ladybird

/ ˈleɪdɪˌbɜːd /

noun

any of various small brightly coloured beetles of the family Coccinellidae, such as Adalia bipunctata ( two-spotted ladybird ), which has red elytra marked with black spots Usual US and Canadian nameladybug

C18: named after Our Lady, the Virgin Mary

But then the biggest danger we faced was tripping over the occasional turtle that clambered out of Ladybird Lake.

Most important of these is the natural enemy of the orange-tree scale, the ladybug, or ladybird beetle.

A ladybird beetle, which has also been imported, is the most effective agent in keeping this pest in check.

Perhaps this is heightened by the contrast between the pretty, trim form of the ladybird and the ugliness of the assassin bug.

A Prussian ladybird rhyme also mentions the boat that sailed across heaven.

It may linger still in the "beeship" of our rhymes, and in the "Khnchen" of the corresponding German ladybird rhyme.

April 22, 2024steadfast

[sted-fast]

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