these ones arn't native ro my area but they're not invasive. i've released them the past three years and they're chill. you can end up with a bag of the orangish fake ladybug if you go for the cheapest option on amazon though.
meh
joined 1 week ago
urban deadzone with chemically sterilized turf lawns. five years ago ants, aphids and box-elder were the only insect in the yard. i've set up a couple rain water ponds and planted large sections of native flowers over the past couple years. insect diversity has drastically improved, i spotted half a dozen bumblebee queens zig zagging the yard this spring. set up long piles of last seasons plant cuttings for overwintering.
lady bugs are fantastic little murder machines.
edit: lady bugs being released to do murder. alt text doesnt seem to have loaded correctly when posted.
i'd stopped believing i was allowed comfort. the past few years i've been fixing that. i own 8 copies of the same pants, shirt, hoodie, etc so everything is a texture and fit im ok with. if i want to sit silently in a room for 4 hours, im doint it and not responding to any questions about it. my social life is down to the few people who are happy with intermittent text based communication. i'll hang out socially and do the talking out loud thing maybe once every three months. anyone other than my kid who wants more from me better be paying a salary.
at least half will just fly off. i do 3000 when the milkweed is about a foot tall. and the aphid population has become managble the past couple years. since i moved in 4 of the closest 6 houses have changed hands and all those new neighbors are gardeners. so if the bugs fly off and eat the aphids next door i'm ok with it.