Today we have insect photos from two readers, whose captions are indented. The first is from David Fuqua, who, I’m pleased to hear, learned some new biology when looking up what he photographed:
Here is what I learned about common milkweed bugs from Wikipedia. The large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus), is a hemipteran (true bug) of the family Lygaeidae. These bugs feed on milkweed plants. The plant shown in the pictures may be common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), but I’m not sure. These bugs feed on the the milkweed seed by injecting saliva into the seed then sucking up the juice. Juveniles of the species are hemimetabolous (new word for me), meaning they grow in stages called instars (also new word). These pictures show groups of adults and juveniles clustered on seed pods, presumably sharing a meal. Photos taken recently in Elkhart County, Indiana.
[JAC: These are pretty clearly aposematic (warningly colored), as milkweed sap is toxic to predators and is sequestered in the bugs’ bodies. In fact, the bugs are colored with the same orange and black palette as are Monarch butterflies, whose caterpillars also feed on milkweed and are likewise unpalatable to predators. This may thus be a case of Müllerian mimicry, in which unpalatable species evolve to resemble one another’s colors and patterns.]
Reader Lorraine contributed some wasp photos taken by a friend (posted with permission):
These images were taken by my friend Doug Hayes when he was doing some work in our yard a few weekends ago. He noticed the wasp going back and forth many times behind a leaf. He decided to photograph it with his phone when the wasp came out with the caterpillar.
After researching the wasp, this is what he found out. “A Four-toothed Mason Wasp (Monobia quadridens) snags a leaf-roller caterpillar. The wasp paralyzes the caterpillar and carries it back to her nest. She will seal several caterpillars into a cell of her nest, along with a fertilized egg. When the eggs hatch, the wasp larvae feed on the still living caterpillars.”These were taken in Richmond, VA. I hope your readers will enjoy seeing these!
Don’t need a fancy camera to take interesting wildlife photos.
Isn’t the xenomorph’s lifecycle from the “Alien” franchise based on this wasp/caterpillar cycle?
The way the wasp young feed on the living caterpillars has often been used as a prime example of how nature can be abysmally cruel. I seem to remember Christopher Hitchens using it, I think to demonstrate that if “God did it”, he’s kind of a jerk.
Darwin already used ichneumon wasps to profess his unbelief in a benevolent Creator.
Yes, now that you mention it, I do remember that. The contrarians must, if they want to be consistent and logical, believe God is evil. Something most find hard to swallow.
Many species of wasps have evolved this behavior of paralyzing food for future larvae noms. Around here, the mud dauber does the same thing to orb weaver spiders. Nature is indeed cruel, but my take is that insects have evolved the cruelest traits. But maybe they don’t feel pain in which case not so cruel?
I am late today. These are great.
Milkweed bugs congregate together on milkweed seed pods, especially late in the season. I am not sure why, but two possible reasons are that they ‘co-advertise’ their toxic color. Another possible reason is that by feeding together they somehow pull more nutrients from the seeds they are tapping into.
I see hunting mason wasps all the time, but I have never seen one taking prey. That is a good find!
Cameras and insects just go together. A lifetime of adventure and learning awaits.
Very interesting photos. My milkweed plants are infested with those bugs.