An aphid on the edge of a wood fence.

Aphids are of course known as superpests to crops, gardens and indoor plants, but not all aphids are necessarily out to lazily destroy human-cultivated plants. I found the aphid pictured above on a section of fencing directly below a spruce tree, which makes it a good bet that the spruce was its host plant. Various aphids do feed on conifers though I’d say most people think of them as malignantly sucking on their flowers or garden vegetables. I’m guessing in significant numbers aphids evolved to feed on conifers could have similarly deleterious effects on their hosts, but I’m not sure if they tend to converge en masse.

To conclude, I guess this one shows it takes all kinds of all kinds.

(A note on the identification: I tagged this as part of the Giant Conifer Aphids, i.e. a Cinara sp., but that’s more of a placeholder and not a positive ID as I could not confirm the Genus.)