(43-234) The Truth About Ladybugs

I am a fan of ladybugs.  Although I shudder at the sight of an ant; and I detest insects in general, whenever I see a ladybug ~ I smile.  I find there to be something very sweet and hopeful about ladybugs which may be why I often refer to my daughters as "ladybugs," instead of just saying ladies.
I think they're cute, and cheery; just like my girls.  In fact, my friend Dawn has heard me refer to Lyndzi and Kelsie as "ladybugs" a number of times; and as part of my birthday present last year, she chose a little ladybug charm for the Brighton key chain that she gave me.

One day when we were in California visiting my cousin, Jackie; we went to a beach and saw a remarkable number of ladybugs there.  Jackie had made a comment about the male vs female ladybug; and as embarrassed as I am to admit it; I honestly NEVER thought about there being a male ladybug.  It took me all of 2 seconds to realize that ladybugs wouldn't be able to reproduce if their were no males; so I realized that she was absolutely right; and that I was pretty much a moron.  Shortly thereafter, I heard somewhere that ladybugs are Hermaphrodites; and I felt slightly better about my misconception.

So, yesterday I was driving and a ladybug landed on my windshield, and I remembered this whole scenario about Jackie and the ladybugs at the beach; and I decided that's what I would blog about.   Given everything that happened with our camping fiasco yesterday I knew that I had to put the ladybugs on hold; BUT, I've now researched it (yes, researched;) and the truth about ladybugs is, they are NOT Hermaphrodites.  There are indeed both male and female ladybugs; although they're insects; and not true bugs according to scientists.  Another myth about ladybugs is that you can tell their age by the number of spots that they have... not so.

Now if this was another kinda blog; I could go on and on about the Etymology, Biology, Habitat and life cycle of the ladybug; but y'all know I have NO interest in doing that; and I think it's safe to assume that you don't read "The Bumpy Ride" for that kinda information.

I'm just keepin it light and simple today.  So ladybugs and gentlemen; 
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING