Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: ladybird beetle

I watched this beautiful ladybird beetle hunting for breakfast among the dew-covered poppy leaves one morning, and when it paused by a dewdrop, I got some pictures! My garden has many ladybugs in it and I couldn't be happier, because these predators kill aphids and many other insects that destroy my plants! More apologies for not being around lately. It has been a lot of work trying to keep ahead of all the animals that are trying to eat my plants, and though I am still keeping ahead of them, this has left me feeling desperate, frustrated, worried, and depressed. The insects have all but annihilated my dozens of Zinnias which were doing so well. I have them planted in three sections of my garden and they are all just tatters now. I'm fighting back with more and more unfriendly measures as my options are taken away. The ground squirrels are chewing and digging their way into my gardens and eating entire plants. My dill and basil are gone, and some of my beautiful and lushly growing sunflower plants. It seems that the moment I repair one hole, they've created two more. So, it's all-out war and this makes me very unhappy because I just want them to leave my gardens alone. I get it...they are oases of plants and water, and I knew there would be trouble. But I didn't realize that the ground squirrel population has exploded this year for some reason, and they are making me crazy. However, that being said, I've got lots of things doing really well, and just wait until I get to the letter "Y"! :D If Garden Wars isn't enough to keep me busy, there are two colonies of ants attacking our kitchen and we have been trying for about three weeks to get rid of them. They must be under the house, because perimeter ant block has zero effect on them. Whenever we take care of one spot, they find another way in. It's horrible and so annoying, especially when I think I've finally taken care of the last place of entry, and the next morning they are coming in another way. ARGH!! I've also been busy with work, my book, and other tasks. I have surprisingly little time for my photography, and unfortunately, my zest for sharing the wonderful things I see is severely damaged with all of the frustrating situations going on. I am working on balancing everything so that I can have some happy time with photography on a regular basis! :) Explored on June 24, 2014. Highest placement, #1.

Every once in a while, this ladybug would open its wingies and then close them again. It never took off, which made me happy because I was able to release it outside much easier that way! (Textures by Jerry Jones)

I meant for this picture to be first but oh well! I was very pleased that I can see the composite eyes here!

Look at this beauty! I really should have held the detachable macro flashes out to the side to avoid the bright spots on the back but it will do for now. Something to remember for the future. :) (Textures by Jerry Jones)

3 pictures above in notes! :) Well, this day didn't turn out as expected...I am typing this on Steve's iPhone and am relieved to have this bit of access to the internet. There was a crew working down at the road putting in new cable or optical line, not sure what. At about noon we lost our phone and internet and nobody seems to know when this will be resolved. :/ I had plans of visiting and commenting today but only got to say hi to about 35 people before my plans were tossed in the trash. :( [ NOTE: Service was finally restored at 8:30am pst, yay!!] However, I did take my pictures and we figured out how to get them uploaded so I won't miss a 365 day! :) This morning I was busy commenting and having my usual delightful time when I felt something crawling in my hair! Gently touching, I felt nothing but then saw something on my glasses! Ack! I was sure it would be a nasty tick and pulled them off instantly to see. To my relief, I saw instead a beautiful ladybug crawling along. Without a pause, I hopped up, went downstairs and got my camera! Such fun to take pictures of these beauties... As it turned out, I got 4 nice pictures to share today! Aileen Lucia Fisher (September 9, 1906 – December 2, 2002) was an American writer of more than a hundred children's books, including poetry, picture books in verse, prose about nature and America, biographies, Bible themed books, plays, and articles for magazines and journals. Her poems have been anthologized many times and are frequently used in textbooks. In 1978 she was awarded the second National Council of Teachers of English Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Born in Michigan, Fisher moved to Colorado as an adult and lived there for the rest of her life. (From wiki) Explored on October 17, 2013. Highest placement, page 7.

This image was taken during the MeetUp photo hike to Mt. Ashland on August 7, 2911

This image was taken during the Rogue Valley Photography hike to Mt. Ashland on August 7, 2011.

This image was taken during a MeetUp hike to Mt. Ashland on July 30, 2011.

This image was photographed on my property in Southern Oregon

I found this cutie pie as I walked up to the house and I can't believe this picture came out because it was so windy!! HOORAY!!

[best appreciated at full size against black] Wandering around in one of our meadows on a bright and sunny day, I discovered this busy little ladybug making its way up and down stems and leaves. I was so busy trying to get a picture that I didn't even notice the heart-shaped spot until I saw the image on my computer! And nope, I did not alter this in Photoshop to create this shape! :D Did you know that the orange and black spotted part of a ladybug is called the "Elytra"? I thought it was a carapace but I was wrong! :D You may know this already but the Elytra is not a ladybug's wings. It is a hard case which is lifted up prior to flight to expose the much more delicate wings underneath, which are then unfolded and put into action! If you would like to know more about ladybug anatomy with lots of pictures and easy to understand information, I found a great page here: www.ladybug-life-cycle.com/ladybug-anatomy.html (there are also links from there for everything you ever wanted to know about ladybugs!) I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too! Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :) NOTE! I have finally updated my profile and I hope you'll take a look to find out a little more about me and how important all of you are to my experience here on Flickr! www.flickr.com/people/sfhipchick/ This image was taken in March, 2012.

[best appreciated at full size against black] I have discovered that ladybugs and cucumber beetles can be found wandering around on thistle plants, which are now beginning to pop out of the ground all over our meadows. A couple of days ago, I was quietly watching this ladybug and taking pictures when I noticed a cucumber beetle nearby. "Hmmm...I wonder what will happen if these two meet?" You may not know this, but cucumber beetles are herbavores and suck the sap out of plants, though they will sometimes eat aphids. Ladaybugs are predators, and cucumber beetles are something they like to eat. I watched the scene unfold, and as they walked up and down leaves, they got closer and closer, until they made their way towards each other on the same stem. The second they met, they quickly touched antennae and both did a 180 and zoomed away from each other as fast as they could go! Honestly, I was so excited that both pictures I took came out blurry, but happily, this one was perfect! YAY! I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too! Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :) NOTE! I have finally updated my profile and I hope you'll take a look to find out a little more about me and how important all of you are to my experience here on Flickr! www.flickr.com/people/sfhipchick/ This image was taken in March, 2012.

[best appreciated at full size against black] This is definitely Ladybug season!! If it's sunny out, I will have a 100% chance of finding a ladybug if I look at any of the new thistle plants that are beginning to grow. The other day I spent a few moments watching this little cutie pie and taking pictures whenever it was in a good position! At one point I think I heard him say, "Is this a good angle? Do my spots look nice this way?!" :D :D I think you'll all agree, this is one LOVELY LADYBUG!! :D Known as a Ladybug in North America, and Ladybird or Ladybird Beetle elsewhere, these insects (which aren't bugs) can be found worldwide and there are over 5,000 species known so far! They are known as beneficial insects and are often bought and released into gardens to control pest insects. If you would like to know more about Ladybugs, Wiki has a great page here: Wiki: Coccinellidae . There's also a fantastic site dedicated to Ladybugs here: Lost Ladybug Project . These images were taken in March, 2012.

[best appreciated at full size against black] Every year at this time, we begin to get ladybugs in the house, especially in our computer room. They crawl in through the vent for our air conditioner, and then fly around in the eaves where we can't reach them. I keep my eyes open to try to catch them when they're low enough on the wall, and then put them outside. This little guy was found crawling around on a power cord, too tired to fly anymore, so I scooped him up and brought him downstairs, when I noticed his pretty spots and thought it would be nice to take a picture. When I put him on the counter, he looked dead! But then he started moving again and crawling around and I realized I'd made him "play dead". I decided that it would be fun to show this, so I put him on a leaf, laying on his back and asked him to please hold still for a picture! After his moment of stardom, I carried him outside and put him on some grass with a droplet of water and wished him a happy life! To carry on the theme of "playing dead" I decided to make this a selective color piece! I hope you like it! :) These images were taken in March, 2012.

Last night I found this darling ladybug on the floor in our bathroom, and at first I thought it was dead. But then I thought I saw it move, so I carefully picked it up and stared at it as it lay on its back in the palm of my hand. After about 10 seconds, I saw a leg twitch and then another. Then all six legs were waving around, antennae moving, and this guy was doing his best to flip over! Hooray! I decided to keep him overnight and turn him into a star! In the morning, I took him out and let him crawl out onto a leaf, and got this picture to remember him by! :) Maria Flemming was born in Venezuela, raised in Canada, and is a world-traveler, author, poet, and law student.