Growing Up Harmonia

Day 284: Over the last week or so, I have had the privilege (if the word is appropriate in this context) to observe an insect species go through its lifecycle from larva to pupa to adult. Unlike butterflies and moths which take weeks or months to complete their transformation, Harmonia axyridis (Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle) zipped through the process in a very short span of time. One day, I saw weird, creepy, crawly things all over the leaves of my pussywillow. I didn't check on it the next day, but by then BugGuide.com's experts had identified the insect for me, and on the second day following my observation of the larvae, many of them had begun to pupate. Some were already showing their adult colouration, while others were only visible as an orange lump inside a thin, transparent husk. The next day, most of the pupae had fully matured and had flown off to do whatever it is Harmonia axyridis does (eating aphids, I presume...that's why they were introduced here), but I was able to find a few adult specimens to complete this triptych of the lifecycle.