Ladybug invasion

I am sure you've noticed it's been a little quiet in this space. Like a month of quiet.

I am sure there is a reason for it, but I am not really sure why. I know I wasn't feeling like me. I was feeling overwhelmed with life. Maybe it was the end of a busy term and busy start of the year. I am feeling much better with myself. Drinking less, eating better and even exercising!

Our school holidays started off slow. Sleep ins and pyjama days, just the way I like it. There was slime making, a lot of slime making.  

There was also drives to see things we had not seen all together before.

Our region has a huge forest industry, in particular pine forests. Brett works in this industry, as a truck driver, carting pine chips from the forest to local mills. He came across the lady bugs on this stretch of road as he was working out of nearby forest at Wandilo near Mount Gambier.

Lady bugs were introduced to combat the aphids that were feeding on the pine trees. Every year for around two weeks, the lady bugs swarm and cluster like this. 

They also swarm like this near Mt Burr, just down the road from us, but this is the first time I had EVER seen it! It was amazing, and I could hardly believe what I was seeing. The kids were amazed too at how many there were. We ended up with lady birds in our hair, on our shoes, all over us! Summer thought it was so awesome that she didn't brush them off when she got in the car and we had ladybugs everywhere in the car too!

At the bottom of the stobie poles, the lady bugs were 15 - 20 centrimetres deep and they were right up to the top of the stobies. I had never seen anything like it!

Did you know they symbolise prosperity and luck?

A group of ladybugs or otherwise commonly known as ladybirds, is called a 'loveliness'.

Ladybird, ladybird,

Fly away home,

Your house is on fire

And your children all gone;

All except one

And that's little Ann,

And she has crept under

The warming pan.

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