Mrs Holly Blue has chosen my self seeded Holly as a nursery for her precious eggs. I've found ONE! They are 0.6mm wide and 0.3mm high, resembling a tiny white Sea Urchin. The newly emerged caterpillar will be 1mm long and will eat its way into the nearest flower bud.
Obviously severe crops, apologies for poor quality.
The photos are taken with the OM1 camera, 60mm macro lens and 26mm ext tubes.
Not only has Mrs HB been busy but Ants are also in residence. I have no idea what the flat little creature is that they seem to be sheltering. There are several of them of varying sizes.
110523/110523
Update.
The flat little things might be Hoverfly larvae. I’ve a still unloaded image of what seems to be a semi eaten one with an Ant standing by.
Doggie mummy living in ancient York, Yorkshire, England.
Joined 1st Jan 2018
1st Jan 2024 have achieved 196%
28 March 2024 200%
I take photos, am not a photographer.
Interested...
@fbailey I’ve only found one egg, most of the other possible sites are too high and I refuse to climb up Holly! I don’t think the Ants are a problem for the HB but I’ve got a shot, still in camera, of what seems to be a partially eaten flat thing, xx
Ian