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orange rust fungus on coltsfoot

Green Aphids

Sunday, 11th November 2001, West Yorkshire

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Coltsfoot

Underside, coltsfoot leaf
The orange spots are rust fungus.		 AT FIRST I think that the small pale green blobs on the back of this Coltsfoot leaf are insect eggs but, taking a look through a hand lens, I'm surprised to find that they're actually Aphids, otherwise known as Greenfly. These are pale green, growing to a millimetre and a half long. There are larger and smaller individuals gathered together near a junction of the leaf veins.

Coltsfoot has felt-like hairs on the underside of its leaves, but if this is a defence against insect attack it isn't 100% effective.
 aphid colony
pale green aphid

Creeping Buttercup

buttercup stemaphid on buttercup The buttercup leaf growing next to the coltsfoot in a crack between the paving slabs at the edge of our driveway is also protected by hairs, in this case straight ones which are at their longest on the leaf stem. The aphids on the buttercup appear to be a different species. They're greener, smaller and shaped like a lemon. next page

Richard Bell
Richard Bell,
wildlife illustrator
E-mail; 'richard@willowisland.co.uk'

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