It is Spring and with Spring it is said that a young man's fancy turns to love. Here in the deep south it is more than just a young man's fancy...it is Love Bugs ! May always heralds the first hatching of love bugs and sometimes their swarms can be so thick one dares not open their mouth while out doors. Come September there will be another hatching of these harmless, though annoying little bugs.
Photo below...Under a leaf and enjoying the shade, a pair of Love Bugs get...ah...well, get to know one another better. The female is the larger of the species and the smaller hapless male usually winds up going where she wishes to go...talk about being hen-pecked.
In the above photo I couldn't help but notice that some of the tiny white holly flowers are starting to form teeny, wee little berries. For a size comparison (bug to leaf) the Palatka holly leaf is about 2" from stem to tip.
As I mentioned, Love Bugs are harmless, they neither bite nor sting and they don't devour one's garden, however they do make a big mess out of cars and trucks that travel our southern roads. It is also very rare to see a lone love bug ; they are usually found in pairs joined at the hip, so to speak, looking much like an odd two headed critter.
I don't know about you but I have a feeling that I'll be humming "Love is in the air" for the rest of the day.
.webp)
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