I rescued a ladybug today as it got trapped in a small pool of water created by a sudden and unexpected soaking from my watering can. It was completely submerged and caught my eye as it furiously flapped its little legs aroundin a desperate effort to avoid drowning. I reached in and pulled the little bug to safety placing it on the leaf of a nearby tree.
I left it there and didn’t really give it a second thought. That was until much later when I was stood in the garden on the phone chatting and it again caught my eye. The bright red color stood out on the green of my little birch tree that grows just outside the door that leads into my yard.
I leaned in close wondering to myself if this could be the same ladybug that I’d pulled from the water filled pot earlier? Of course I had no way of knowing, but I had a feeling it was. How come it hadn’t flown away? Was it stuck? I looked closely at it as it walked from leaf to leaf that are themselves covered in smaller bugs.
In the end I couldn’t really work out why the bug hadn’t simply flown away. But as I watched it wondering what it was doing I decided snap a few pictures of it. Maybe if it hadn’t been a lady bug I wouldn’t have felt so inclined to get my camera, or rescue it in the first place come to that. Of all the bugs that crawl and fly, lady bugs don’t seem to bug anyone.
Wrote the following comment on Jun 5, 2007 at 9:43 pm
those pictures are gorgeous!
Wrote the following comment on Jun 5, 2007 at 9:46 pm
that bug looks lady-like. nice.
Wrote the following comment on Jun 6, 2007 at 4:53 am
lady bugs are the best.
Wrote the following comment on Jun 6, 2007 at 11:35 am
You know, it was still there as it began to get dark here around 10:30ish. I just cheked this morning though, and it’s gone.
Wrote the following comment on Jun 6, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Ladybugs are one of my favorites. Beetles in general are a pretty interesting order of insect. Ya know, he may have been sticking around to feast on those smaller insects on your plants. Ladybugs are predatory and pretty insatiable in their ‘bloodthirst’ for aphids. It looks like that’s what those smaller guys are. Great photos! Thanks for sharing them.
Wrote the following comment on Jun 6, 2007 at 3:53 pm
I was going to say the same thing as Jonathan – she looks like she is feasting on the pesky aphids. That’s a very good reason to encourage the presence of lady bugs in your yard. I’m glad you saved it!
Wrote the following comment on Jun 6, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Me and my family have always called then ladybirds – they can fly you see!
Wrote the following comment on Jun 7, 2007 at 1:52 am
You do make the most amazing pictures. Thanks for sharing…my husband used to call my daughter ladybug.
Wrote the following comment on Jun 9, 2007 at 12:51 pm
One of my most dismaying moments was when I accidentally ate a ladybug. It was the weekend of my graduation and I was walking back to my dorm with my family and -zip- a ladybug flew right into my mouth just as I -crunch- was talking. I realized what had happened a split second too late. Poor thing!
Wrote the following comment on Jun 13, 2007 at 9:00 am
Don’t worry Anne, if you were smaller you might have been eaten yourself…!
Nice pictures – I didn’t realise they were that shiny. What camera did you use for these?
Wrote the following comment on Jun 13, 2007 at 11:09 am
The pictures were taken on my regular camera, the Canon PowerShot S80.