Ladybirds

Children love ladybirds and so do gardeners. When ladybirds appear in June they  are welcome visitors in gardens and fields as they help to combat attacks of a very common garden pest, the aphid, that can ruin precious crops or garden plants.

I have to say that this year so far we have seen very few ladybirds unlike some years when you are nearly tripping over them. In the photo below, this seven spotted ladybird was busy scurrying around on a waning Philadelphus flower in our garden. When my children were little they played a game a ‘who can spot the  most ladybirds with the most spots’ a nice game that encourages knowledge about wildlife and activity.

Seven-spot ladybird

Ladybird

The Seven-spot ladybird or Coccinella septempunctata is the most common one here in the UK. Worldwide there are about 5000 species of the ladybug, varying in spots and colours,  and also known as ladybeetles and ladybugs. Ladybirds are a kind of beetle that just love aphids and scale insects and that’s a blessing for gardeners and farmers.

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Related posts:

  1. Wildlife in my garden
  2. Wildlife in my garden
  3. A tiny garden frog
  4. The Common Frog