Oregon State University Extension Service


What are these round things on my plant?

I found these round “buddies” on a hellebore stem. What are they?

Thanks for your amazing picture. Although I wasn’t able to find an exact match, they look like moth eggs. The black eggs with holes in them appeared to have been parasitized by a predator.

For an exciting adventure, put them in a glass jar, stem and all and see if they hatch. They will likely be very small caterpillars. You can raise a couple of them in another glass jar and feed them leaves of whatever plant they were on until they make a cocoon, then after a couple of weeks see what emerges. Butterflies and moths, as well as most other insects, are much easier to identify as adults. I gave my 93-year-old mother a caterpillar to watch when I was out of town, and she was so excited when it pupated, she texted me every couple hours. It really is a fun experience.


Source URL: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/ask-extension/featured/what-are-these-round-things-my-plant