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Photo#358648
Lady beetle on cactus with cochineal - Hyperaspis trifurcata
Copyright © 2009 Ron Hemberger

Lady beetle on cactus with cochineal - Hyperaspis trifurcata
Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton, Orange County, California, USA
December 14, 2009

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Lady beetle on cactus with cochineal - Hyperaspis trifurcata Lady beetle on cactus with cochineal - Hyperaspis trifurcata
Contributed by Ron Hemberger on 15 December, 2009 - 1:14pm

lovely lady!
Terrific colors and markings on this individual - I've rarely seen one this orange. I wonder if eating cochineal insects affects the color, the way eating pink crustaceans does for flamingoes.
… Abigail Parker, 15 December, 2009 - 3:16pm

 
Thanks, Abigail
Don't know about diet and coloring, but the other insects that gnaw on the stuff aren't ablush. (Shot some more today, but haven't reviewed them yet. Hope I have more detail on faces & legs.)
… Ron Hemberger, 15 December, 2009 - 6:20pm

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