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Do you remember the chant , “Ladybird, Ladybird, fly away….” when you found a lady bug as a child did you know what this little chant meant. I know I used to chant this when I was a child. Ladybirds are cute,. at least that is what I think.
Ladybugs come in a variety of colors all over the world, orange, black, pink, red, and yellow. Some ladybugs have a few spots while others may have many and some have none. There are more than 500 different species, but they all have one thing in common, their diet which is made up of soft-bodied insects. Great news for gardeners and farmers. In some places ladybugs are considered a sign of good luck. The name Ladybug has nothing to do with the sex, males and females are both called ladybugs. The name came from a time when insects were attacking and destroying crops in Europe during the Middle Ages. The farmers who were mostly Catholic, prayed to the Virgin Mary for help to prevent losing their livelihood. An when army of red beetles arrived afterwards and ate the insects, the farmers called them the Beetles of our Lady, a name which was shortened to Ladybugs, for which they are commonly known by today.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 Jan 2011
Edited with soft focus in Picassa
Ladybird, Ladybird…Fly Away…