This looks like an unassuming piece of lichen and debris, right? Wrong! This is a Green Lacewing larva! I found this little critter on our deck today, and it fascinated me. They camouflage by putting bit of lichen, leaf-litter, and who knows what else on their backs! X(' Here are some pics I took, and if you look closely at the one below above, you can see its speckled legs. Have you ever seen some lime green stick-like fly things with fairy-like wings? Those are Green Lacewings. Here are a couple of websites I found with info on them. On this website there are three different columns with a different language in each, and English is in the middle. I hope this isn't confusing. Here is another one. This guy didn't know what they were, so that's why I had to get another website.
9 comments:
lol, bug
Thanks for the info! We found one of these today and it pinched me! This one has lichen on it and it plays dead it seems!
These little suckers can and WILL bite/sting you! We have them all over our back deck and were curious about them as anyone would be. If you turn them over and look through a magnifying glass, they appear to be simular to a hermit crab kind of thing. One was crawling on my leg the other day and it STUNG me! I'm not allergic to insect bites/stings, but THIS booger left a welp that lasted for a WEEK! Now when I see them, I just kill them!
Thank you! I've been looking at these guys for weeks now and couldn't figure out what they were.
We've found them with lichen on them in Williamsburg, VA. Thanks for your post! I had them in hand and crawling up my arm, no bites.
I just found your blog after googling "lichen bug" after I posted about it myself! What a weird little bug. Glad I didn't hold it in my hand, sounds like they bite! If you're curious to see my bug you can check it out at www.ascratchbehindtheears.blogspot.com
Soo cool! I'm in PIttsburgh, PA and I saw one today crawling on what I believe is a sassafras tree! The tree was dripping something (water, sap?) and I stopped to investigate. Then I see what looks like a piece of lichen MOVING! I watched it for almost 10 minutes and saw it preen its back with a tiny leg and try to nibble a minuscule piece of sassafrass bark off. I am so unbelievably excited to learn about this insect! I thought maybe I had found something new! :) I wonder if they are usually found this far north?
Thanks so much for posting this! I've had one of these wandering the deck for my hot tub for a few days... Keeping every spec of dust off the cover and deck! Fascinating little guy... If I had a million of 'em my yard would be spotless thanks to the little beasties!
We have them in North Florida... they are so cool.I've had them crawl on me and have never been bitten. SHAME ON YOU WHO KILLS THEM!!!
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