La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
LATE YESTERDAY EVENING WHILE I took a stretch break from my work on San Geraldo’s book photos (I’ve completed 230 of the 470), I looked toward the sea and realized it was raining. That in itself is always exciting for me, so I grabbed my camera and went out to the terrace.
As I was opening the corner window of the glass curtain, I saw a rainbow. I arrived just in time because the sky quickly began to brighten and the rainbow to disappear. As I closed the window, I noticed a bit of broken stucco on the ledge, oh crud) and then spotted two ladybugs (lady bird [beetles] in the UK).
There are many varieties in the “coccineallidae” family. The ones I saw appear to be coccinella septempunctata, the seven-spotted ladybug. I think they’re also known as coccinella magnifica. No, I didn’t know the scientific name until I looked it up last night. But it’s very catchy, don’t you think? (Yes, I do sometimes drive San Geraldo crazy.) They’re also known as C-7, but that would be a shame.
Each ladybug can eat 50 aphids a day. I was tempted to move them onto the terrace, but I haven’t seen any aphids lately. Besides the cats would go insane. No coccinella septempunctata would stand a chance.
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AYER POR LA TARDE MIENTRAS tomé un descanso de mi trabajo en las fotos del libro de San Geraldo (he completado 230 de las 470), miré hacia el mar y me di cuenta de que estaba lloviendo. Eso en sí mismo siempre es emocionante para mí, así que agarré mi cámara y salí a la terraza.
Mientras abría la ventana de la esquina de la cortina de vidrio, vi un arco iris. Llegué justo a tiempo porque el cielo rápidamente comenzó a iluminarse y el arco iris a desaparecer. Cuando cerré la ventana, noté un poco de estuco roto en la repisa, oh mierda) y luego vi dos mariquitas [ladybug en el EEUU; ladybird en el Reino Unido].
Hay muchas variedades en la familia “coccineallidae”. Las que vi parecen ser coccinella magnifica, la mariquita de siete manchas, también conocida como coccinella septempunctata. No, no sabía el nombre científico hasta que lo busqué anoche. Pero es muy pegadizo, ¿no crees? (Sí, a veces vuelvo loco a San Geraldo). También se les conoce como C-7, pero sería una lástima.
Cada mariquita puede comer 50 pulgones al día. Estuve tentado de llevarlos a la terraza, pero últimamente no he visto pulgones. Además, los gatos se volverían locos. Ninguna coccinella septempunctata sobreviviría por mucho tiempo.
• El viernes por la mañana antes de nuestro viaje a Marbella.
Caught that rainbow just in time.
Can’t wait to see some Lady Bugs here.
Jim:
Ladybugs are so welcome!
Nice rainbow, especially with that pinkish sky! Our ladybugs are not out and about yet. At least, I haven’t seen any.
Steve:
The sunset colors have been pastel recently. I’m glad I was able to catch that. The holiday weekend (int’l workers day) has brought a lot of people to the beach. And the weather is perfect for them (which means I’m staying home).
taste the rainbow (skittles)!
anne marie:
I had never had Skittles until 2004. One of our [younger] cousins in Norway adored them. We went for Christmas, but beforehand we went to Costco and bought her a case. She was in heaven… and she still has all her teeth.
Isn’t research fun, and you didn’t have to take the bugs into the library and say, help me figure out what these are, that would drive a Saint a little crazy.
David:
SG LOVES research and is worse (better) than I about wondering about everything … and looking it all up. Where I drive him crazy (well, one way) is with my obsession with the sound of words and my play with them. I could go on for days.
Oh, if you and J ever get in sync on this, the world will explode.
David:
We would have SO much fun!
Gorgeous rainbow!
Bob:
And perfect timing. Two minutes later, I would have missed it completely.
I wonder if those lady bugs overwintered under the broken stucco. Every spring in Minnesota, our house was invaded by non-native lady bugs. I think they were originally imported to control aphids on soybeans and decided they liked living and breeding in MN. Anyway, they were prolific and could find their way inside even the tightest window screen. And those suckers could bite! They were (and I suppose still are, we are just not there to see them.) a little more orange in color than the native lady bugs.
Such beautiful light in your photos – the golds and pinks and moody blues.
Wilma:
The stucco broke in recent weeks during some heavy rain, I think. I’m at that corner all the time taking pictures. A long, long time ago, SG bought a bag of ladybugs at a garden center to have at the aphids on his indoor geraniums (yeah, indoor). He then went on vacation and didn’t think to tell his roommate who was taking care of all his plants. When he got home, his roommate very proudly told him there was an infestation of ladybugs on his plants but he took care of them. He bought poison spray at the garden shop and sprayed the hell out of them.
Nice shot of that rainbow! I have always loved ladybugs. Such beautiful and gentle insects.
Debra:
I love them, too, although they CAN bite.
I love Lady bugs. They always make me happy.
We had terrible high winds yesterday. The Asian neighbors my mother has, even had a whole tree come down and it unfortunately took out their chicken coop. Only one chicken survived. It’s been a day of clean up here.
Mistress Borghese:
These ladybugs made me smile, too. Dudo and Moose would be delighted. What a shame about your mother’s neighbors’ chickens. It was calm here yesterday and the winds suddenly whipped up, even blowing down a wall of construction fencing. And then all was calm.
Ladybugs are lucky omens, especially if they land on you! If you have the patio space, why not design and paint a “Ladybug Labyrinth” to keep Los Gatos occupied and out of SG’s office chair?
Tundra Bunny:
NOTHING would keep the cats completely occupied nor out of SG’s office chair. The more we give them, the more they take. (But a ladybug labyrinth does sound like a lot of fun.)
Such beautiful photos.
Carole:
The location makes it so easy.
Some great photos.
Of late, I’ve seen some Ladybug-birds on the pansies on my deck. At least they weren’t eating my deck.
Mary:
Are ladybugs/birds known for eating decks? Great that they were saving your pansies!
You’re a good human to keep the coccinella septempunctata away from the felines.
Magnificent photos, Mitchell.
Be and stay well.
Robyn:
I’ve always had a softspot for coccinella septempunctata. It was my motto for a while, but oddly SAVE THE COCCINELLA SEPTEMPUNCTATA never caught on.