Q:I found more than a dozen tiny insects in my lysiloma tree. They are about half thesize of my fingernail and have a pale green body. Then I used a magnifying lens and saw three tall spikes sticking up vertically from their body.

R.H., South Miami

A: The insects you found are young thorn bugs. They are usually nothing to worry about and are common on lysiloma (also known as wild tamarind). Here is a link to a fact sheet about thorn bugs: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/IN/IN33200.pdf.

While thorn bugs rarely cause harm to plants, they can be painful if stepped on. The interesting thing about them, besides looking like thorns, is that the males and females look different. Adult females have a single sharp dorsal spine and the males have a single spike that may be blunt. Each male has a slightly different-shaped spine. The males and females are also colored differently. The males are green or yellowish-green with dark markings. The females are red, turquoise and orange.

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