Ladybird, ladybird...........

The school garden plots have been covered with ladybirds the last few days. They seem fond of the sunflowers and can be watched at close quarters munching on the aphids which are covering the leaves. They actually seem to make a small jump  and pounce on them.


The nursery rhyme may date back to 1744 and has several attributes to it. One is superstition. You do not kill a ladybird. Another is that if one lands on you the nursery rhyme was chanted and when it eventually flew away your wishes would come true.

Wishes coming true or not they are fascinating things to watch and the school garden seems to be a major site for them. We have identified both the native species and a few harlequin ladybirds. Please excuse the following proliferation of ladybird photographs but these insects are addictive! A true friend of the gardener.

A few shots of recent ladybird activity and their various spotted appearance

How many can you spot here?

The ladybird staring at you could be a Harlequin Ladybird

A smile for the camera..