Have you ever seen lady bug larvae?
On a strawberry leaf
How do I know this? Because we had a horrible aphid and white fly problem in the green house and we bought 500 lady bugs. They were soon “doin’ their business” and we had lots of these alligator looking critters crawling all over the place. I have read the larvae eat more than the adults.
Cute little guy/gal
Apparently, some made it through the wet spring and at least one found refuge on one of the strawberry pots. (These really do look quite strange and if The Hubs hadn’t described to me what they looked like, I am afraid I might have smashed them. It really doesn’t look like a beneficial insect at this point, does it?)
With all the building in the garden recently, we have been visiting a lot of plant and garden centers for ideas. One of our favorite places in south Tulsa/Bixby recently expanded next door to include a full-blown nursery. Hardscapes always had beautiful water gardens, but now they have lots of plants and more statuary to choose from.
I think I want one of these funky Japanese lanterns.
Can you guess which one?
And, finally, here is the latest on the pergola. All the posts are set, one I-beam is up and “mostly” secure. Everything is stained though and ready to be put up.
One last thing. I was making some planters for the patio when I saw this visitor in our yard
A mama mallard foraging under the bird feeders. (We are about a mile from the nearest pond.) I think she has babies in the neighbor’s yard.
Please excuse the brush pile habitat in the background. 🙂
Please remember Abigail today. She started her treatments last Friday. Keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers. Abby, no flowers for you today, but I hope you enjoy the baby lady bugs and the mama duck.
I would have smashed up the lady bugs and the hubs would be complaining about paying for something I was just going to kill anyway! 🙂 The pergola is coming along beautifully and your backyard view sets it off so nicely. I know just the garden center you are talking about – I have passed it many time going “the back way” to Tulsa, avoiding the pay toll. It appears that they have expanded and I love the latern. I hope your garden is doing well – it seems we are in for some heat starting today – yipee!
You have to stop next time you go the back way. If nothing else, simply to wander through their water gardens and ponds. It is so serene.
You have a nice looking lawn. Our grass does not look ad hood!
You are too kind. With the habitat pile and the weeds, it is a mess. 🙂
Ahhhh, I must have hit publish before I could finish and correct my comments! So, the ladybugs are quite prevalent in your area. My father once had them infest an entire room in a mountain cabin in PA, had to vacuum them off everything!
They are prevalent when we buy 500 of them! Now that I can identify the larvae, I have seen them everywhere. I found a whole slug of them at school on the library steps. Look around. Maybe you will see them now too. 🙂 (I can’t imagine vacuuming them up!)
I need some lady bugs here. The aphids are just destroying my one cherry tree this year. They aren’t on any other cherry trees or the apple trees, just the one. I find that odd. I do have stuff to spray I just have to get out there and do it. Most of the cherries are dead though, due to the bugs….ugh! Your yard is very pretty and I love the visiting mallard 🙂
She was here again this morning. :). Sorry about your cherry tree. That sucks to say the least.
Oh cool, it even has dots on it! Nope never seen one before-I learned something today! I’m excited to see your finished pergola-that is going to be so cool! And I had just said a prayer for Abigail before I came to your post. May God bless her treatments and help her to recover as quickly as possible!
Bless you, Veronica.
Thanks for the pagoda update! Lady bugs are really so beneficial. We have loads – which means, I guess, that we have loads of stuff for them to eat! Every fall we get infested with them – hundreds come indoors for some reason. We shoo them out (actually sweep them out sometimes) and our cat has a good time watching the ones we missed fly around the house.
Wow. That is the second comment about sweeping out lady bugs. :). I had no idea.
Awww I hate bugs overall but lady bugs are too cool – love your garden as well by the way! 🙂
And definitely sending out my prayers for Abigail.
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thank you, Uru.
Can’t wait to see the end result of your pagoda! You are always up to something fun and interesting!
We got the beams up this weekend.
No, I have never seen lady bug larvae. How beautiful! Bobby found a lady bug in the kitchen the other day and carefully carried it out and put it on a rosebud covered with aphids. Hopefully we have more than just that one. What a nice piece of land to play on!
I hope that lady bug feasted.
Can’t wait to see your finished pergola. I agree that baby lady bug look like one of the ‘bad bugs’, it’s a good thing you had a little edumication on them first.
🙂