Have you ever noticed that you tend to see one ladybug at a time?
It will land on you, or near you, and you might put out a finger to let it crawl on you for a while before kindly depositing it on a plant.
Recently, I witnessed a ladybug migration.
I went outside for a minute and a ladybug landed near me. When I turned around, I saw what at first I thought was large flakes of pollen floating through the air. Not pollen, but more ladybugs, hundreds, maybe thousands, of ladybugs flying from one direction to the other over and around me.
I stopped to watch.
I’ve seen butterflies migrate and bees swarm, but never ladybugs. Well, one time in the fall I did see a swarm of ladybugs while we were out hiking, but they looked nothing like swarming bees. They cozied up together all over some bushes and trees and, for a time, my young son’s hands, which delighted him to no end.
I stood in wonder for at least five minutes. Apparently, ladybugs don’t fly in a straight line, more of an up-and-down wobble. Many of them took a breather on a nearby wall while others caught a drift and went over.
Did you know…
…ladybugs are beneficial predators of plant pests? Over its approximately one year lifespan, a ladybug may consume as many as 5,000 aphids. Please welcome ladybugs to your garden and use only natural and organic pesticides, such as neem oil or soap spray: you can find DIY recipes online.
…“lady” refers to the Virgin Mary? Legend has it that during the Middle Ages, farmers whose fields were plagued by bugs prayed to the Virgin Mary and soon thereafter noticed the beneficial ladybugs in their field. In Germany, ladybugs are called “Mary beetles.”
I’m grateful that I happened to go outside and notice the ladybugs. How has nature astounded you recently?
Image by Ron van den Berg from Pixabay
