eclayne said:I guess my fingers were lagging behind my head.

I do the same thing LOL!

Thank you for sharing this very interesting info. I'm always interested in ways to control those pesky Japanese beetles!!!

For some reason and I hate to even say it, I did not have nearly the number of JB that I have had in the past...I remember hearing several years ago that they would eventually move on W and maybe that is what happened..Also the moles are in the ground eating the worms? that become the beatles..I still have the mole hills so maybe most of them got eaten..Either way I am glad and hope I haven 't jinxed myself by say that.

Here's a link for more info. on Milky Spore:
http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/pa...

Here's some photos taken by Janet and Buglife of a ladybug meets aphid:
http://cubits.org/buglife/thre...

Ladybug eggs found on tomatoes this spring.

Wow, Trux, there's a lot going on in that picture! Neat.

Heading in for a snack, or preparing to lay eggs?



Do Ladybugs lay eggs late in the season too, or just in the early months?

Lovely picture Chelle. Only you could manage to make aphids look pretty in a picture.

That's a good question, I'm not sure. I know ladybugs will snack on aphids sometimes too, but not as much as the nymphs.

Will have to find out...

Hah! This was the best out of four...

They did look pretty good before I smushed most of them. I figured that LB wouldn't eat many, and I didn't want them to damage the milkweed now.
I'm still looking for Monarch cats...

Well, I did some investigating and the best I can determine is that the ladybug "typically" lays its eggs in the spring. They will lay the eggs on the underside of leaves where the host will be available to the newborn nymphs (hatching in about 4 to 10 days after laying).

Also read that one ladybug can consume around 50 aphids in a sitting.

wildflowers said:Well, I did some investigating and the best I can determine is that the ladybug "typically" lays its eggs in the spring. They will lay the eggs on the underside of leaves where the host will be available to the newborn nymphs (hatching in about 4 to 10 days after laying).

Also read that one ladybug can consume around 50 aphids in a sitting.

Wow! I guess I should have left more of those on there for it to eat, although I think there may have been almost that many left. A lot of the ones in between the petioles are harder to get.

Spring only, eh? That must be one of the reasons why the late summer aphids always seem to be more numerous.


Thanks for the info!

wildflowers said:Lovely picture Chelle. Only you could manage to make aphids look pretty in a picture.

Wow...ain't that the truth.

I checked on them while I was out mowing today. They're all gone now; even the LB has wandered off.

Look Chelle,

I found a little ladybug nymph on a leaf (fruit tree) the other day. It looks like it just shed its skin.

I saw several ladybugs last week too. I guess they were laying eggs!

How cool! I've seen a bunch of them around here lately, too. I'm so glad because we've had another round of aphids as well.

Nature is amazingly efficient! Don't you think?

I am often in awe of how a tiny bug can find its host plant in the middle of "anywhere" or its host bug to feed on!

But, nature knows best.

Me, too.

I very often get sidetracked once I get outdoors! Some *work* days quite easily slip off into nature study days.








We saw a Walking Stick on the porch screen last evening, but it was too dark to take a picture.

I have to laugh because I do the same! It's gotten to the point that when hubby and I go out for our walks, he will ask me if I have my camera. hahaha!

Those are all great pics, Chelle! Thank you for sharing them! Lucky you found that beautiful chrysalis!! Monarch butterfly?

Yes, Monarch chrysalis on my caladiums. I had three there, but it looks like only one was able to hatch. Of course, that happened on the one day I was too busy to check it every 15 minutes! ( )

...so, I missed it.


Great shots, Christine!