Whether you call it a ladybug or ladybird or lady beetle, everyone enjoys seeing these brightly colored members of the Coccinellidae family. Little kids love them, gardeners like the fact that they consume aphids, and there is something cute and cheery about their appearance.
My good friend and fellow photographer Cindy Dyer spotted this ladybug during a quick trip that we made to Green Spring Gardens, a county-run historical garden not far from where I live. Cindy has already posted images on her blog of some of the many flowers in bloom that we observed yesterday—I got sidetracked by searching for insects and didn’t get as many flower photos.
Later in the year, I will almost certainly see lots of ladybugs, but this was the first one of the spring, so it is special for me.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
You’ve captured the shiny shell beautifully Mike.
It does seem early. I usually see huge numbers of them on the white siding of my house in spring. I think they gather there to soak up some sunshine, but I don’t know for sure. That’s a great example of macro photography.
How can a good photo of a ladybug fail to bring a smile? This one sure did!
…Sure did bring a smile, I meant–not that it failed to…
I like the end of the blade pose with the blurred background. Well done.
I find it odd that I have seen ladybugs for a while in our back yard and yet your spring came so much earlier.
You must have extra hardy ladybugs in Canada!
Regarding this shot, I think I was just about at the minimum focusing distance of my macro lens–when you are that close to a subject, it’s really easy to have the background (and almost everything) go to a blur.
My wife loves to see these little guys on her garden. Great shot. Is welcome back appropriate? I haven’t seen you in my reader for a while.
Thanks. I’m not sure why you haven’t seen me in your reader–I’ve been posting almost daily for quite some time.
Well, I’m correcting that. I started following via email. I’ll catch up on the ones I missed. I saw other people commenting about the reader missing some posts. I should have looked for yours, but I thought I remembered you being on the road. Oh well, problem solved.
Beautiful pic. I was out walking with my kids today and we saw loads of them – River Devon, Tillicoultry. They are the one bug I like 🙂
Thanks. There really is something special about the shape and color that is non-threatening and cheerful (and kids seem to love them depicted on clothes and backpacks).
Great photo Mike, almost as if the ladybug is under a microscope.
It was as close as my macro lens would let me get. Initially the ladybug was stationary–I got this shot when it started to move.
Nice macro, Mike. I’m always glad to see these insects the garden, because I know there will be good aphid control by their larvae.
Very nice. My mom always said that if you count the spots on a ladybug, you know how many babies she had. That thought still makes me smile.
Thanks. I think this a species called the seven-spotted ladybug, with three spots on each side and one in the middle just below the head.