MY FAVOURITE CARTOON AS A BOY..
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
ICHNEUMON FLY
A beautiful yet sinister insect this one.
Whe I lived in my flat at Wycombe Marsh all those years ago, all the Peacock butterfly pupae hanging under the eaves by my back door were killed by an Ichneumon fly (or wasp).
These insects pierce a caterpillar or chrysallis with their very long, sharp, ovipositor, and lay their eggs inside the host organism. The eggs soon hatch, and the host is eaten alive. Nature can be cruel - but what a fantastic looking insect - bright yellow and black, rather like a spindly wasp. Wonderful, though I hope it buggers off before any moth caterpillars in the garden are 'injected'!
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