Delicate white lines traced on the leaf
This photo was from a day of hiking that Jill and I did out at Brown County State Park. The delicate white lines that were traced on this plant as well as a few nearby caught my eye, and I leaned in for a close up. I had seen these patterns on leaves before, but I had never known what they were until just recently.
It turns out this random squiggle found on leaves comes from the larvae of some insects. This pattern in particular that is distinguished by its white band is very likely from a leaf miner larva. This was likely a vegetable leaf miner of the Liriomyza family. Eventually this larva will grow into an adult fly that is only 1.7mm long.
Fun facts about the Vegetable Leaf Miner:
- The females are often longer than the males.
- The larva are legless grubs with no head capsule.
- They begin as translucent flies, and eventually turn a yellowish-orange.
- They use the clap and fling method of flight which involves the wings clapping against their bodies. This is typically only seen in very small insects.
They employ the clap and fling method of flight
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