Leijpark013

@leijpark013 · 10 Nov 2023

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Leijpark 013 Green insect

Written by Thierry P. Dinjens ·

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In the Leijpark, we find a remarkable or better: an inconspicuous insect. The animal has the color of its surroundings, namely as green as the plants around her. Her larvae, called nymphs, eat oak and beech and, according to intensive studies, bird droppings.
And there is something remarkable about her larvae. Bugs don't pupate like butterflies, but the nymphs molt a number of times. Every time they change skin, they start to look a little more like the (final) adult animal. And: each stage of nymphs behaves differently.
In the first stage, the nymphs are green, slowly turn brown as the year progresses and form groups. In a kind of clusters, they come together with many advantages:
- Together, they prevent them from drying out because they collect rain together. They don't eat yet but do nothing but drink water.
- Because they hold each other, they attach better to plants. By the way, this only works if they can sit side by side. When they stack, they push each other away.
- A group offers better protection against predators, such as other bugs and ants
- They develop faster in a group because they regulate the temperature together. As a result, mortality is also lower.
In the second stage, they each follow their own path. After that, they have three more stages and then they become adults. The photo shows a green shield bug in the fifth stage, so molt again and she can call herself an adult shield bug.
The adult Green Shield Bug shows the same behavior as her nymphs in the first stage; she changes from green in summer to brown in autumn. Smart, of course, because the lover around her undergoes the same discoloration. This way, the bugs will always enjoy their protective color. Enemies who do manage to find them can expect dirty stuff in the mouth or beak, causing them to spit out the Green Shieldbug immediately.
All in all, a whole circus before the Green Shieldbug grows up, but apparently this complicated way of growing is successful: the Green Shieldbug is the most successful species in our country.
There is a lot of noise in the bushes of the Leijpark, we can't get bored!

#park #greenturtlebug