When I saw a piece of white fluff on a leaf, I moved closer and was surprised when it began to move. It looked like a little bug having a very bad hair day!

On my walk the following day, I noticed what I thought was the same insect on the stems of the plants along my path. I identified these as mealybugs, pests which survive by sucking plant sap.

Was this the same species I had observed the previous day? Although they were both white and cotton-like, there were some differences. The first bug was alone and moving, while these mealybugs were in clusters and rather stationary.

Further research led me to the conclusion that I had been fortunate to discover a junk or trash bug, the larval stage of lacewings. Watch below to learn more about this FASCINATING little creature! I am amazed!

Watch full screen here.