By Jennifer Carter
A delightful distraction for children in a summer classroom; an ally for keen gardeners, keeping control of pesky aphids; the leading lady of the familiar nursery rhyme, in which children encourage her to fly away home, so that their wishes come true - ladybirds are one of our most loved insects, with
deep connections in folklore and seen as good luck charms by many.
Their name is said to have come from the Middle Ages when farmers, troubled by insects destroying their crops, prayed to the Virgin Mary. Soon enough swarms of red and black beetles arrived, gorging on the problematic insects. They became ‘the beetle of our lady’, and later, ladybirds.
My memories of spring and summer as a child are largely populated with ladybirds; rose bushes in the garden thick with them predating the aphids, or crawling across my hand and secreting pungent yellow liquid to warn me off. Some readers will remember the heatwave of 1976, which caused huge swarms of ladybirds in towns and cities, with many accounts of them biting humans, on account of their being hungry from lack of their usual food sources.
Today though, it has become almost rare to see one. Although this makes it all the more exciting when we do, it is worrying to see such a decline in numbers. Harlequin ladybirds, a non-native species, are sometimes blamed, but like most cases of biodiversity loss, human activities are the main cause.
Just as in recent years we have seen an increase in people supporting pollinators like bees and butterflies, we can all do our bit for ladybirds, too. Avoiding the use of pesticides will increase numbers of aphids for ladybirds to eat, and leaving leaf matter on the floor in the autumn will provide habitat during winter. A few small steps, to support our spotted friends.
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