I think this is 1 animal. Venwu225 suggests that it's a larva feeding (or trying to feed) on a pupa, but the other possibility is that it's a pupa with the empty larval skin still attached, which is supposed to be common. This is 2 different angles -- the left panel shows the larva well, & the right shows the base of the pupa, which is attached to the leaf.
This ladybug seemed like it might be doing some sort of display behavior. It kept spreading its wings several times, then refolding them.
"Polymorphism," huh? We always just called it plain old ... oh, never mind.
Sandy got a good shot of these guys too: www.flickr.com/photos/sandybird/17142281/
For the What Is It group. Yes, it's a ladybug -- but what's it on?
Lady Beetles (Asian?) - I believe they are mating.
Common Water Hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes.
Found in a wooded area near lake Champlain.
Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle
Here's a tough ID from crummy photos. We thought this might be an emperor judging by size and it's persistence in coming down to flutter over the blacktop then flying back up high into the trees to land. I took some 1/500th shutter speed flying shots but only got these results. thoughts?
Lythrum salicaria. Heritage Island, Anacostia River, Washington, DC, USA. 23 June 2012.
