I noticed our one cat last night sitting downstairs in the hunched over in the "There's something moving on the floor" position. I look and see this dark speck. I figured it was some sort of spider she'd found, or at the remotest chance, a little carpet beetle. It was a beetle all right--but a ladybug!! I wondered if she'd found it somewhere, if it was dead. She was going to bat it and I kind of pushed her away and scooped the ladybug onto a piece of paper. It looked dead. I then brought it to my kids and dh and started saying that I think it might be dead when it started moving its legs. We put it in a jar in amazement that we'd have a ladybug in our house in January--especially since where I live, we usually have snow by the end of October, which means no ladybugs from the until next summer.
It was still alive this morning and it was only then that I thought to see what we could do to keep it alive. It apparently needs moisture of some sort to drink--one site said moist paper towel works--and something sweetish to eat, like raisins. I don't have raisins in the house, but I do have some Fruit-to-Go's, so I figured that'd be the closest thing.
The poor ladybug must have been really wanting to drink! It went to the wet paper towel immediately and we could see it with its mouth against the towel. It was so neat to watch. It had spent so long trying to find a way to escape, but once it had its drink, it settled down to 'sleep', we think.
So now we have 3 containers in our "extra" bedroom: one with a... shoot, the name escapes me at the moment--one of those fuzzy yellow-and-black caterpillars (yes, there are many kinds, but I think we only have one kind here) that pupated INSIDE its fuzzy casing (sooo fascinating) and another container with another caterpillar that pupated, but I'm afraid it may be dead. I don't think it was a kind that winters over and should have come out as a moth in August or Sept.
If we weren't eyeing to have dd move into that room this summer so she can have her own room, I think I'd turn it into some sort of zoology room. :)
3 comments:
What fun and what an experience! Totally odd that the ladybug would be out and about in this weather; mind you, I'm sure your home is warmer than it is outside... Now we'll know what to do should a ladybug show up, quite unexpectedly, in our house in mid-January :) makes me wish one would...
My question is--where has it been all this time? Do we have eggs somewhere and it was a larva? Or do they live this long if they get into the house in time? If so, what has it been eating???
Of course, I was pretty impressed that one of the first things my 7yo did was to identify which kind of ladybug it is: a two-spotted ladybug. :) Thank you, John Acorn! :D
Thats so funny - Abigail found one in her bedroom just before Christms too....maybe thats a good sign - maybe this winter will continue to be warm and end quickly :)
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