Cyn's Nature Notes: Ladybirds

Monday, 1 October 2007

Ladybirds

Ladybirds are probably the only beetle most people will happily handle. Worldwide there are 3000 species, but only 44 recorded in Britain. This weekend I have been delighted to see swarms of ladybirds in the garden. The walls of the bungalow were decorated with hundreds of these tiny beetles, which I have been recording. So far I have found 22 varieties. Since there is such diversity I suspect they interbreed very successfully. When attacked they exude a foul tasting fluid, which puts birds off.

Many years ago they were used as folk remedies for colic, toothache and measles. Also there is that well-known ladybird nursery rhyme.

They are a valuable asset to our gardens due to their voracious appetite for many garden pests: aphids, scale insects, mealy bugs, mites and thunder-bugs. They have also been known to feed on each other.

I fear many ladybirds are killed at their larval stage simply because people don’t recognise them, which is a great pity.

The variety in these little creatures is astounding, ranging from no spots to more than twenty, although black on red is the most common, there are also: black on yellow, black on orange, black on brown, even two-tone brown, red on black, and would you believe even black with red spots with a black spot on each of the red spots.

Now I am hopeful that as the weather cools I shall find a large cluster of these delightful beetles sheltering somewhere in the garden, probably in the woodpile, and I will look forward to the good work they will do for me next spring and summer.

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About this Blog

When we moved to our present home in December 1987, I was very ill and bedridden. My garden was a life-saver, although it was very different then. The first thing I did was to put up bird-feeders, and long hours were spent lying indoors in a recliner. This was when I discovered many things. Do you know the underside of every blue tit’s tail is differently marked? Gradually, over the years, the garden changed. We put in shrubs and plants that would not only enhance the garden, but would also be good for wildlife. The first rabbit we saw was so joyful for us. The deer eat the flowers, prune the apple trees, eat the marrow, and are wonderful to watch. Foxes have been a major part of our wildlife. We have fed them each night for more than 20 years. They are such a delight, especially in late summer and early autumn when there are youngsters. They behave like puppies and are great fun to watch.

I love all wildlife: the mason bees that nest in the brickwork of the bungalow, the hornets that last year made their home in the roof above our bedroom, the bees currently nesting in the roof above the bathroom. On a hot evening, if you stand quietly in the bathroom, you can hear this amazing sound: it is very rhythmic and reminds me of the waves at the seaside. It is made by the beating of the bees’ wings as they fan their nest to keep the temperature at the right level -- how many people have heard that sound? I feel so privileged.

Obviously, I feed the birds. When I open the window in the morning I call “Come on Bobby and Blackie”, and one followed swiftly by the other they fly immediately to the bird table. Each morning, on rising, I make my way to the kitchen and find the squirrels already sitting on the window ledge waiting to be fed. Winter brings the moorhens and spring time the mallards. Our pond is a poor effort from a human point of view, but wild creatures see it differently. On summer days, the grass snakes spend long hours in the pond: eating the fish, froglets, toadlings, newts, and any other living creature they can swallow. Although I hate to see the pond emptied this way, I do enjoy the snakes and feel they are an important part of the balance of nature in the garden. Watching a dragonfly nymph climbing out of the pond, up a plant stalk, and then over the next few hours gradually transforming into a beautiful dragonfly -- these are contented hours well spent.

It has been my pleasure to write and publish a nature column each month. I am always delighted to hear how much pleasure this brings to my readers. I have often been asked if I have written a book, so I am making more of my writings and photography available through this web site and blog.