Country Life Creatures Animal Charm Page

Ladybird

There is a superstition around the world that it is unlucky to kill a ladybird and there are myths surrounding their good fortune. Their bright colour and pattern not only make them attractive visitors to the garden, but also help to protect them by warning potential predators of their distastefulness. They exude an unpleasant yellow substance (reflex blood) from their leg joints when attacked which is rich in toxic alkaloids. A threatened ladybird may both play dead and secrete the unappetizing substance to protect itself. They are commonly yellow, orange, or scarlet with small black spots on their wing covers, with black legs, head and antennae. There is a very large number who are mostly, or entirely, black, grey, or brown.. Not all ladybirds have spots some are striped. Ladybirds are generally considered useful insects and one of the greatest allies of the farmer and the gardener as many species feed on aphids or scale insects, which are pests in gardens, agricultural fields, orchards, and similar places. They are nature’s own pest controllers and are more effective than poisonous chemicals. Ladybird adults spend the cold winter months in a dormant state. They snuggle up in dense vegetation, under logs and sometimes become residents of your home, sleeping in door frames, folds in curtains, in sheds and outhouses. If you come across a ladybird at this time spare a thought for the good work they do coax it gently into an aired jar and put it in a safe or some other sheltered place to finish its sleep through the winter time. As the weather warms up in late February and March the adults begin to get active and search for food to eat.

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