Spike indicated that the Mystery Plant contest may (just as mysteriously) reappear in the future. Thanks, Spike! This follow-up will also enable this post to "drop down", as it's been up near the top of the forum long enough now. cranebill

HA! That's pretty funny, mnktx. I went to a concert last night and ever since, "76 trombones in the big parade" has played in my head OVER and OVER, so they did it for you in advance. :-) If you're really interested in stuff like that (wasp eggs on caterpillars), you can follow the link below. Some folks at North Carolina State University's department of Entomology developed "a freaky tag-team of bugs" to eat kudzu, the vine that ate the South. Where I used to live, I watched a car parked at a garage get covered in kudzu in a matter of a couple weeks--it's beautiful, but it's the most aggressive plant I've ever seen. They didn't want the caterpillar to go nuts eating everything else, though, so they infected their caterpillars with an organic time bomb--wasp larvae in their backs which would eat them from the inside out. Poor caterpillars! Here is a link that might be useful: Freakish Bug Tag Team Article

I'm not sure those are actually eggs, Bo. Try pulling one off the leaf and see if part of the leaf comes along - if it does, slice it open with a razor blade and see if it is plant material with a little hollow down the center. If so, it is a leaf spindle gall, a sort of tumor produced by a tiny mite as a home that can provide a safe hiding and feeding place. The picture is not clear enough for me to be sure, though - check it out. Tucker

The hitch-hiker looks like something from Crassulaceae family. If it's making pairs of opposite leaves, Crassula genus is likely. Once it gets some age in better light, it should become recognizable. Cute!