ONE is a compact beetle with a hard, brightly coloured dome marked by black spots, the other is a flimsy phantom with a translucent lime-green body, orange compound eyes and four oversized diaphanous wings fit to carry a fairy skyward. The tenacious ladybird and the ephemeral lacewing have nothing in common by way of appearance, but both hibernate and both produce overwintering eggs, which hatch into horror-film larvae with a voracious appetite for the same prey. The larval stage of the rotund ladybird deservedly gets widespread credit for chomping 200 aphids a day and the adult culls a further 50 or so. The larva of the fragile lacewing, emerging from individual eggs suspended on fine hairs attached to the food plant, is equally active against the garden pest, but has never attracted the same recognition or respect. Its method of feeding is also different. No grabbing and munching for this little predator: it pierces its prey with a hollow head-mounted maxilla (or needle), injects a fluid that dissolves the aphid's innards, then sucks the soup back through the needlea process that takes a mere 90 seconds. It gets through some 100 aphids a day and the adult lacewing mops up more, using its mandibles. Little wonder that, among entomologists, the lacewing has two graphic nicknames, aphid lion and aphid wolf, whereas the ladybird enjoys a genteel identity linked to the red of the Virgin Mary's cloak in medieval paintings.
The lacewing can also claim a particular distinguishing feature-it can hear. Tympanal organs at the base of the radial vein in each forewing, the smallest known in Nature, can detect the ultrasonic signals emitted by bats, so the lacewing aloft in the evening closes its wings and drops to safety. In addition, scolopidial organs on the insect's legs pick up low-frequency sounds produced during courtship, inviting contact with a partner. By contrast, in typical beetle fashion, the ladybird is deaf.
Denne historien er fra June 01, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra June 01, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
