Occasionally in this busy life its nice to take half an hour out to just be quiet and concentrate on putting something back into this planet, give nature a bit of a helping hand, as it were. So today I decided to get together all the bits and pieces I'd collected to make a ladybird hibernation shelter. Its a kind of you pat my back thing because after all they do help us along by putting aphids at the top of their menu.
Did you know that out of the 46 species now found in Britain only 26 are recognisable as ladybirds, that's a strange one isn't it, because if it doesn't look like a ladybird then how did these people who write about them, first assume that they might be. Its like spotting a bug you have never seen before, deciding that its a woodlouse and then writing a paper on the many species of woodlice that don't look anything like them.
Anyway, John and I had read about these shelters in a magazine and we promised to make one each as soon as we had collected enough cardboard. He made his 3 weeks ago and then proceeded to remind me regularly that I hadn't done mine. Today it got to the point where you could not see the utility room because it was buried in cardboard and I was in danger of slapping John if he trotted out the fact that I hadn't done mine, so I set to work. Of course he sat opposite me and commented that I wasn't doing it right, but I smiled and did it his way, after all he was now an expert in such things, unlike me. I've put up a picture of mine, but not John's, Why? because mine is way better *grin*
Today's nature report was brought to you by The Elton Ladybird Appreciation Society, next week we'll be showing our support for ornamental koi carp by filling in the pond to prevent us from allowing the local heron to become obese.
P.S. If you are tempted to make one, hide it in some shrubbery because the little blighters like their privacy.
