What you see in your own garden might not be what you want...

but it is what you've got.  You might as well make your peace with that.

But oh, I so do not.  I am covetous of what I see on other folk's blogs all the time.  I fall prey to envy on every level, from the macro to the micro.  I want this flora, if I only had that fauna!  A portion of my angst revolves around timing, as I wonder why my own fill-in-the-name-of-your-recently-posted-blossom, hasn't bloomed here yet.
   
Most recently I came down with a serious case of caterpillar envy.  Not only was I green as the swallowtail caterpillars I was admiring as posted by Tina at My Gardener Says, but I was frustrated to note that my own fennel plants were not only NOT hosting swallowtail caterpillars, but were rather perversely infested with aphids instead.  Humpf!

"OK," I thought to myself, "calm down, aphids are insect life too. Its totally cool the way the ants farm them, and maybe the little suckers will draw in some ladybugs.  Ladybugs are awesome.".

So this morning out I went with my camera, determined not to waste any more energy regretting what my fennel plants were not hosting, and to pay a little better attention to what was happening among the fronds.  I was not disappointed.

The usual suspects were there all right, aphids aplenty along with their farmer ants, but I also counted three or four eight-spotted forester moth caterpillars.

As I'd hoped for, with so many aphids in play, an adult ladybug was busy at work, eating her (his?) duly allotted five thousand plus aphids of the average ladybug's year long life span.

Also noted?  What I am pretty sure are Cryptolaemus montrouzieri larvae, which resemble a small mop head in action.  Looks like this one has something cornered there at the end of that frond.

These preferentially eat mealybugs and are indeed commonly called Mealybug destroyers, but the larvae especially will feed on aphids when that's the predominant bug on offer.

Cryptolaemus grow up to be another form of ladybug beetle, bicolored though unspotted, and as with their cousins, are native to Australia and New Zealand. They were introduced here as biologic control agents against agricultural damage caused by aphids, mealybugs, scale and the like.  The white stuff you see is a waxy substance excreted to discourage attacks, especially from ants, as the two insects have seriously competing interests concerning the best use of any given aphid population.

So maybe I don't have the targeted, coveted swallowtail caterpillars happily munching away on my aphid beleaguered fennel this year.  It is what it is. And I have seen swallowtail butterflies daily especially around our citrus plants.

Maybe I'll just wait a couple of weeks more before I count out the possibility of swallowtail caterpillars altogether.  Stranger things have happened.

This post is my contribution for August to Wildlife Wednesday, a new meme occurring the first wednesday of each month, fresh to the blogosphere and hosted by Tina at My Gardener Says. Thanks to Tina for hosting, and to you for reading. Glad you dropped by. Hope you'll feel free to post about your own wildlife, and join in on the fun. 

Per Tina:  "Post your wildlife wisdom, then leave a comment on this (My Gardener Says) blog along with a link to your blog so all can share in new information, experiences and maybe even some chuckles about wildness in our gardens!"