Thanks all for the kind remarks. After some additional "googling" I think I need to correct some misinformation I gave about the the life cycle "biology" of parasitic wasps. This paragraph describes it in excellent fashion:
L. testaceipes overwinters as a grub or pupa inside a parasitized aphid. The newly emerged wasp mates, and then begins to search for new aphids to attack. The female wasp inserts an egg into the greenbug and in about 2 days a tiny wasp grub hatches and feeds internally on the living aphid. The wasp grub completes feedings in about 6-8 days, resulting in the death of the aphid. Movement of the wasp grub inside the aphid expands the aphid, giving it a swollen appearance. The larva cuts a hole in the bottom of the aphid, attaches the aphid to a leaf with silk and a glue, and the dead greenbug changes color from green to a brown "mummy". Then the wasp grub molts to the pupal stage, and after 4-5 days a wasp emerges by cutting a circular hole in the top of the mummy.
From:
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/bioco ... lebus.html
(This may not be the species seen here, but I believe the life cycle would be similar for other small parasitic wasps)
On a couple of the "mummies" I observed, I could see that there was some substance that "attached" the aphid to the leaf. (Can't see it in the above photos however). This is mentioned in the above quote. I find this "detail" fascinating. It also explains why these dead aphids adhere so tenaciously to the leaf.
Q: Charles, is this ("Photomicrography setup II" on your website) your current setup?
Sven... that's my current
microscope set-up. These shots were taken with different equipment.
I've still got the set-up I used for these pictures on the table top, so perhaps I'll take and post a quick snapshot that might answer a few questions.
