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The Walking LeafImagine - you are sitting in your garden, working on your latest
gardening project, when, suddenly, a leaf walks leisurely by. At this
point, you may wonder whether you've spent too many consecutive hours in
your garden...but relax, you have not gone bananas.
Well, the scenario
may not happen in quite this way, but we've all likely seen the
mysterious 'walking leaf' bug at one time or another.
The walking leaf insect, also known as Phasmida, from the Phylliidae
family, can sometimes be found in our very own gardens. It would
actually be a rare instance to see these insects in motion, since they
are experts at camouflaging themselves, and they only feed at night.
The
natural question, at this point, is whether or not you as a gardener
should fear these little creatures. Unlike other plant eaters, the leaf
bug
is rarely considered to be a plague, even by farmers.
Occasionally, they
can be considered pests to the eucalyptus trees, where they can
reproduce in great numbers and cause a major problem - a female can lay
thousands of eggs within her
lifetime, which is only up to 18 months long. Otherwise, Phasmidas are
considered to be very passive and are strictly vegetarians.
Unlike other
plant-eating insects, the leaf bugs will eat an entire leaf, rather than
taking random bites of many leaves. This makes their trail difficult to
find, allowing them to go unnoticed for a period of time.
The walking leaves range from 20-330 millimeters long, and are green or
brown in color. Because of their shape and color, they may be difficult
to find, especially when they are on the defense, at which time they may
play dead by falling to the floor, or sway slightly as a leaf would in
the wind. Otherwise, they choose to remain extremely still.
What makes the walking leaf very interesting is that they have the
ability to reproduce through thenogenesis - without mating. When this
occurs, however, all eggs will result in female off-springs, whereas
mating would result in both male and female reproduction. Within the 50
different leaf bug species, some males are said to be extinct.
This may be difficult to believe for some, but the walking leaf bug has
become a popular pet. Caring of the leaf bug is very easy and does not
require high maintenance, so is great for both kids and adults. Because
of their unique shapes, framed leaf bugs have also become a popular
decoration and sell for over $200.
So the next time you notice a suspicious, moving leaf, or one that looks
right back at you, you can rest easy knowing it is just the Phasmida!
Author: Vanina Mangano
About the author:
Vanina Mangano is co-founder of MYeFlora, an online gardening community.
Vanina is a business professional and a passionate gardener who enjoys
writing about and participating in nature. Visit her site at
http://www.myeflora.com
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