Question
Larva or what
Hi...I live in NC...I found this on my San Antonio flower, Is it some kind of insect larva? it is smaller than a grain of rice and is very colorful and shiny. It has a few fiber-like things coming out from it, hope it can be identified, thanks, Lana
AnswerDear Lana, This is a very interesting question, and I apologize for taking so long in answering you, but I wanted to show your picture to the local extension agent to see if we had the same thoughts on it. It is possible that this could contain a small caterpillar larvae that has made a protective wrapping out of available material, but the reality is probably that you have found a piece of "trash". Not that this is garbage, per se, but it is probably just an aggregate of accumulated minerals. It has some very interesting crystalline structures which likely come from minerals which have grown to form these structures. Years ago, I used to go through pollen slides to identify pollen grains and the slides would often be full of things that looked like this, only smaller. So that would make this a big one of those. I know this is a terrible answer, but it could have been crystallized due to fertilizers used in the area, and this is just a random piece that has joined with more random pieces. I often find weird things in the garden if I look close enough. I hope you aren't too disappointed with this answer, but basically this is just a collection of minerals that have crystallized and found its way to your plant. It's a beautiful picture, and I appreciate your sharing it with me. Melissa
