One Good Bug... Lady Beetles

While there are a lot of bad bugs in the garden, there are also some good one's, and the Lady Beetle is no exception!

Everyone is familiar with one's that look like this:

But...did you know that there are over 450 species found in North America?  Some are good, some are bad (like the Mexican Bean Beetle), some are native and some were introduced from foreign countries.

Around here, there are several varieties you might find in your garden.  Which is great news because many species of Lady Beetles feed on aphids and other soft-bodied pests.

You can attract Lady Beetles by planting pollen and nectar flowers and leaving weeds such as dandelions, wild carrot and yarrow in and around your garden.

And while these may look scary...

...resist the temptation to squash them, they are all different stages of the Lady Beetle life cycle, from newly hatched (1st photo) to a pupal stage (last photo). And they are voracious eaters of pests like aphids!!

Here are some other types of Lady Beetles you might see in your garden...

2-Spotted Lady Beetle

7-Spotted Lady Beetle

10-Spotted Lady Beetle

Spotted Lady Beetle