Oh dear and thrice oh dear...

...Yesterday, on a 'slow' blip day (after a 'slow blip' week owing to having been away, I mentioned that I'd noticed a strange 'thing' underneath a ladybird.

Well...
After some research, I have to report a Very Terrible Thing:
The ladybird has, in fact, been immobilised by a parasitic wasp (Dinocampus coccinellae) who has injected her abdomen with eggs. She is not dead, but paralysed. The wasp larvae has burrowed out and has spun a cocoon between her legs (eeuw). Pupation takes about 6-9 days. An hour after the new wasp emerges from the pointed end of the cocoon she is ready to lay eggs and continue (whisper for the sensitive...) with the destruction of ladybirds.
EEUWW... This is Terrible.

Apparently only about 25% of ladybirds survive this experience.
There's a whole heap about it on 'Microscopy UK'.
I almost wish I didn't know.

Sigh.

The ladybird I recorded previously, in this situation, did not survive the experience. I feel that this one will.

Fingers crossed.

I can't motivate myself to be creative on the writing front after that.

I feel more and more that we (animals, bugs, trees, blades of grass...) are all somehow connected.
One.
As Mother Nature 'breathes', we all breathe...
... Here endeth the Thought For The Day.

It's probably indigestion :-)