It's a Ladybug Picnic!

Hey, does anyone remember Sesame Street's Ladybug Picnic song?  One of my favorite Sesame Street skits!


I can't help but tiptoe outside and check on the progress of the garden.  The latest saga?  The ladybird beetles have arrived!  They've made lovely little apartment houses out of my Eriogonum giganteums, making it pretty difficult to go without finding one.  I'm fascinated by all the different species, but my favorite seems to be the smaller ones with no spots and a deep, lustrous sheen.  It reminds me of the fancy paint jobs you see on motorcycles!  I'll hazard a guess and say it might be a Cycloneda Munda?  The white markings don't look the same, but who knows?

I'm pretty sure this one's a Coccinella californica.  I love that black stripe!

I know I should have respected this couple's privacy in their intimate moment, but how could I resist such a shot?  Are they Coccinella septempunctuata?

Of course, the only reason these ladies make my garden their home is because I've got aphid ranches galore.  It also helps that I don't use any icky pesticides to scare them away.  (Even the safer soaps or neem oil are meant to kill bugs, including ladybugs, so I try to let nature take its course unless the situation gets too dire) 

Are you noticing the ladybugs enjoying our sunshiney weather?

Watch Out Boys, She'll Chew You Up!

I'm speaking, of course of ladybugs! My aunt referred me to this amazing project out of Cornell University called The Lost Ladybug Project. They're looking for help in cataloging native lady beetles (the "proper" common name) and studying the spread of exotic species. The website beams with fun information and instructions on finding and taking photos of lady beetles and sending it in.
Did you know that lady beetles were named after the Virgin Mary when a swarm miraculously arrived to devour the aphids that were destroying the crops in Europe? The farmers, so grateful for an answer to their prayers, named their new friends "Our Lady Beetles."
It seems that native species are in decline in the US, however so scientists are interested in discovering the extent of the loss and perhaps coming to a conclusion as to why. The little lady above posed for my contribution. I think she's a Hippodamia convergens. Do your part! Find some ladybugs and be a scientist for a day!