Rosebuds

There are numerous rose trees in Montmartre cemetery, some of them modest, other almost aristocratic, but alas there are also numerous aphids...

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Such pictures are a real desolation for gardeners. When the time comes for the roses to blossom, such aphid colonies (generally Macrosiphum rosae) try to conquer the young leaves and the tender buds.

They even invade petals...

On the other hand, one has to recognize that such pests aren't without some elegance...

Happily, rose lovers have some strong natural allies...

A two-spotted lady beetle feeds on black aphid.

Here, a seven-spotted lady beetle eats a green aphid. But an ant arrives to protect the cattle and tries to chase it.

With such an abundant feeding source, lady beetle are eager to get a descendance. Some of them are rather unseasoned!

Who said that life is not a bed made of roses?

Larvae come to help the imagos. Here, larvae of Harmonia axyridis, the chinese multicolored lady beetle.

Then larvae of Coccinella septempunctata, the seven-spotted lady beetle, and of Adalia bipunctata, the two-spotted lady beetle.

The larvae are really quick and fast.

But one should not think that lady beetle larvae, even if they look like alligators, are always stronger than the other inhabitants. Here, a Syrphid larva eats a larva of Adalia bipunctata.