The fluffball was on the move. And it carried a big stick.
I immediately recognized the fluff as a debris-carrying lacewing larva. These insects wear impressive camouflage. Sometimes I’ll see plant material, bits of lichen, or spider silk. Or dead insects; carcasses the larva piled on its back after sucking out the victims’ guts. But never had I seen a larva sporting such an outsized element of disguise.
Continue reading Undercover Larva
Image Credits: Carol Doeringer, Brad Smith.