shy spiders on the branches.  I also found one aphid that was missing a leg, perhaps as a result of being attacked by something.

An aphid missing its hind right leg.

Coming in from the cold

When it is cold and rainy, it becomes more difficult to find insects and spiders outside -- but easier to find them inside.  Each day, I discover one or two new "guests" that have arrived in the house.  Although they are all uninvited, I have been letting most of them stay.  Many, such as the spider and ladybug pictured below, are predators that should help to keep the number of other "guests" low.

A spider that was roaming the floor.

A seven-spotted ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata) that has been patrolling my houseplants.

Others are simply too troublesome to handle, such as the several western conifer seed bugs that have gotten inside.  They won't cause any problems as long as they are left alone, but they may release an unpleasant smell if they are disturbed.

A western conifer seed bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis) climbing the blinds.

Ladybugs of a different spot

Most of the ladybugs I've found in the garden recently have had seven spots.  However, ladybugs can vary widely in their number of spots -- from none at all to more than twenty.  Many species are named after their characteristic number of spots, such as the two-spotted ladybug (Adalia bipunctata) pictured below.

A two-spotted ladybug (Adalia bipunctata) on a hollyhock leaf.

Other ladybug species have variable numbers of spots, such as these convergent ladybugs (Hippodamia convergens), which may have thirteen or fewer spots.

Two convergent ladybugs (Hippodamia convergens) on unopened flowers.

Instead of being named after their number of spots, they are named for the white lines that always converge along the edge of the pronotum (the plate immediately behind the head).

A convergent ladybug (Hippodamia convergens) on a hollyhock leaf.

The name 'convergent' is also appropriate given these beetles' tendency to converge into groups of hundreds or thousands to hibernate through the winter.

Two of these things are not like the others

Fruits all over the garden have finally ripened to a vibrant red.  There are crabapples, rowan berries, rosehips, trumpet honeysuckle fruits, and cotoneaster fruits (pictured below) -- all of which add attractive autumn color to the garden.

Berries and autumn foliage of a Cotoneaster sp. shrub.

The bright color of the fruits is not only appealing aesthetically; it also attracts seed dispersers, such as birds, that consume the fleshy fruits but fail to digest the seeds within.  However, not every red thing on the branches is aiming to be eaten.  Spot the exceptions in the photo below!

Two seven-spotted ladybugs (Coccinella septempunctata) among the Cotoneaster sp. berries.

Interestingly, in the case of the ladybugs, the red color serves as a signal that they are distasteful. 

Painting the garden red

We had a few days of warmer weather this week and, as a result, the ladybugs have come out of hiding.  Almost wherever I go in the garden, I find more of these little red beetles.  Some of them, such as those pictured below, appear to be just sitting around in clusters.

Seven-spotted ladybugs (Coccinella septempunctata) gathered on a hollyhock leaf.

Seven-spotted ladybugs (Coccinella septempunctata) gathered on a rose stem.

Others are going for the last remaining flowers.  Although ladybugs are predators of other insects (particularly aphids), they will consume nectar and pollen when their prey are scarce.

A seven-spotted ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata) on a dandelion (Taraxacum sp.) inflorescence.

A seven-spotted ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata) on an aster inflorescence.

Beetles uncovered

Last weekend I worked on preparing the garden for winter.  I was careful when cutting back plant stems, as I thought I might find the egg cases (ootheca) of the praying mantises I had seen before.  Although I didn't find any ootheca on the plants, I did find a new one on a sheltered part of the garden fence.

A mantis egg case (ootheca) attached to the fence.

My other interesting -- and much more colorful -- finds were all under the plant stems I was pruning.  As I gathered the dead leaves and stems from around one plant, I saw several bright red shapes nestled in the dirt.  They were ladybugs that had been hibernating under the shelter of the leaves.

Ladybugs that had been underneath some dead leaves.

I had been finding ladybugs hibernating in the mulch for the last few weeks, so these weren't a big surprise.  However, the next beetle that I uncovered was much larger, with an unusual purple and bronze sheen.

