Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: ladybug

[best appreciated at full size against black] This is definitely Ladybug season!! If it's sunny out, I will have a 100% chance of finding a ladybug if I look at any of the new thistle plants that are beginning to grow. The other day I spent a few moments watching this little cutie pie and taking pictures whenever it was in a good position! At one point I think I heard him say, "Is this a good angle? Do my spots look nice this way?!" :D :D I think you'll all agree, this is one LOVELY LADYBUG!! :D Known as a Ladybug in North America, and Ladybird or Ladybird Beetle elsewhere, these insects (which aren't bugs) can be found worldwide and there are over 5,000 species known so far! They are known as beneficial insects and are often bought and released into gardens to control pest insects. If you would like to know more about Ladybugs, Wiki has a great page here: Wiki: Coccinellidae . There's also a fantastic site dedicated to Ladybugs here: Lost Ladybug Project . These images were taken in March, 2012.

[best appreciated at full size against black] Every year at this time, we begin to get ladybugs in the house, especially in our computer room. They crawl in through the vent for our air conditioner, and then fly around in the eaves where we can't reach them. I keep my eyes open to try to catch them when they're low enough on the wall, and then put them outside. This little guy was found crawling around on a power cord, too tired to fly anymore, so I scooped him up and brought him downstairs, when I noticed his pretty spots and thought it would be nice to take a picture. When I put him on the counter, he looked dead! But then he started moving again and crawling around and I realized I'd made him "play dead". I decided that it would be fun to show this, so I put him on a leaf, laying on his back and asked him to please hold still for a picture! After his moment of stardom, I carried him outside and put him on some grass with a droplet of water and wished him a happy life! To carry on the theme of "playing dead" I decided to make this a selective color piece! I hope you like it! :) These images were taken in March, 2012.

Last night I found this darling ladybug on the floor in our bathroom, and at first I thought it was dead. But then I thought I saw it move, so I carefully picked it up and stared at it as it lay on its back in the palm of my hand. After about 10 seconds, I saw a leg twitch and then another. Then all six legs were waving around, antennae moving, and this guy was doing his best to flip over! Hooray! I decided to keep him overnight and turn him into a star! In the morning, I took him out and let him crawl out onto a leaf, and got this picture to remember him by! :) Maria Flemming was born in Venezuela, raised in Canada, and is a world-traveler, author, poet, and law student.

After I took the previous pictures, I saw this cutie pie crawling up the stem of an allium plant! I was amused to see that juvenile ladybugs are just as fast as adults! This one zoomed up and down the stems, rarely stopping. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to get a clear picture, which was no small feat, as it was also windy and the stem was blowing back and forth! :D This is my favorite, and when I showed the 6 different choices to Steve, he picked this one out too without any prompting from me! :)