Jeanne’s family was visiting. So I had volunteered to check her nest boxes at the Thomsen Foundation. Furthermore on Friday I could not have asked for a more perfect day in July! Thank you Jeanne 🙂
When I arrived at about 9am, the dark clouds were approaching. I better keep an eye on them.
I could not help myself. Yes, I took my time going from one box to the next. First stop was the Croton.
Here was my first find, the Dusky Lady Beetle (Scymnus) larva with waxy secretions adorning its back.
Did you notice the yellow spot above? It was an aphid! Furthermore this nailed the lady beetle’s ID to genus. The Scymnus larvae will frequently be associated with plants infested by aphids! (BugGuide). They like to eat the aphids and other soft bodied insects!
So waited a few moments to see if one would eat one. No luck that day.
Jeanne’s records showed 5 eggs last week. So it looked like 3 eggs didn’t hatch. 🙁
Checking more Croton I found more Dusky Lady Beetle larvae.
A false alarm for another creature. It was just debris.
A crab spider waited for their meal in a partially closed leaf.
The Plant Bugs (Miridae) are a common insect on the Crotons.
That Dusky Lady beetle larva is extraordinary! Re the bluebird chicks: late eggs very often don’t hatch (very early ones occasionally are frozen), but chicks that hatch usually survive the heat if not too extreme
Hope the birds are able to raise the babies in the heat that’s coming.
When I had bluebirds using my nest box, their last clutch usually had at least one egg that never hatched. I figured it was heat-related.
That Dusky Lady beetle larva is extraordinary! Re the bluebird chicks: late eggs very often don’t hatch (very early ones occasionally are frozen), but chicks that hatch usually survive the heat if not too extreme
Love the hairs on the croton. Star like. I assume there is a name for that.
Stellate!😎
I knew that but had forgotten the term. THANKS!
Crotons are great! I’m glad the ones you let me have seeds of are thriving here.
Its your green thumb! 🙂