I am amazed by the things that lay just under our noses that we have never seemed to notice before. Once they are pointed out, we realize they are everywhere. And that now, we wonder how we could have missed them.
I recently learned about a tiny moth that lays its eggs in the space at the base of Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) leaves between the mid-vein and the first side vein. The larva lives in the little brown space at the very base of the leaf. It releases chemical messengers that prevent the leaf from turning yellow -- creating little green islands and prolonging its meal.
I had never "seen" anything like this.
Today, walking through the woods, the ground was littered with bright yellow Quaking Aspen leaves. Many of them had green islands indicating that the larva were present.
Today, I could not miss what yesterday I did not know even existed.
