As I gaze upon the beautiful kale growing from my two Tower Gardens,
I begin to see those little green bodies of aphids moving about. I gaze closer to see at least a small family
of tiny lady bugs walking over and on the backs of the tiny aphids. As it's
nearing lunch time, I cut a handful of mature kale leaves; setting them aside
in my big, bright green Preserve mixing bowl.
They are made with 100% recycled
#5 plastic and 100% recyclable. I have two sets that I use for everything. But that is not the point of this story.
That’s when I saw it!
I peel the leaf back and it reveals itself!
A multi-leg, orange and black; need I say,
not too cute looking bug.
"No problem", I say as I approach the kitchen to clean this lovely green kale. Suddenly, Mr. Ugly Bug is on my hand. Now that I am "forced" to take a closer look... OMG....I can see he's wearing a suit of jagged armor!
He is truly ready for battle!
I think I see a horn on its head, or maybe it's on his helmet; the battle helmet I'm just sure he's wearing. He MUST be the leader of the Bad Bug Brigade that's here to harm my garden, I’m just sure of it!
I peel the leaf back and it reveals itself!
A multi-leg, orange and black; need I say,
not too cute looking bug.
"No problem", I say as I approach the kitchen to clean this lovely green kale. Suddenly, Mr. Ugly Bug is on my hand. Now that I am "forced" to take a closer look... OMG....I can see he's wearing a suit of jagged armor!
He is truly ready for battle!
I think I see a horn on its head, or maybe it's on his helmet; the battle helmet I'm just sure he's wearing. He MUST be the leader of the Bad Bug Brigade that's here to harm my garden, I’m just sure of it!
Before I rid the garden of this “intruder” I want to know
who he was and why he’s here. So I turn to my always ready facebook friends. I quickly snapped this picture and posted it on my wall - BAM - within
minutes I have two responses. And they
were the exact responses I needed!
One was a link for www.petreenursery.com/insectguide.html .
They have a wonderful list of beneficial insects and the not so beneficial.
The other response was a link for www.ladybuglady.com/ladybugweb9.htm .
This link had a long list of photographs showing ladybugs in their various stages.
As I look down the list, and there he is, I was SHOCKED!
This General of the Bad Bug Brigade is actually a Multi-colored Asian ladybug larvae.
Amazing to think a beautiful round ladybug starts off as one mean lookin' son-of-a gun!
In years past I purchased bags of ladybugs for my garden, but this, the mean General actually being a kind, gentle garden lover made me realize how little I know about these hardworking Ladies.
One was a link for www.petreenursery.com/insectguide.html .
They have a wonderful list of beneficial insects and the not so beneficial.
The other response was a link for www.ladybuglady.com/ladybugweb9.htm .
This link had a long list of photographs showing ladybugs in their various stages.
As I look down the list, and there he is, I was SHOCKED!
This General of the Bad Bug Brigade is actually a Multi-colored Asian ladybug larvae.
Amazing to think a beautiful round ladybug starts off as one mean lookin' son-of-a gun!
In years past I purchased bags of ladybugs for my garden, but this, the mean General actually being a kind, gentle garden lover made me realize how little I know about these hardworking Ladies.
So to the Google I went. For starters, Ladybugs are also called ladybird or
lady beetles. There are over 5,000
different species of ladybugs with that many different appetites. Most ladybugs
eat the aphids and other plant-eaters but some actually munch on the plants! Two
types that can be destructive to plants is the Mexican bean beetle and squash
beetle.
After a little more scrolling, I see a picture of some small clusters I noticed previously while cutting the kale leaves. Glad I left them alone, they turned out to be ladybug eggs! The thought of Ladybugs feeling so welcomed in my garden that they choose to raise their family here. Now that made me smile.
There are many insects good and bad that will “invade” the garden. I’m thankful for my knowledgeable friends and their sharing of resources. I’m also thankful for the ladybugs; who even at this hour, are out there working hard eating the aphids in my garden. But even more, I happy to get the chance to learn something new every day!
gratefully, Angie Ringler
