Microworld Amongst Leaves
There are half a dozen little green insects clinging to my thumb! I look closer at the plant and notice an ant and spider. The ant shimmies up the stem and the spider builds itself a silky home.
It's a brisk fall day. Chilly gusts of wind shake leaves of every shape and color out of the trees. I sprint to catch up to my quarry, a four-spotted skimmer, but to no avail. The dragonfly zips higher and out of my grasp. Gazing back down to the ground, I see a huge variety of plants, but one catches my eye.
Nestled among the clovers and grass is a little spot of red. I bend down for a closer look. The bright red leaves have little green lumps on them! I feel one leaf and inspect my finger. There are half a dozen little green insects clinging to my thumb! I look closer at the plant and notice an ant and spider. The ant shimmies up the stem and the spider builds itself a silky home.
These tiny green pests are called aphids. They survive by drinking the sap of the plant that they reside on. Aphid populations can rise rapidly due to their ability to reproduce asexually. Unlike most species which consist of males and females, aphid populations are comprised of winged and wingless females.
On aphid-infested plants, you may notice a number of ants scurrying around the plant. This is because the aphids' waste product is a sweet secretion called honeydew. Many different ants congregate to feed on this sweet treat. The cornfield ant has developed a unique strategy to beat the competition. These ants farm and breed aphids in their underground colonies.
These colonies feed their aphids with the sap of corn roots --hence the name.
Some animals are not so friendly to aphids. Ladybird beetles, or ladybugs, aren't actually bugs. Bugs are scientifically classified as plant-eating insects. Ladybugs eat aphids, keeping their rapid reproduction in check. Ladybird beetles, seeing as they are the ones who feed on these little green pests, are not actually bugs! When we look from an aphid's point of view, we don't see a cute little beetle, we see a fearsome scarlet beast. Ladybird beetles are used by many a farmer to eradicate an infestation of aphids. Some other aphid-eaters are lacewings and syrphid fly larvae.
I carefully brush the tiny insects back onto their leaf, now having a better understanding and new found respect for the tiny ecosystem milling about on that one little leaf.
Hooray! I’m glad you like it. Stay tuned for more. :3