snow, aphids, semester

It's snowing, the aphids are winning, and I'm done! My first semester in graduate school is finished. Now I can spend the winter break working on my master's project.

of aphids and ladybugs

My greatest enemy today is the aphid. They are sap-sucking, nasty-looking, parasitic pests. They've killed my sage and now they're killing my rosemary. But I think I can win. Every day, I inspect the leaves and branches of my rosemary for the little red and black crawly things. When I find one, I squeeze it between my thumb and index finger to leave behind a streak of bug guts and exoskeleton. I also have a plan b, which is to enlist the help of a ladybug, the aphid's natural predator. My only worry is if the ladybug is successful, she might just die of starvation for want of more aphids. Then, I would feel terrible.