A ferocious predator

I found this lovely little creature sunbathing in the open flower of a white tulip. Only a centimetre long, it is a green lacewing, an insect belonging to the large family Chrysopidae of the order Neuroptera.

Larval lacewings are voracious predators, attacking most insects of suitable size, especially soft-bodied ones such as aphids and caterpillars. In several countries, millions of voracious lacewings are reared for sale as biological control agents of insect and mite pests in agriculture and gardens.