Can bugs be loved and beloved?
Yes, they can. Ask someone who likes ladybugs. Ask almost anyone.
These darlings of the garden are not “bugs” at all. They’re beetles, and the lady in their name is said to stem from a reference to “Our Lady,” the Virgin Mary, traditionally said to wear red robes.
This last anecdote comes from John Acorn’s book, Ladybugs of Alberta, which was released earlier this year by the University of Alberta Press. Despite widespread public admiration for ladybugs, no one had ever compiled a field guide designed to help people identify different species and better understand their life cycles and habits.
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Now someone has, complete with colour photographs, drawings and lively commentary.
Acorn, known in some circles as the nature nut, is a U of A lecturer, naturalist and researcher who defies any ideas one might have about “boring” field guides. In the first chapter he talks about his efforts to identify ladybugs by taste.
Ahem.
As ladybug collectors know, the beetles emit an orangey fluid when handled. According to Acorn, ladybugs taste awful in general and some species are downright nauseating. I concur. This explains why birds and other predators tend to leave them alone. Well, that and the fact that most of them stink.
Ladybugs eat aphids, which is why gardeners admire them so. In the absence of that food, says Acorn, they will eat other insects, sap and pollen. And each other.
Should you find a ladybug in the house, Acorn recommends you feed it bananas and liver-flavoured catfood, though he doesn’t reveal the trial and error that led him to this discovery. Such unexpected gems of information lend charm to this book and encourage immediate exploration.
With guide in hand, I attempted to identify two visually different types from my garden. It’s tricky, even with colour photos for comparison. After all, the Two-Spot Ladybug can have more (or fewer) than two spots, and the Five-Spot Ladybug can have more than five. And the Thirteen-Spot, Seven-Spot and Nine-Spot? You guessed it.
However, I was able to rule out the Twice Stabbed, as well as the Episcopalian and the Fastidious. I’ll keep trying.
Acorn says you can tell a ladybug from the pretenders by counting its foot segments. Good luck with that.
At this time in the growing season, when we’re scouting for “bad” bugs that can harm crops, it’s a good time to acknowledge beneficial ones. Details on how to get a copy of Ladybugs of Alberta can be found via the following URL: www.uap.ualberta.ca.
