Posts Tagged: lady bug

Lady Beetles: The First Ladies of the Garden Having a Ball

See those red spots on your milkweed seed pods? Lady beetles (aka ladybugs or "garden heroes") are...

A lady beetle feasts on aphids on a milkweed plant, Gomphocarpus physocarpus, also known as balloon-plant milkweed or hairy balls. Note the spiky hairs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A lady beetle feasts on aphids on a milkweed plant, Gomphocarpus physocarpus, also known as balloon-plant milkweed or hairy balls. Note the spiky hairs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Peek-a-boo? Or peek-a-beetle? A lady beetle, resplendent in red, crawls through the spiky hairs of milkweed seed pods. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Peek-a-boo? Or peek-a-beetle? A lady beetle, resplendent in red, crawls through the spiky hairs of milkweed seed pods. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Hurry! A lady beetle snags aphids on a milkweed seed pod, while other aphids try to escape (far right). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Hurry! A lady beetle snags aphids on a milkweed seed pod, while other aphids try to escape (far right). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away Home!

Ladybug!  Ladybug!Fly away home.Your house is on fireAnd your children are gone. How many...

The Hitchhiker

Oleander aphids, those cartoonish-looking yellow insects with black legs and cornicles, are...

A lady beetle picks up a hitchhiker, an oleander aphid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A lady beetle picks up a hitchhiker, an oleander aphid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

One on the back and one in the mouth. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

One on the back and one in the mouth. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The oleander aphid maintains its hold on the back of its predator, a lady beetle. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The oleander aphid maintains its hold on the back of its predator, a lady beetle. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The lady beetle prepares for take-off, with the oleander aphid still clinging to its back. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The lady beetle prepares for take-off, with the oleander aphid still clinging to its back. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Christmas Bug

If there ever were a Christmas bug, it would be the ladybug, aka lady beetle. The insects (family...

Ladybug on gardener's glove

LADYBUG--You should treat the ladybug with kid gloves; it's a beneficial insect. Here a ladybug, aka lady beetle, crawls on a gardener's glove. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Christmas bug

CHRISTMAS BUG--The ladybug is the perfect Christmas bug--she's brightly colored and spreads joy in the garden when she devours aphids. This one heads for the garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Fly Away Home

We netted the floundering California lady beetle (Coccinella californica) aka "lady bug," from our...

A California lady beetle, aka ladybug, spreads her wings to dry after a near-drowning in a swimming pool. The lady beetle is a beneficial insect. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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