All about Insects 2020

Aha,  I think I've worked out how to post pics!

So this lot are on a large potted verbena bonariensis, and I also found some on a lavender plant nearby.  None on my small patch of runner beans or any other plants that I can see at the moment.  

The eggs start off whitish:

Then turn brown:

And hatch into little hairy critters which I imagine drop off into the ground (or top of the plant pot in this case), as I can't see any feeding:

Any ideas as to what they are?  I have a wildlife friendly garden, and even if they are wicked "pests", they get to enjoy whatever I have unmolested (apart from being photographed!)

Thanks Wendy! Hope someone can help identify them.

Can't find anything definite yet ... are you able to pop a couple in a pot with verbena leaves to see what happens ... I imagine if they were sawfly larvae then they'd be munching on the leaves already ... if moth eggs then need some more pics of larvae please!

I'll dig out a suitable container and see what I can do. If they are root feeders I don't want them to starve! Whatever the adult is, it has also laid on lavender (and last year on a common sedge stem) so I have a feeling it's not foliage they are after for the young.

I have a small lavender in a pot, so I'll see if I have something I can enclose that in to observe them.

Long Horn Beetle from last Wednesday.

jpscloud said:

I have a small lavender in a pot, so I'll see if I have something I can enclose that in to observe them.

Sounds good, am particularly keen to see a good clear image of their legs/prolegs!

As luck would have it I put the leaf back at the base of the plant, and even though I retrieved it, there don't seem to be any more eggs hatching. I've got that leaf and another batch I spotted in a specimen pot with some verbena leaves and some lavender leaves, also a couple of flower heads in case that is what they like. I can't find anything that is big enough to enclose the lavender plant yet.

The larvae are so tiny that they would go through the holes in the caterpillar rearing tents I have. The specimen pots are ventilated at the top so I hope that will do to see if some more hatch and I can get some more pics.

The problem is I'm a very poor photographer, and have to take pot luck with the camera on my phone - then enlarge the image to see if I've got anything!

Those two images of the larvae are the best I can get, so far. I'll have another look and see if I can get the one showing the prolegs a bit clearer.

Look forward to more hatches ... I use very fine nylon net to cover my pots, held in place with elastic band! When larvae are that tiny they only need pinholes for ventilation!

There's been a mass hatching in the pot - They do seem to be going for the flower heads rather than the leaves but it's hard to tell at this point, they are very mobile.  

So... pics of prolegs - I never knew how hard it would be to take a picture of the back end of a caterpillar!  These are newly hatched and so tiny, and I'm not good with a phone camera so this is the best I can do so far!