Ladybugs

Weeding my yard is a huge project. So far in spite of the fact that it's only 1/4 finished, it has proven to be very advantageous. One more reason to love weeding - ladybugs and a 5 year old.

My granddaughter (Miss M) has a little clear plastic collecting container that she got at Big Lots. It has a handle, a screw on top and a smaller lift-off lid for easy disposal of bugs. This center lid is also a magnifying glass for close inspection of her collections.

Ladybugs seem to love the Erodium Cicutarium, (Common names: Redstem filaree, Redstem stork's bill, Common stork's bill) weed in my yard. Miss M had 7 ladybugs in no time. Then she said, What's this, you pick it up. It's scary.

I didn't know what it was, but we collected it for a good look. Researching ladybugs I learned that that scary thing was a ladybug larvae. This site has all kinds of information about ladybugs. Their anatomy, life cycle, fun crafts. Look at these fun facts they list there:

Because Ladybugs eat lots of aphids and other pest insects, many gardeners and farmers use them for pest control instead of chemicals.
A Ladybug can lay up to 1000 eggs in its lifetime.
Not all Ladybugs have spots.
Ladybugs will clean themselves after a meal.
Ladybugs come in many colors like pink, yellow, white, orange and black.
Over 300 types of Ladybugs live in North America.
Ladybugs make a chemical that smells and tastes bad so predators won’t eat them.
Ladybugs hibernate in large groups in cold weather.
Many countries consider a ladybug to be a sign of good luck.
Ladybugs are actually beetles, so sometimes are called LadyBeetles.
The bright colors of Ladybugs warn birds that they don’t taste good.
The spots on a Ladybug fade as they get older.

We let all the ladybugs go. We need them in our yard. They eat aphids, mites, white fly, and scale insects. And they are so pretty.