It is the time of ladybugs, or ladybirds for some. Every window and glass pane in a door had at least two ladybugs walking or snoozing around. I don’t mind them, I could even leave them all Winter. But, they leave a mess, coloured spots which are difficult to clean off your doors, windows and window frames. (I will let you guess what the orange spots are).
So, this afternoon, when I should have been writing, I got out the little portable vacuum and I sucked up every last ladybug I could find. I sucked half a dozen from one of the bigger windows by the plant jungle. Some of those ladybugs were kind of stubborn. I had to wiggle the mouth of the vacuum around and knock them loose. Finally, I had them all contained. I could see them inside the canister of the vacuum. Some were looking for new nooks and crannies to hide in. Some were undoubtedly looking for the exit and some were just shocked and amazed that I had done such a thing. No doubt they expected me to ignore them as I did last year.
Next, I took the portable vacuum outside and knocked all the ladybugs out of it. Some flew away as soon as I took off the lid. Some were stubborn, there was only one fatality however. Not a tragedy, just more garden compost.
The surprising thing was the stubbornest ladybug of all. I didn’t even know she was there. After I came back in the house, reassembled the vacuum, went upstairs to put it away and then came back down to cook lunch and then began eating several minutes later – that last stubborn ladybug flew off my pant leg, back up to the nearest window!