single ladybug on one of my spinach leaves
i was sooo astonished because when i was rinising it with water, i thought the ladybug was a piece of dirt and when the "dirt" wouldn't rinse off, i thought
" what the heck is going on here?"

so then i inspected it further and it was a ladybug
and it would NOT budge..

i stared enrapt and bizarrely fascinated as much for the fact that it was immobile as well as the fact that it had the temerity to invite itself over for lunch

anyhoo... it was definetely ALIVE

it had the rootedness of a buddhist monk

and when i inspected it further, it looked as if it was protecting some sort of
dirt colored honey colored mass underneath it

i'm wondering if it was a larva

at any rate, i decided to clip off that leaf and put it outside on the grass
where it could take care of its brood ( if it was that) and also have its lunch in peace

what do u think it was?

does anyone know about the life cycles of ladybugs?
what is the color of the larva?
does the ladybug tend to its brood?

if so, how?

just wondering

any entomologists out there?

or any bug afficionados?

i felt strangely healed when i put the ladybug outside

i have to make a little confession

its sooo embarrassing

but when i was about 4 years old

i wasn't too nice to certain bugs

now, its my chance to change my karma

oh yeah, just had to mention
that i am glad that i was so picky when i was checking out the leaves to see if
all the leaves were "good" and "fresh" otherwise i might have not caught it

and i don't even wish to THINK about what would have happened if i didn't
cuz i was about to juice it

criketiesss! that was a close shave...wheww.. it really was

yes, indeedy... life is harrowing indeed... with just a glance or a look or a speck being missed... and all of one entity's life is forever transformed

Hi la_veronique,

Ladybugs lay yellowish/orange colored eggs usually on the underside of leaves.

They have hungry larva that are orange and black or charcoal grey kind of like Halloween colors. They look to me like little Gila Monsters.

I don't think they tend to their brood after the eggs are laid for I only ever see the eggs and active larva by themselves.

The larva eat aphids for one thing. When I come across these little monsters I leave them on their way since I know from experience they can bite. It doesn't hurt all that much but I don't need biting.

I like ladybugs.

Kit

hey kit


i think they must have been larva after all

cuz it did look like your description

u say they look to u like little gila monsters?

that is interesting that u say that... u must have looked at them under a microscope (or you have RREALLLY good eyes

i saw a white larva ( the size of a glue dot) under a microscope once ( on a eucalyptus leaf) and the critters looked like orange translucent armadillos with lines across them... whoww

i didn't know that ladybugs can bite, really?

or are u saying the larva bite?

i like ladybugs too

they are cool

thanks for the info

from now on, i'm washing my veggies extra careful to see that i get everything

Bugs are cute! :-)

I had one of those little black and orange larvae things on me a while ago (somehow it was in the car I was in!) and I had to keep hold of it till we got a chance to stop so I could put it outside, and I swear the thing nipped me!

Picture of mid-stage larvae:

[en.wikipedia.org]

In the UK, ladybugs are called ladybirds!

I had a few incidences when I was little that I feel so bad about too, one was killing a little wasp, some green larvae and some ants. What's horrible, was I was only doing it to look 'big' in front of my dad It's sad that I felt I needed to kill something to impress my parents... Yet mention you're going vegan and they're either not bothered or less than impressed!

hey rawnoggin

THAT ( saw the wikipedia site u put up there) is a lady bug larva?

really? how could it look so big? okay, i'm guessing the photo scale is waaaaay off but still.. it looks like it is completing the span of the blade of grass and the larva ( or what i thought was larva) looked undistinguishable

anyhoo... i know that there are different stages... and all... but that just seems bizarro big ... but its cool looking what with the blue and the orange

reminds me of caterpillars

but more scaly and colorful

i saw butterflies flying around at an exhibition once

it was like being in a fairy tale dream

they put this translucent netting on top so all ( butterflies and people included) could breathe

i liked the blue morphos the best

these butterflies were flying around EVERYWHERE... suspended in air
moving about

and i was in the midst

well, far below

but they were everywhere

didn't know what to do

i felt so awed and overwhelmed

i killed some ants too when i was a kid
stupid me

not sure what was going through my mind
and they were OUTDOORS too

i must have been insane

kids can be dang stupid, sometimes

i know i wuz

don't know what to say about your dad being impressed about u killing a bug so u could look "big" in front of your dad

if my dad found out that i senselessly killed a bug in its own habitat, i think he would have been seriously disappointed

he killed an animal when he was starving ... i think a rabbit and that was the only time he did it..

he said it tasted like "chicken"' geeez... that's original

i notice that not all plants taste like chicken

but lately, they are all tasting like dandelions to me

kale, dandelion, parsley

yep, they all taste like dandelions

one is more crunchier, the other is more stringier

just kidding