Ladybugs, Part Deux: Attack of the Red, Fanged Beetles

So the great ladybug release went off without a hitch. Well, aside from one small detail: M is apparently terrified of ladybugs. She watched from inside the house as I opened the container and released them. This was not quite the Earth Day experience I'd hoped for.

Truth be told, I had completely forgotten last summer's "incident." M and my mom were in the backyard when a ladybug suddenly landed on her arm and, as she reminded me several times this evening, bit her. (For those of you remotely familiar with ladybugs, I suspect you will, like I did, doubt the veracity of M's story. I've never heard of a ladybug biting anyone. I stand corrected).

In summary, when I think of a ladybug, this is the mental image I have:

When M thinks of a ladybug, she pictures something a little more, uh, sinister:

To top things off, I just discovered releasing ladybugs into my garden is actually not very earth-friendly at all. Sheesh! Next year, I think I'll just buy some CFLs and call it a day.

PS the ladybugs are doing fine (see below):