Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: Green Lacewings

The Amazing "Land Shrimp": Green Lacewing Egg & Ny…

03 Aug 2013 14 8 1020
When I was taking pictures of the tiny caterpillars the other day, I noticed incredibly small eggs that were attached to hair-like strands on twigs. Just for fun, I tried to get one in focus. Mind you, these eggs are about 1/32" or .5 mm in size. VERY SMALL. Gotta love this macro lens...I got several crystal-clear shots! But then I didn't know what I should do with the images, I didn't think it would be interesting enough by itself. However, the next day I came back to see the caterpillars and as I was taking pictures, I found more of these eggs. I am blessed with incredibly good eyesight at close range, so I could actually see them quite well. As I stared, I realized that one of them ... no... TWO of them were hatching at that moment!! No WAY!! I tried to get focus with my camera but these little guys were just too small and not bright enough. So I switched to manual focus and I GOT A PICTURE!!!! I could tell that it was fuzzy looking but it wasn't until I looked at the pictures on my computer that I saw how much this little guy looks like a LAND SHRIMP!!! :D How cute is that!! :D A big THANK YOU to Dean Morley and Art (Leapfrog) for pointing me in the right direction for identification. I uploaded this to BugGuide and within an hour or two was rewarded with the positive identification: Green Lacewings (Chrysopidae)! HOORAY!!! :)