Not long ago, I wrote about seeing bunches of adult Eastern leaf footed bugs (Leptoglossus phyllopus) breeding and looking for mates on thistle plants near my home. Well, now the babies have arrived! These little creatures, are leaf footed bug nymphs. As you can see, they look very different from their parents, not only in size, but in how they carry themselves, and of course color. I discovered them crawling all over the seed head of a gone by dandelion flower. They’re not actually anywhere near where I found the breeding adults, but the results are the same. I’m sure some plants near my house are also crawling with these little guys. After breeding, the female lays her eggs on a host plant, in this case a dandelion. When the eggs hatch (after about a week), the tiny nymphs emerge and begin to eat the plant and consume its juices. At first the clutch stays together (as you see here), but they grow quickly and before long they outgrow or completely consume the host. As that point approaches, the nymphs tend to wander off on their own. The nymphs go through five instars before becoming adults, which takes about five to eight weeks. Each instar gets larger and more independent. I have had larger, later instars inside the house on a couple of occasions, and I always just put them out.

I know that many of my farming or gardening friends don’t like these guys since they do eat not only weeds like thistles and dandelions, but also vegetables, decorative plants, and a number of commercial crops. Like any other creature, though, these bugs also have their benefits. They help to feed several species of wild birds as well as spiders and assassin bugs, all of which are helpful to the garden.