We have a small spearmint plant growing in the kitchen window, which was a cutting from our outdoor plant. It has been doing rather well, but almost every day I notice a few aphids and pick them off. I assume these aphids originally came from the soil in the pot because I rinsed the cutting with soapy water before planting it. The small population continues to survive daily decimation, so this week they became my macro photography subjects.

One of the reasons aphids can be difficult to eliminate is because they are able to reproduce by cloning themselves. As long as one survives, it can repopulate quickly. If these aphids start to get out of control, I’ll have to douse the plant with soapy water.