Posts Tagged: larva

Do 'Cats Eat Other 'Cats? Do Larva Eat Other Larva?

It's a dog-eat-dog world out there. It's also a 'cat-eat-'cat world, that is, when a caterpillar...

A lady beetle larva attacking and eating a syrphid fly larva. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A lady beetle larva attacking and eating a syrphid fly larva. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The lady beetle larva (first photo) grew to an adult like this one. This is an Asian lady beetle. Regarding cannibalism, monarch caterpillars can and do eat one another. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The lady beetle larva (first photo) grew to an adult like this one. This is an Asian lady beetle. Regarding cannibalism, monarch caterpillars can and do eat one another. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

From an Egg to a Caterpillar to a Chrysalis to a Monarch

Have you ever seen a monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) lay an egg on her host plant, the...

A monarch laying an egg on her host plant, milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A monarch laying an egg on her host plant, milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a cream-colored monarch egg. Note the oleander or milkweed aphid next to it. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a cream-colored monarch egg. Note the oleander or milkweed aphid next to it. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A very tiny caterpillar but it's big enough to start eating holes in the leaves. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A very tiny caterpillar but it's big enough to start eating holes in the leaves. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A fifth-instar monarch caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A fifth-instar monarch caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The jade green chrysalid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The jade green chrysalid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Voila! A monarch butterfly has just eclosed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Voila! A monarch butterfly has just eclosed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A monarch sipping nectar from a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A monarch sipping nectar from a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Now That's Massive Weight Gain!

So you're thinking you're putting on a little weight during the holidays. Not to worry. Put it all...

The tiny egg of a future honey bee weighs about 0.1 mg. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The tiny egg of a future honey bee weighs about 0.1 mg. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Larvae gain weight rapidly. A larva goes from 0.1 mg to around 120 mg. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Larvae gain weight rapidly. A larva goes from 0.1 mg to around 120 mg. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a pupa with a Varroa mite. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a pupa with a Varroa mite. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Newly emerged honey bee, just a minute old. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Newly emerged honey bee, just a minute old. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

'The Ladybug Shrub'

Our Artemisia, a silvery-leafed shrub bordering our bee friendly garden, looks quite orange and...

Ladybug

ADULT LADYBUG forages for aphids on a silvery-leafed shrub, Artemisia. A ladybug larva is at the far right. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Larval Stage

LARVAL STAGE of the ladybug. The ladybug goes through a complete metamorphosis: egg, larva, pupa and adult. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Pupa

PUPA of a ladybug on the silvery-leafed shrub, Artemisia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ladybug and a Pupa

ENCOUNTER--An adult ladybug encounters a pupa, the last stage before becoming an adult. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

To Sir (Syrphid), With Love

If you see a caterpillar near a cluster of aphids, don't squash it. It could very well be the larva...

Syrphid larva

SYRPHID LARVA, on a rose leaf, is feeding on aphids. Soon it will become a flower fly or hover fly, like the one below. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Adult syrphid fly

ADULT SYRPHID FLY feeds on nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Read more