Last week on my second time out (collecting for Z-boy’s class), I collected a ladybug pupa that was much paler than the others and didn’t have many spots. I wondered if this meant it was going to be a yellow beetle without spots (these multi-colored asian lady beetles have a wide color range), or if this meant it was a young pupa. I took another look at it later that evening, and it was orange and spotted. Was I imagining things? Had it really been yellow and spotless earlier? So imagine my excitement this morning when I noticed that the largest of my larvae was started to pupate, and it was in fact pale yellow without any spots. I kept my camera close at hand today, and documented the color change over four to five hours. Cool, huh? Now if I could just find out why they do those push-ups… (click on image for larger view)