Thursday, August 02, 2012

Japanese Ladybug



Japanese Ladybug
Harmonia axyridis
  
I was happily clicking away when this fella was spotted walking on a giant Miscanthus grass blade. It was a little funny because at first he ran down the blade away from me. I dutifully shot a picture of his butt and figured that was it but in a couple of seconds he came running back towards the camera, which is unusual when you are photographing insects. The 60mm macro was on the camera and I really wish it were the 105mm. That is a much better lens for bugs.

A little research provided the fact that this is an introduced species in the Americas originally hailing from eastern Asia. It was introduced (in the 1980's) for controlling aphids in Pecan orchards and has been hanging around ever since. It goes by several names. Here is an excellent website for ladybug identification:

I was able to identify “my” bug very easily from the key system they use. It is a beneficial insect in the garden and only becomes a pest when it tries to overwinter in the house.

Just to keep it real here is a flower picture. This miniature rose had grace and style far above its diminutive size. It looked exactly like a large rose shrunk down to a couple inches wide and tall.


Miniature Rose cv.
Rosa

1 comment:

ELFI said...

une coccinelle sur route! :)) joli!