This ladybug was not in a very good position for me to get a shot, but I usually try to photograph every ladybug that I see, so I took the shot, totally oblivious to the fact that she was not the only bug in the frame.
Occasionally, when I am photographing a flower or an insect, there is an additional insect in the photo that I notice only when reviewing the images, what my friend Cindy Dyer calls a “bonus bug.” How did I miss almost a dozen bugs in my viewfinder?
Can anyone identify the little bugs?
Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
I’m not sure what the other bugs are but the ladybug was probably eating them. That’s why they’re so valuable in the garden.
I’d hazard a pretty sure guess that they’re a kind of aphid. Go, ladybug!
It’s hard not to like ladybugs. They are pretty and perform a useful function.
when I took the picture of my bee the other day, there were a few ladybugs raising havoc among the aphids… I had never seen a ladybug run around on the leaves ‘looking’ for something… dunno if he?/she? was looking for the ‘perfect’ aphid to take a bite out of or what, but all the aphids otherwise were like, ‘run away! run away!!’
In other words, I was trying to take a picture of a ladybug as well, but it didn’t turn out so well because it was just running around to much!
Moving bugs make it really tough to get a shot, especially when you are shooting at such a close range. I’ve had ladybugs scurry away when I bothered them too much, but most of the time they just seem to sit there and pose. Maybe she was in a feeding frenzy.
Definitely aphids. These tiny, soft-bodied plant pests can be positively identified by the pair of long narrow structures (cornicles) sticking up from their backsides. They use them to excrete defensive chemicals.
Cool shot. If you’re ever looking for a personal photography challenge, try to get one of a lady beetle with an aphid in its jaws. That would be really cool.
Thanks for the information and identification, Jeremy, and the challenge too. Given that I love to shoot macro and keep my eyes open for ladybugs, I’ll see what I can do with the challenge.