Ladybugs Galore

Posted on by

It’s hard to shop for a minimalist. After all, we don’t want anything. So for my milestone birthday (I turn 60 on Sept 28), I received the coolest gift from my sister—1,500 live ladybugs!

Following the instructions to the letter, we waited until dusk, used a mister to spray the leaves with water, lightly dusted the accompanying ladybug food on the damp leaves, and then ever so carefully, released the ladybugs—a few here, a few there, until they were all free from the shavings in the mesh bag they’d arrived in.

GARDEN FRIENDLY
“Gardeners greatly appreciate ladybugs as they eat aphids (each ladybug eats up to 5,000 aphids during its six-week life-cycle), mealybugs, mites, and scale bugs. These are all insects that destroy the habitat of the garden. Ladybug adults and larvae feed on pests they will eat the harmful bugs so your flowering plants can flourish.”

SYMBOLISM
“A ladybug is the perfect symbol for lady luck. The ladybug brings luck and abundance wherever she goes. When you see a ladybug, make a wish, and when you see her fly away, you’ll know she’s off to grant it.”

What was your most recent wish?

© lauriebuchanan.com

72 thoughts on “Ladybugs Galore”

  1. Happy Birthday, Laurie and what an original gift! I’ve always encouraged ladybirds (as they are known in England) in our garden by not using pesticides or weedkillers of any kind. I think that, after butterflies, ladybirds are the prettiest bugs around and I love counting their spots, for they all seem to have a different amount. I hope your gift will bring you great joy and a bug-free garden. 🎂🎂🎂🌹🌹🌹🌸🌸🌸🌼🌼🌼🌻🌻🌻🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞

    Reply ↓

  5. Happy birthday Laurie, and dozens more to come. Now you have me thinking. I’d love to have my shower scrubbed as a birthday gift (and I wouldn’t care who did it). Or maybe a few potted something or others for the garden. As much as I love ladybugs, I haven’t seen much need for them here. But yes, the gift of service or beauty rocks.

    Reply ↓

  8. What an original gift? Did someone put a bug in your sister’s ear – ha!

    My most recent wish? On my morning walk I spied 3 maids tumbling out of their car with buckets and scrubbing supplies. I wished for their services, but I need quietness for my writing today.

    Happy 60th, Laurie, and many more!

    Reply ↓

    • Marian — I’m glad you’ve carved out a day of silence; a day of writing. Unlike you, I’m absolutely confident I’d let myself be totally DERAILED by having a team of Merry Maids clean my house.

      Thank you for the birthday wishes! 🐞

      Reply ↓

  10. I love it! And now that I have started slowly reading your book (slow by necessity as it’s a lot to absorb) I understand your point about the minimalism. Happy birthday!

    Reply ↓

  11. What a lovely gift! That last photo is beautiful, so bright and dewy-looking. My most recent wish? On my morning run–the second only, as this is a ritual I have just begun–I wished for a cold glass of water. Run completed, wish granted.

    Reply ↓

  12. What a perfect gift! I didn’t know about the wishing when you see a ladybug. Great fun.

    I’ve recently had a couple wishes granted so I’m feeling blessed. I enjoy learning “homesteading” type skills. This weekend I’m making my own E-candles; so easy. I have a list of skills I’d like to get lessons to learn (how to use a compass with a map) or re-learn (ex. crocheting).

    Reply ↓

  14. Happy Birthday Laurie!…. This is the most original gift ever!. Symbol of good luck … And so great for your garden too, given that they might help plants grow and flowers Blossom!… Have a beautiful tuesday! ❤ 🐞

    Reply ↓

  17. Happy Almost Birthday Laurie! My wish – to “remember” what I have already learned and not need an additional “lesson” before moving forward. Also, loving your book and mindfully reading as instructed. You are a blessing to so many – thank you!

    Reply ↓

  18. Dear Laurie, an early happy birthday! I am sure you will have celebration filled with a maximum of Joy and Fun! I hope the next year will be filled everything you wish for when you blow out the candles on your cake. Of course, your sister’s thoughtful and “love”ly ladybug gift will bring you a copious amount of good luck, good health, and good times! Enjoy!

