Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly to My Home!

Aha! Here is a Ladybug catching some rays on top of a plant. Maybe you read, "The Grouchy Ladybug," or "Ten Little Ladybugs" when you were younger. Most of us think of Ladybugs as small, charming creatures. Their tiny size and bright colors make us think of them as harmless bugs. They are, in fact, harmless to humans and even helpful to humans.

Going way back, people probably welcomed Ladybugs because they were "good" for plants. How can insects be good for plants? Ladybugs eat Aphids. Aphids are very tiny insects, smaller than Ladybugs. Aphids suck the juice out of plants and give plants diseases. So farmers trying to grow crops of food did NOT like Aphids, and they were happy when Ladybugs arrived. In fact, plant nurseries, sell plastic tubs full of live Ladybugs. People can bring them home and release the Ladybugs onto the plants around their homes.

What color are Ladybugs? They are red, of course. In nature, the color red means, "DON'T EAT ME!" Often times, animals that are colored red are either poisonous or they taste terrible to predators. Not a lot of animals eat Ladybugs. Only a few birds, some other insects, and frogs will eat Ladybugs.

Has a Ladybug ever landed on you? You can count how many seconds it stays on your hand. You can be glad it is near because it is getting rid of pests that harm your plants. If a Ladybug lands on you or a friend, you can give it a name and say, "Welcome to my neighborhood, Ladybug."

Did you find this useful? If so, you can send a "tip" to my PAYPAL.COM account. My email address is kathomatho@yahoo.com. I will donate 10% of your tip to The Orange County Zoo.