If they're not ladybird larvae...

[HeyWayne]

What are they?

On the plot tonight (just watering), and I noticed loads of orange and black "cocoons" on the potato plants.

I thought they might be ladybird larvae, but having just googled them I'm not so sure.

Didn't have my camera with me and the camera on my phone didn't show them very well at all.

The "larvae" were kind of attached to the leaves of the potato plants, didn't move and were mainly orange with black fleck/stripes.

I probably counted between 20-30 of them in total - mostly on the potato plants, but I spotted a few on various other bits of foliage dotted about the plot.

Waddya reckon - friend or foe?

[Two_Sheds]

ladybird pupa?

[HeyWayne]

ladybird pupa?

That's them!!

Pupae/larvae.

You say tomato, I say potato!

Cheers lady.

Happy days - I'll hopefully have loads of aphid eating little beauties!!!

[FoxHillGardener]

The pupa is the stage between the larva and the beetle ladybird. The more the merrier!

[Flummery]

The larvae are longer - like little red and black dragons! They look so fierce (they are if you're an aphid!) that people mistakenly destroy them. Cherish them!

[lainey lou]

Ooooooh you lucky thing! Enjoy your new babies!

[Incy]

So jealous.... I want some. Haven't seen any ladybirds this year at all

[HeyWayne]

So jealous.... I want some. Haven't seen any ladybirds this year at all

I've seen a few fully fledged ladybirds - both on the plot and in the garden.

There was one to greet me on the gate to my plot.

[Sonata]

So jealous.... I want some. Haven't seen any ladybirds this year at all

Me too! Just aphids..lots and lots of blinking aphids.