We all know the story about the goose that laid golden eggs. Last week in my garden I found golden eggs that were definitely not laid by a goose.
It happened while I was hand weeding. I came across a blade of grass with tiny, metallic-gold eggs all in a row. They are quite striking when you first see them. The eggs really do look like they’re made of gold but of course they are not. It’s just the way the light reflects off of them that gives the gold appearance.
Even though the eggs are small, their golden color makes them easy to spot.
I kept the leaf in a jar and watched the eggs. What hatched were evil-looking spiny, red-colored nymphs — probably one of the Euthochtha species of stink bugs. Most likely one of the plant eaters.
This is the nymph stage in the lifecycle of a stick bug.
It’s not uncommon to find these eggs but it does provide a bit of a diversion from the otherwise tedious job of weeding by hand.
Bob