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Thursday, October 14, 2010

Wee Leaf-footed Bug

















I had been wondering what had become of the leaf-footed bugs, Leptoglossus zonatus, that were so prevalent last autumn on the pomegranate, the opuntia, the mrytus.  These guys feed on many kinds of fruit but around here they're known as Those Pomegranate Bugs because they seem to really like pomegranates.  As I walked past the myrtus communis this afternoon, I wondered again but then noticed a tiny dot of orange on a myrtle fruit: one young leaf-footed bug nymph glowing in the western sun. 

These bugs go through many appearance changes as they molt and develop.  Hopefully I'll be able to catch this one or its siblings and share their instars with you in the coming days.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You must have eyesight like a hawk! When I go bug searching, I'm lucky to see any. Maybe a magnifying glass would help me, or do you just know exactly where to look?
Cynthia

vanessa cardui said...

Knowing where certain buggies are likely to be sure helps. But things often turn up unexpected. I have bad long distance eyesight . . . maybe my eye for bugs is compensation for that, or maybe the cause of it.