- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
If you're an entomologist, an agriculturist, a gardener or an insect enthusiast, you've probably seen the life cycle of a lady beetle, aka ladybug: from the egg to the larva to the pupa to the adult.
You may have missed the pupal stage when the adult emerges--or mistaken the pupal case for something dead (what's that carcass?) or something regurgitated.
Fascinating to watch!
Lady beetles, from the family Coccinellidae, are beneficial insects (some 5000 species) that feast on aphids and other soft-bodied insects. Entomologists call them lady beetles because this insect is not a true bug.
Scores of lady beetles visit our little pollinator garden in Vacaville. They especially like the narrow milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis. Want to see a video on the life cycle? Watch The Stunning Life Cycle Of A Ladybug | The Dodo on YouTube.
Fascinating to watch!
![Welcome to the world! A lady beetle, aka ladybug, emerges from its pupal case. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Welcome to the world! A lady beetle, aka ladybug, emerges from its pupal case. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/85907.jpg)
![The lady beetle, aka ladybug, heads up the leaf, leaving its pupal case behind. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) The lady beetle, aka ladybug, heads up the leaf, leaving its pupal case behind. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/85908.jpg)
![A newly emerged lady beetle, aka ladybug, peers at the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A newly emerged lady beetle, aka ladybug, peers at the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/85909.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Our hearts are with the victims and what we can do to help.
But we briefly stepped out in the backyard yesterday (Oct. 10) in Vacaville to see a sun and sky we did not recognize. Nearby, the brightly colored orange Gulf Fritillary butterlifes (Agraulis vanillae) continued their life cycle on the passionflower vine (Passiflora), their host plant. So unreal to see:
- An egg on the tendrils.
- A caterpillar munching leaves.
- A newly eclosed Gulf Fritillary clinging to its pupal case.
- An adult spreading its wings in the eerie light, ready to start the process all over again.
Mother Nature is not kind. Neither is Father Time.
/span>![A Gulf Fritillary egg on the tendrils of the passionflower vine (Passiflora). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A Gulf Fritillary egg on the tendrils of the passionflower vine (Passiflora). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/48176.jpg)
![A Gulf Fritillary caterpillar continues to munch the Passiflora leaves. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A Gulf Fritillary caterpillar continues to munch the Passiflora leaves. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/48177.jpg)
![A newly eclosed Gulf Fritillary clings to its pupal case. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A newly eclosed Gulf Fritillary clings to its pupal case. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/48178.jpg)
![In the eerie light of the smoke-choked sky and reddish sun, a newly eclosed Gulf Fritillary spreads its wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) In the eerie light of the smoke-choked sky and reddish sun, a newly eclosed Gulf Fritillary spreads its wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/48179.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
If you engage in a mini-monarch conservation project, you know the joy of watching the egg-caterpillar-chrysalis-adult transformation. It's one of Nature's miracles.
Then when you release the monarchs and watch them soar high, awkwardly fluttering their wings in new-found freedom, that's another high.
But there comes a day when you realize that Nature isn't perfect--not that you ever thought it was or ever will be.
In fact, Nature can be a little cruel.
Take the case of several caterpillars we reared in an enclosed habitat to protect them from predators. The 'cats ate the milkweed, and then, they formed chrysalids, just like they're supposed to do. Perfectly formed green-jade chrysalids dotted in gold.
They all looked normal, except one. Apparently a very hungry caterpillar chomped on one of the chrysalids instead of its milkweed. It knawed and knashed until it cratered it.
"This is it!" we figured. All done. No more left to eclose. But today, a monarch eclosed from the damaged chrysalis. A monarch with a deformed wing.
It was a girl. It still is.
We placed her on a broadleaf milkweed (Asclepias speciosa), where she sunned herself and warmed her flight muscles--flight muscles she'll never use because she cannot fly. She sipped some sugar-water and a chunk of juicy watermelon.
She may even attract a mate and give us the next generation.
Maybe. Maybe not.
Nature is not always nice.
![A monarch chrysalis, cannibalized by a hungry caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A monarch chrysalis, cannibalized by a hungry caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/37869.jpg)
![From a chrysalis to a pupal case--now where's the monarch? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) From a chrysalis to a pupal case--now where's the monarch? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/37870.jpg)
![It's a girl, but she has a deformed wing.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) It's a girl, but she has a deformed wing.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/37871.jpg)
![Newly eclosed, but deformed, monarch clings to a milkweed, Asclepias speciosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Newly eclosed, but deformed, monarch clings to a milkweed, Asclepias speciosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/37872.jpg)
![Perfect from this angle! This is her best side, truly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Perfect from this angle! This is her best side, truly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/37873.jpg)