Lunate ladybird

Description

Length 7mm distinctive, glossy, hemispherical beetle with black and yellow head and pronotum, and elytra distinctively patterned with large red spots on a back background. Larvae active, spiky, with black and yellow patterns

Biology

Adults and larvae prey on aphids; common on aphid-infested plants.

Habitat

Plant stems, especially sow thistles sonchus spp.

 

CMR beetle

Description

Length 27mm large, conspicuous; head and pronotum black, elytra black with 2 broad yellow bands. Name refers to the colours of the old Cape Mounted Rifles corps.

Biology

Can be a serious pest of ornamental, fruit and vegetable crops. Adults secrete cantharidin. Larvae parasitize grasshoppers’ egg pod. One of several similarly coloured species.

Habitat

Flowers.

 

Blue Pansy (junonia orithya)

Wingspan: 4 to 5.5 cm ( 1 5/8 t 2 1/8in)

Habitat: open grassy wasteland, parks and fields

Distribution: native to Africa and found in Southern parts of Asia and Australia

Lifespan: 14 days

Males and Females: the males have bright blue hindwings and females have a brown upperside

 

This sun loving butterfly can be seen visiting tiny flowers and gliding through the air at speeds of around 12 miles per hour. All butterflies are cold blooded, which means they cannot regulate their body temperature, so you’ll often find them basking in the sun with wide open wings. Although it might look as though they are sunbathing for pleasure, this practice is essential as the veins in the wings absorb heat and carry it to the rest of the body.

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