Placing cherished potted plants outdoors often invites many uninvited guests, such as insects, birds that come to feed, or spiders spinning webs. However, sometimes rare beneficial insects also make an appearance.
One netizen recently discovered a peculiar "bird egg" hanging on their home plant, sparking concern over what this strange object might be. However, experts quickly recognized it and expressed admiration.
On the Facebook group "Foliage Plant Enthusiasts Exchange", a user posted a photo showing a black-and-white oval object among the leaves of their plant, resembling a bird egg. The original poster asked, "Should I remove this? I don't know what it is."
Comments from the community praised the find:
- "I thought OP was joking, but this handmade little ornament hanging on the plant is so beautiful."
- "It's an Easter egg."
- "I've never seen this before! Eye-opening."
- "So cute, it looks like an unlit lantern."
Plant experts explained:
"This is a suspended cocoon of a parasitic wasp, specifically the Charops. There's no need to remove it. The larvae of this wasp parasitize caterpillars by living inside them, consuming the host from within, then emerging to spin this cocoon. Seeing this means a caterpillar has been eaten."
"It's a rare and delightful sight. At least one caterpillar has been removed."
"Wait for it to emerge; it has no negative impact on your plant."
According to the National Museum of Natural Science in Taiwan, the charops is distributed from plains to low-altitude mountainous areas and is a type of parasitic wasp. The female wasp targets moth larvae as hosts, laying a single egg inside each host to ensure sufficient food for her offspring. After hatching, the wasp larva consumes the host's nutrients and then spins a cocoon, the "hanging cocoon" observed by the original poster. When mature, the wasp chews its way out of the cocoon and flies away.
This natural process highlights the beneficial role parasitic wasps play in controlling pest caterpillars, helping to protect plants without harmful chemicals.
