It was not the greatest of St. Patrick's Day surprises.
A green lacewing nailed by a garden spider? And on the porch light fixture?
So true.
Green lacewings, beneficial insects that they are (the larvae eat aphids, mites, thrips, whiteflies, leafhopper and other soft-bodied insects) have this tendency to fly toward the light. That proved to be a fatal mistake for this one (below). Apparently it did not notice a cunning spider, a Western spotted orb weaver, Neoscona oaxacensis (as identified by senior museum scientist Steve Heydon of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis, lying in wait.
The wearing o' the green became the eating o' the green. The predator and the prey...
Attached Images:
If you look closely, this green lacewing that fluttered onto a porch light fixture, is not alone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Deep in the shadows, a garden spider feasts on a green lacewing. The spider is a Western spotted orb weaver, Neoscona oaxacensis, as identified by senior museum scientist Steve Heydon of the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)