Invader

The garden is full of these little critters at the moment - larvae of the Asian or harlequin lady beetle. Some 40 years ago, it was introduced in Europe to keep greenhouses free from aphids. Now, these beetles are rapidly outcompeting our native ladybugs and becoming the dominant species; not just eating aphids, but pretty much anything they can catch, including eggs and larvae of other beetles. 

Apart from bug-watching, I had a busy day; working and seeing my mother and her carer E. Good news on both counts: I managed to finish my project, and E‘s cough is getting better.