Botanical garden insects and other bugs

This video is called Carabus violaceus – Violet Ground Beetle.

In the Dutch magazine Vriendennieuws, April 2013, Kees Langeveld wrote about insects and other invertebrates in the botanical garden in Leiden.

There are flea beetles on a Solanum plant.

There are ground beetles, like Notiophilus rufipes.

At least three woodlice species live in the garden: common striped woodlouse; common woodlouse; and the pill woodlouse.

Tomocerus vulgaris, a springtail, lives in the garden too.

So does the varied carpet beetle. It is a pest in natural history museums, as it may eat their butterfly collections. However, in the botanical garden its eating of dead insects is useful.

At least three ladybug species were found: two-spot ladybird; seven-spot ladybird; and harlequin ladybird.

On asparagus there was the common asparagus beetle. On lilies, the scarlet lily beetle. On a water dock plant, a waterlily leaf beetle.

On mint plants, Chrysolina coerulans beetles.

Parasite Ants Drafted as Mercenaries: here.

Related articles

• Alien invaders wage ‘biological war’ (bbc.co.uk)
• Invasive ladybird has biological weapon (nature.com)
• Invasive ladybugs: Secrets of their success (earthsky.org)
• What doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger (fraunhofer.de)
• Field photographs of insects can be deceiving (beetlesinthebush.wordpress.com)
• truly blessed? (theholisticgardener.com)
• Invasive Lady Beetle Kills Off Competition Using Parasites (newswatch.nationalgeographic.com)
• Rhinoceros beetle discovery in England (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)
• Giant rhinoceros beetle found in the UK for the first time ever (mirror.co.uk)
• Country diary: Lower Benefield, Northamptonshire: Beetle mania (theguardian.com)