Ladybug, ladybug

Every winter, our house is covered in ladybugs. We have them primarily in the left side of the house (or the side that stays the warmest). Apparantly, ladybugs like the warmth. They can be found along our windowsills, doorways, and in the lights in the drop ceiling in our basement. We have to vacuum them up because they are so out of control. But, I hear they are very useful bugs. I also hear that they are a sign of love. If so, we have a WHOLE LOTTA LOVE in our home.

I recently found, with the help of my friend Shannon, a ladybug costume for Cora for this Halloween. (you may be wondering, what about the Tinkerbell one? It's a bit too big for this year, but this one is just right. I just hope it still fits at Halloween. If not, I always can resort to Tinkerbell). Anyway, I really just wanted to share the cute picture of Cora in her ladybug costume but then I found these interesting ladybug facts and thought I'd share.

Did you know..... (my comments to these facts are in bold, just in case you couldn't figure it out...)

*There are nearly 5,000 different kinds of ladybugs worldwide and 400 which live in North America.
*A female ladybug will lay more than 1000 eggs in her lifetime. (no wonder we have so many)
*A ladybug beats its wings 85 times a second when it flies. (whew, that would be tiring!)
*Aphids are a ladybug's favorite food. (I believe aphids eat roses???)
*Ladybugs chew from side to side and not up and down like people do.
*A gallon jar will hold from 72,000 to 80,000 ladybugs.
*Ladybugs make a chemical that smells and tastes terrible so that birds and other predators won't eat them.
*If you squeeze a ladybug it will bite you, but the bite won't hurt. (good thing because we are always pickin' up ladybugs)
*The spots on a ladybug fade as the ladybug gets older. (old ladybugs just like old ladies just can't catch a break, can we?)
*During hibernation, ladybugs feed on their stored fat. (I wish I could figure out a way to feed on my stored fat...)
*Ladybugs won't fly if the temperature is below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. (can't blame 'em, I don't really like cold weather, either.)
*The ladybug is the official state insect of Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee.
*The male ladybug is usually smaller than the female. (you mean there are boybugs?, who knew??)

(these fun facts were found at this website http://www.geocities.com/sseagraves/ladybugfacts.htm)

Now, you can't say you never learned anything from this blog (and by the way - here is another thing you just learned - the previous sentence is totally incorrect - it contains a double negative but I just couldn't word it any other way and it still sound the way I wanted it to. I say this so that you know that I know that I am incorrect.)

Lolly