It’s never been a mystery to me why lady bugs are the most beloved insects in children’s books. After all, how threatening can you possibly be sporting a bright red body, happily decorated with black dots, as you slowly crawl through the garden? If lady bugs could talk, they’d obviously be nothing but cheerful.
Like so many things in our current world, lady bug everythings are everywhere. A quick google tells me that I can get the following lady bug items: mugs, keychains, t-shirts, curtains, jewelry, nightlights, kitchen timers, etc.. The list is endless. I can even have my VW bug custom painted to replicate a lady bug. Okay, I get it – we are a country that thinks lady bugs are the ultimate of cute.
So this next bit of lady bug trivia caught me completely off guard. During the recent spell of unseasonably beautiful, warm weather, my husband and I decided to have our lunch at our favorite spot — by our pond, in the ‘tea house’ he built for us a few years ago. It would be the first time we had used the space since last fall. Imagine our surprise when we threw open the French doors and were overwhelmed by a veritable herd of lady bugs! They were all over the inside of that wooden building, in the door jam, on the rafters, sitting atop picture frames. What a sight, hundreds of teensy black and red bodies seemingly strewn all over the whitewashed backdrop. The cuteness factor was momentarily lost as those lady bugs became the beetles they actually are.
However, with peaceful co-existence is part of our approach to life, we decided to try and dine with our guests. After brushing them off of the table and chairs, we settled in to enjoy Mother Nature’s show. Within minutes, it was as though the warmth of the yard was some kind of magical elixir. The lady bugs seemed to wake up and eventually fly into the bright sunshine.
The secret life of ladybugs. Who knew?
Photo credit: www.freedigitalphotos.