| Author |
Content |
plantfreak78
Rolesville, NC
(Zone 7b)
May 14, 2008
2:26 PM Post #4950750
|
When I filled my milk jug with rainbarrel water yesterday I noticed that there were leaves floating around in the water. I scooped the leaves out and was shocked to find that the leaves were bound together in capsule form as if some thing had done it on purpose. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
plantfreak78
Rolesville, NC
(Zone 7b)
May 14, 2008
2:32 PM Post #4950786
|
When I peeled away the leaf layers I found a weird mushy center with the consistancy of cooked acorn squash and a clear, skinny, egg-like thing sitting on top. The interior of the capsule seemed to be waterproof as there was no moisture inside it. What the heck do I have here? 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
plantfreak78
Rolesville, NC
(Zone 7b)
May 15, 2008
10:00 AM Post #4954586
|
C'mon, claypa, you don't have to let other people have a turn. You can go ahead and tell me the answer :) |
deannaj1183
Smyrna, GA
(Zone 7a)
May 15, 2008
12:35 PM Post #4955323
|
I've tried searching for this... I really hope someone IDs it soon. It's so interesting to me for some reason. :) |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA
(Zone 6b)
May 15, 2008
9:44 PM Post #4957547
|
Hahaha... my only guess would be one of the caddisflies - there's an entire order of these flying insects (Trichoptera) that have larvae that develop underwater, sometimes in little cases made of nearly anything they can find, and/or spin web-like cocoons. The wikipedia article calls them "underwater architects":
[HYPERLINK@en.wikipedia.org]
But I always thought they lived in moving water? Really, I have no idea, especially about the squash stuff! |
quietyard
Tucson, AZ
(Zone 9b)
May 16, 2008
12:13 AM Post #4958296
|
This is the first time I have been on this insect ID site and I cannot believe what I am seeing. This is exactly what I found inside a leaf on my ginger plant today. I have never seen a rolled leaf filled with this soft yellow stuff before. I also would like to know what this is. I am in Arizona.
This message was edited May 15, 2008 9:15 PM |
Imaginos
Harpenden
(United Kingdom)
May 16, 2008
8:14 AM Post #4958942
|
I can't find any pictures but I think it's the larvae of Parapoynx rugosalis - a pyralid moth. Not sure how they got in the water barrel though. |
deannaj1183
Smyrna, GA
(Zone 7a)
May 16, 2008
8:24 AM Post #4958962
|
Is your rain barrel under a tree or something of that type that maybe the "cases" could have fallen off of? |
plantfreak78
Rolesville, NC
(Zone 7b)
May 16, 2008
12:09 PM Post #4959956
|
Thanks for the input guys. There is nothing hanging over my rainbarrel (I'm in a new neighborhood so there's no trees anywhere). But I do have a climbing rose next to (but shorter than) the barrel and I think that's what the cases are made out of. I just assumed my little friends were water bugs because it seemed as though something purposely constructed these waterproof cases and put them into the rainbarrel. I guess maybe I'll set up a little storage tank for them and wait for them to hatch. |
suunto
Sinks Grove, WV
May 20, 2008
6:21 AM Post #4977348
|
These rolled leaves appear typical of the nest cells made by leaf-cutter bees (Megachilidae). These cells are packed with a pollen mixture that will feed the larva that hatches from the egg laid on the surface of the pollen ball. The bee that made these cells either chose a poor place to put them (and they fell into the rain barrel), or someone/something found them and placed them in the barrel. See [HYPERLINK@en.wikipedia.org] for more information on these fascinating insects. |
plantfreak78
Rolesville, NC
(Zone 7b)
May 20, 2008
12:13 PM Post #4978535
|
Well, suunto, I could only find one picture of a leaf cutter bee and it's egg case but it does look like that could be it!
[HYPERLINK@ipm.ncsu.edu]
I guess I might need to add my pictures to the bug files (once the things hatch and I know for sure) since there don't seem to be many good pictures available. I did find another set of egg cases but I didn't get a picture. There were about five of them joined together to form a 4" long tube. Weird. |
plantfreak78
Rolesville, NC
(Zone 7b)
May 20, 2008
12:30 PM Post #4978617
|
My boss just added another piece to this puzzle! He reminded me that my rainbarrel has a spigot at the bottom and I have a 20" piece of hose attached to the end. He thinks that the insect (leafcutter bee?) is stuffing the egg cases into the end of the hose. This would explain why I thought they were coming from the rainbarrel because these things pop out whenever I get water from the bottom. I think this mystery might be solved! |
