There’s just something completely charming about ladybugs.
Even people who get uptight at the mention of the “b” word are often more than okay with these beautiful and benevolent little beetles.
That glossy red shell, those dainty polka dots …
Photo by Gilles San Martin from Namur, Belgium via Wikimedia Commons
Darling!
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that ladybugs are marvelous allies in the garden.
But, first things first …
How Did the Ladybug Get “Her” Name?
Legend has it that during the Middle Ages in Europe, a swarm of aphids fell upon fields of crops, leaving desperate farmers with little choice but to implore the Virgin Mary for help. And what do you know? Legions of tiny crimson beetles soon landed, as if descending straight from the heavens. They began devouring the aphids and saved the crops. In gratitude, the farmers named their fortuitous visitors “Our Lady’s Beetles.”
Divine Diversity
Over 450 species are native here in North America (who knew?), and they can sport a surprising array of outfits: orange, yellow, pink, gray—even brown or black.
Photo courtesy of Ladybug-life-cycle.com
Gardeners and Ladybugs: A Love Affair
Aphids are the bane of many a gardener, and as luck would have it, ladybugs are excellent aphid eaters, both in their larval and adult forms.
FYI, these are ladybugs at three different life stages:
Photo by Sebastian Ritter via Wikimedia Commons
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Kristina Smith!
Kristina Smith (kristina72, #5176) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Cross-stitch Merit Badge!
“This turned out great. I tried to cross-stitch as a child but didn’t have the patience to complete anything. I was looking through the Merit Badge lists and thought that this would be a good way to try again as well as have a gift item for the “Summer Surprise Swap” that I signed up for on the Farmgirl Connection site.”
You’ve probably heard Michael Pollan’s name popping up in the media again lately. The author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma (and many other books) has just released another must-read manifesto called Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation.
This is great news in itself, but I’m equally thrilled that this publication has swung the spotlight back in Michael’s direction.
This man has things to say worth hearing.
Michael Pollan has emerged as one of the world’s most eloquent and persuasive voices for food preservation.
Not “preservation” as in canning and dehydration … we’re talking the protection and long-term security of food as we know it—or, rather, as our ancestors knew it.
Lest we forget and begin believing that our daily bread originates in a factory where genetically finagled wheat is impregnated with pesticides, Michael Pollan is intent on buzzing in our ears and bringing our consciousness back down to the soil.
He’s sort of like a neatly shaven Lorax who speaks for our food.
Ace, our resident foodie photographer, let us know that our glamping trip to Lindsborg, Kansas, would be extra special for her. Her family members are Swedish-speaking Finns and, well, why don’t I just let her tell it?
Take it away, Ace!
Uff da! Where to begin? Lutefisk and köttbullar (Swedish meatballs) have been a Christmas tradition in my farmour’s (grandmother’s) house my whole life.
My farmour, Ingegerd, was born in Jakobstad, Finland, a Swedish-speaking border town in Finland. And my farfar (grandfather), Edwin, was raised by his Finnish immigrant parents in logging camps in northwest Washington.
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
