This little fellow kept climbing over to the other side of the leaf, whenever I tried to take his photo, but eventually I succeeded.
I had no idea he was an aphid – I was guessing weevil because of his size. But it’s not a misnomer – at up to 6mm long he is indeed a giant aphid, the largest variety in the UK.
Appearing steely-grey with black spots, I found out that these aphids are actually dark brown but look grey because of a white dust that forms on them. The other defining feature is a shark-style protuberance on its back. This shows up better in the image on the right.
Like all aphids they live in colonies feeding on the sap of the white willow, common sallow and also quince, apple, and poplar trees. They then excrete the honeydew so beloved of the wasps. So, we have seen a little cycle of life played out in our willow tree! What a neat piece of synchronicity!
