The Invader Has Landed

And it's landed in Coxsoft Art's back garden! This is the colour variety of the Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) I found while pruning my Philadelphus coronarius today. The illustration shows the larva, pupa and imago. I've seen all three stages over the past few weeks. I've also found an orange variety with 14 black spots. This voracious foreign predator has stripped my Philadelphus - usually infested with blackfly - and my roses of every last aphid! The bad news is there's nothing left for British ladybirds to eat. To see more varieties of this menace, CLICK. If you spot one in London or Essex, report it to the Ladybird Survey (title link).