Ladybugs....

So being totally honest, I really HATE bugs - spiders, flies, beetles, gnats....are all ICK in my book! But there are a couple of exceptions - one of which is the ladybug. I'd venture to guess we all have childhood memories of staring at a beautiful, red ladybug on a flower, or having the fluttery little wings of one brush by our skin, land on our clothes, or our bag, our hair, etc. I've always thought that ladybugs definitely got the sweet end of the deal in the bug/insect world. Beautiful, colorful little creatures who are actually well-liked by human kind! Spiders on the other hand, they don't have it so good.

So oddly enough, our new condo seems to have a ladybug infestation! Its not a serious problem or anything, don't get me wrong. We don't have the little red-and-black hard bodied critters flying around in swarms or anything, but at least 2-3 times per week I see a ladybug on our wall, or catch the cats playing with a dead ladybug shell in the bedroom. On that note, the other day I saw Misty sitting in our bedroom windowsill playing with what appeared to be a little black dot. After further investigation, I noticed that it was a cute little ladybug all tucked up into its shell trying to shield itself, like a defenseless turtle backed into its impenetrable hiding space. Very cute indeed, and as much as I didn't want to steal away Misty's new found toy, I just had to save the little critter and let him go free on our balcony. I imagine the ladybugs of our neighborhood are just doing their best to find a safe, dry, protected sanctuary from the cold wet weather we've been having this week. And I can't blame them. But spiders on the other hand, they can keep looking for another home that is NOT mine.