Lace balloons in the grass?

Sometimes when you are under Disaster Emergency Self-imposed I-refuse-to-get-coronavirus Quarantine, you get bored. I was wandering around the yard one day and got down on my knees to look at crane fly larvae. While I was there, I noticed these crazy lace balloons attached to the stems of Bur Clover (Medicago polymorpha).

It only took a second to spot the larvae, too.

I was fascinated watching the little larvae wiggle around in their lace balloons, but I couldn't tell if they were related to the egg stage or the cocoon stage. So I sent my field assistant (read: nephew) to bring my phone camera and collection supplies. I was able to open one of the lace balloons to see that it was a cocoon with a pupa inside.

But what ARE THEY? I suspected they were some kind of beetle (probably weevil based on the "snout" of the pupa,) but there were several species in the grass that day, so I collected a few cocoons to see what emerged.

And here it is... the Alfalfa Weevil.

I didn't know at the time to look for eggs in the stems or I would have had the full life cycle. Nevertheless, it was hands-on nature learning at it's finest.

whatdidyouseetoday

You can read more about the Alfalfa Weevil life cycle here: http://extension.cropsciences.illinois.edu/fieldcrops/insects/alfalfa_weevil/

Posted on March 27, 2020 12:15 PM by kimberlietx kimberlietx

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Alfalfa Weevil (Hypera postica)

Observer

kimberlietx

Date

March 2020

Place

Texas, US (Google, OSM)

Description

Noticed these lace balloons in the grass attached to stems of Bur Clover, Medicago polymorph. Also noticed a lot of larvae eating on the plants. Collected for observation/ID.

Photos / Sounds

What

Alfalfa Weevil (Hypera postica)

Observer

kimberlietx

Date

March 2020

Place

Texas, US (Google, OSM)

Description

Beetle pupa from larvae found on Bur Clover, Medicago polymorph seen here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/40808424

Photos / Sounds

What

Alfalfa Weevil (Hypera postica)

Observer

kimberlietx

Date

March 2020

Place

Texas, US (Google, OSM)

Description

Adult emerged from pupae collected for ID. Life cycle links below.

Photos / Sounds

What

Alfalfa Weevil (Hypera postica)

Observer

kimberlietx

Date

March 2020

Place

Texas, US (Google, OSM)

Comments

Super, super cool! Those balloons are fantastical!

Posted by pfau_tarleton about 4 years ago

Thanks for this!

Posted by mokennon about 4 years ago

Wow, I would've definitely guessed that larva was a caterpillar, not a beetle!

Posted by hydaticus about 4 years ago

Just amazing. :) What dedication, Kim. Love it. :)

Posted by sambiology about 4 years ago

How do you do these posts, Kim?

Posted by mokennon about 4 years ago

@mokennon You can add basic html to any journal post. I just used img tags for this one.

Posted by kimberlietx almost 4 years ago

So in principle you could add the URL for any webpage??

Posted by mokennon almost 4 years ago

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