Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Ubiquitous

Harmonia axyridis is found everywhere now. Mugwort is a good place to find them. This is a vary variable beetle, variably spotted, even variably colored (although the red ones predominate). They are rounder and larger, in general, than native species. Introduced to North America about a century ago, they are invasive, bad news for native species and habitats.
Here’s the larval form, a late instar before pupation.
This is, I gather, the beginning of pupation.
A pupa.

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