LADY BUG BEETLES

Lady Bugs are small beetles.  Most of us are familiar with pictures and drawings of the cute round red-orange one with black spots.  This was the extent of my awareness when I first began my gardens.  I even bought a bag of them from a plant nursery.  I learned they were a natural predator of smaller insects, so helped in keeping a healthy balance in the garden.  I later began to meet many of these small lady bug beetles of different colors, who were with and without spots.  Once again, my small garden was a classroom of discoveries.  I am excited to share some of them here...