I was taking a walk in the garden a couple of days ago trying to find something interesting to shoot...
I passed by a rose plant and saw that the aphid colony had come back ready to feast on my roses!
I love looking at them, so tiny, creepy creatures.
I already knew a lot of interesting facts about them, that they make nice delicacies for ladybugs...
Or that they excess a nutritious substance from their very very small butts, a substance that ants drink (yes, from the aphids' anus).
I also knew that some ants act like shepherds that breed and take aphids under their protection from predators in exchange for this tasty butt juice...
This time I learnt that some female aphids grow wings to help move from one plant to another in order to start a new colony.
And even though there male aphids, the species can reproduce asexually as well by one female laying... clones of herself...
Just as this lady is doing here!
You done with your bugs yet?
It's time for my meal!!
Original content by @ruth-girl - 2020 - All rights reserved
Originally posted on HIVE, also shared on my Whaleshares and Steemit blogs
This is awesome. Do you know if they´re red, because they´re eating from a red plant? I only know the green ones from my green plant...
Wow! I thought the color was some kind of camouflage 😮
You're right, it was only a guess. They can change it only from red to green and back with the help from certain bacteria. Which is also pretty cool.
They look tasty
Oh no, the bane of roses, I'd say you need an order of ladybirds/ladybugs, they're the best defense and it's 'fun' to watch them 'have lunch' tee hee.