Nature Notes

[muninnhuginn]

We've seen several lone ladybirds over the last week or so, but today, alongside the Leper Chapel, we spotted* well over 50 in a space of about a foot by six inches.

---

* Ooops! Unintentional. Honest.

Comments

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

Ooo! What seemed to be attracting them, do you know?

[muninnhuginn]

I think the fact that it's the top of a sunny bank (the road's higher than the churchyard) by a busy road (adding to heat) with a good big patch of nettles and a wooden fence (don't they overwinter in cracks in fences?). There was one huge concentration, but along the full length of the fence there were weveral visible at any point we looked.

It was pretty amazing.

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

"British ladybirds over-winter as adults in relatively warm and dry places: cracks in bark, under leaf-litter, in garages or under window sills. " which sounds like it should include fences to me :-) I'm cultivating nettles at the 'wild end' of the garden, which is however relatively shady. I've seen three or four ladybirds (Coccinellids) in the garden so far. No red mason bees yet, however.