A European ground beetle (Carabus nemoralis) that had been underneath some plant stems.

From above, the coloration of the European ground beetle (Carabus nemoralis) makes it look attractive. However, once you look at it face on, I'm sure you will understand why I was glad to be wearing gloves when I caught this predatory beetle.

The seed defenders

Many seed predators have converged upon the hollyhocks and are feasting on the seeds.  Nevertheless, things may not be as bad as they first appear for this new generation of hollyhocks -- for the seed predators have been attracting enemies of their own.  During my rounds through the garden, I have noticed that the hollyhock seed pods are also routinely patrolled by a number of predators.  The most common of these predators are wasps and ladybugs.

A European paper wasp (Polistes dominula) on a hollyhock seed pod.

A ladybird beetle (Coccinellidae) inside a hollyhock seed pod.

Although many of the hollyhock seed predators that I have seen are bugs, not all of the bugs on hollyhocks are necessarily there to eat seeds.  When I first saw the bug pictured below, I thought it was piercing through the pod to reach the seeds inside.

A bug eating a much smaller insect, speared on its mouthparts.

Upon close inspection, however, a very small insect is visible at the end of the bug's mouthparts.  In contrast, the bug pictured below was no longer a predator of any kind.  Instead, it had become the prey of a crab spider.

A crab spider (Mecaphesa sp.) eating a bug on a hollyhock seed pod.

Surprise inside

Earlier in the year, the crabapple (Malus sp.) tree in the backyard was buzzing with bees.  Now, it is covered in small, sour fruits.  I keep checking the fruits to see if anything will eat them, but so far they have been left alone.  Instead, I have noticed that many of the crabapple leaves are getting rolled up and eaten.

A rolled crabapple (Malus sp.) leaf.

Curious to know what was inside, I began carefully unrolling the leaves.  Within the first few leaves I found white silk, insect frass (the black droppings in the picture below), and ladybugs.

A convergent ladybug (Hippodamia convergens) in a rolled crabapple leaf.

However, most ladybugs are predators, not herbivores.  Something else must have been rolling and eating the leaves -- and then been eaten by the ladybugs.  I kept looking.  On about the fifth leaf, I finally found a leaf roller caterpillar.

A leaf roller caterpillar inside a crabapple leaf.

Having found only harmless (to me) insects inside the leaves, I started unrolling the other leaves with less caution.  However, I soon discovered that the leaf roller caterpillars were not the only ones rolling leaves.  As I peeled open another leaf, I saw long, spindly legs -- and I immediately released the leaf.  I brought a flashlight down to the garden so that I could peek inside through the narrow opening without further disturbing the leaf.  With the aid of the flashlight, I found that the legs belonged to a spider guarding its egg sac.

A spider and egg sac inside a rolled crabapple leaf.

Insects beware: here be spiders

My backyard has been looking very dry and brown from the summer heat.  Not hoping for much, I went out in search of life.  A few plants are still blooming and I was very pleased to see a small crab spider on one of the first flowers I checked. 

A crab spider and ladybug on a common hollyhock (Alcea rosea) flower.

Then there was another... and another.  On the bush pictured below, I found a tiny crab spider on almost every flower!

A tiny crab spider sits between the two petals on the right side of the flower.

I watched in suspense as a small bee visited one of these flowers.  However, just as for a previously featured crab spider, the little crab spider on this flower posed no threat for the bee.  The real danger for the bee came immediately after it left the flower -- and flew straight into a funnel-web.

A funnel-web spider eating a small bee.

The funnel-web spider, responding to the motion of the web, sprang up at the bee -- but missed.  The bee managed to force its way through the web and then sat on a nearby leaf for a few moments, grooming off the bits of web that had come with it. (The bee being eaten by the funnel-web spider in the photograph was an earlier catch.)

I then decided to check the front yard.  There it was the same: spiderlings everywhere. 

A tiny crab spider sitting on an aster and eating something even smaller.

The little one pictured above had found something even smaller to eat.  It won't be very long, though, before some of the dozens of young crab spiders have grown large enough to hunt bees.