    Reply ↓

  19. Laurie, you know that as an organic gardener I love Ladybugs and will cherish every one that shows up in my garden. I used to kill their offspring from sheer ignorance: I had no idea what the baby Ladies looked like, a rather impressive creature that rivals any motion picture beast in sheer ugliness. Yet the juvenile Ladybugs have a voracious appetite for any insect that happens to fit into it’s ever busy mandibles and should be encouraged to feed, grow and reproduce. Okay, my latest wish? To be rid of a dining room table, chairs and china cabinet that requires more dusting around curves and corners than I am willing to deal with. I’m good with Shaker, wipe, wipe…you’re done! Happy Birthday, Kiddo!

    Reply ↓

  20. What a fabulous gift!! Wishing you a wonderful birthday. 60 was a super year for me, it was when everything started to fall into place. I am sure it will be a great year for you as well. I wished I would have a successful trip back home to Canada, and I did.

    Reply ↓

  21. What a wonderful present and thoughtful sister.
    I’m a huge fan of ladybugs–and now, thanks to you, I have a few more reasons to like them. For example, I didn’t know she flew off to grant me my wish.
    What was that wish that she granted?
    Well, as you know Laurie, my dear dog Bim passed away in the beginning of August. During one of our visits, our vet met us at the door with two delightful puppies. I always wanted a puppy and so we adopted them. We’d never cared for puppies before and sadly we soon discovered that we just weren’t cut out for it. It was a tearful decision but we gave the puppies back to the vet. They found homes instantly. However, this left us sadly dogless.
    My wish: a quite large small 1 to 3-year dog
    Enter Abby
    She’s adorable and rarely barks. The perfect dog for us.
    We adopted her last Friday–and we’ve been busy ever since bonding.

    Reply ↓

  25. Happy Birthday dear Laurie! I wish for you the best year ever with contented fulfillment taking up the largest calendar share. This is my most recent wish and the ladybugs are off to grant it in you honour. 🙂

    Reply ↓

  29. How nice that your ladybugs are all outside. My ladybugs arrive in the early autumn or late spring, about the time the cluster flies are popping out. They eat the cluster fly eggs and this year, finally, I realize (thank you very much) that I haven’t seen any yet.

    Reply ↓

  30. Ladybugs are the theme of my blog as the scarab or Ladybug is the ancient symbol of woman re-creating herself. Lady luck is a nice concept too. Before we moved we had ladybugs everywhere in our garden and little egg triangles on our front windows too, with good hatching. Then our 80 year old neighbor saw them heavily on her kitchen windows and she thought it was an infestation not part of our organic apple orchard so she hired a pest control company to stray everything – everything. The next year all the ladybugs were gone, we could not sell our organic apples or raspberries ( which I could no longer eat) and her plum tree was dripping with aphids on to our front deck and stairs making a sticky mess. Those ladybugs are crucial to organic farming. One thoughtless action destroyed our organic status and we had to start again…then in truth it actually destroyed my little side business too. Pesticides interfere with heart medication… and cause a lot of bowel problems for the elderly….Get me more of those ladybugs please!!! Happy Happy Birthday

    Reply ↓

    • Patricia — You just described an incredibly sad set of events. It’s horrible that the pest control company didn’t recognize them for what they are, explain it to the woman, and refrain from spraying. No matter how you slice it, it’s sad.

      Reply ↓

  31. I just found you on Annika’s blog. Happy Birthday and may the lady bugs bring you an abundance of luck. I once designed a line of greeting cards featuring a lady bug pin to give as a present for the person to whom you sent the card.

    Reply ↓

  32. A belated Happy Birthday, Laurie! 🌷🌸 The same day as my brother! I adore this present from your sister which sounds just perfect for you – how original and a lot of thought and research must have gone in to finding this for you. I’m smiling at the thought of all the ladybirds being released into your garden…wonderful! 😀😀

    Reply ↓

Leave a reply to Laurie Buchanan Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.