Ladybugs
You may think ladybugs are just cute
little insects, but they are actually very
helpful. Ladybugs help farmers and
gardeners by eating aphids off their plants.
There is lots to learn about these valuable
creatures.
A ladybug’s life cycle begins with an
egg. Within a week or a month the bug
hatches, and then it’s a larva. Before the
larva starts eating aphids it eats it’s
eggshell. Once the larva is fully grown it
attaches to a plant or goes underground to
develop a hard shell. Once it grows a hard
shell it’s a pupa. The pupa does not move
or eat, but inside it’s changing. It crawls out
and now it’s an adult.
Ladybugs will eat aphids and most plant
eaters. A lot of people think ladybugs
ONLY eat plant eaters, but some eat plants.
The squash beetle and Mexican bean
beetle are ladybugs that eat plants, and
these ones are considered pests.
Ladybugs live on different types of
plants and trees and anywhere aphids are.
They also live in most temperate areas.
Believe it or not, ladybugs hibernate.
Ladybugs cluster together either on a twig
or under tree bark and go into a deep
sleep. During hibernation is the best time for
people to take and buy them, this is where
the gardeners come in.
Gardeners use ladybugs to keep their
plants healthy. Ladybugs devour all the
eaters of plants and crops. Once all the
plant eaters are gone the plants are
healthy again. So long aphids! Gardeners
and farmers told children if you killed a
ladybug you would have bad luck, so
people say lady bugs are good luck.
Though it was a superstition just to protect
the small creatures, it seems to be true.
Ladybugs are good luck, help farmers, and
are just plain cute.
Sources:
‘Ladybug’
www.animals.nationalgeographic.com/ani
mals/bugs/ladybug
‘Why are ladybugs considered good luck?’
www.animals.mom.me
Allen, Judy. Are You a Ladybug?
Kingfisher, New York. 2000.
Taylor, Barbara, Green, Dr. Jen, Farndon,
John. The Big Bug Book.
Worldwide Publications Group. 2007.
Why I Love St. Augustine
One of my favorite places to visit is St.
Augustine. St. Augustine is an hour and a half
from my house and on the east coast of Florida.
I have been going ever since I was a baby. My
grandparents own a condo in St. Augustine,
and sometimes while we’re visiting we go to the
historic city.
While we’re there we shop and eat and visit
places. You can see many beaches, historical
monuments, and museums. A few places I’ve
been are the Old School House, Potters Wax
Museum, the Lighthouse, Fort Matanzas, and
Castillo de San Marcos. Also, lots of people
come for tours. They have a normal tour and a
ghost tour. The ghost tour drives around the city
while a tour guide tells ghost tales and stops at
places that are claimed to be haunted, such as
the lighthouse and the old jail. Many people
also come to see the beautiful lights at night
and around Christmas.
My favorite places to eat are Hyppo Pop,
The Bunnery, and The Spanish Bakery. Hyppo
Pop popsicles taste sweet and scrumptious! I
especially like them because they’re organic.
My favorite is the strawberry pop because it
tastes like a bunch of frozen strawberries
mashed together unlike a store-bought
artificially flavored one. The Bunnery’s pastries
are heavenly, one bite and your life changes.
My favorite is the raspberry crumble bar
because it has the texture of shortbread with
sweet and tart raspberry jam on top, then
sprinkled with sugary butter bits. I also like the
Spanish Bakery. I LOVE the chicken empanadas
which is the only way I’ll eat olives. I like them
because they’re savory hand pies full of spices,
packed with chicken, and scattered with
veggies. Doesn’t that sound delicious?
When I’m in St. Augustine I especially like to
shop. I enjoyed shopping at Casa Rodriguez. I
bought a small blue jewelry box decorated with
a tree covered with birds and flowers. Also,
unlike going to a mall most of the shops have
hand made things and unique things. For
example, one shop has mannequins that have
masks on that look like horses or birds. It’s pretty
funny. It’s fascinating that when you walk on
the streets you’re standing on something that’s
been there since the 1700s.
I like St. Augustine for many reasons. Even
though I’ve been going for a long time I love it
and it never gets old. There is always a new
sight to see, a new taste to savor, and a new
smell to sniff. I also like the thing that never
changes, the condo. I like that it always feels
home.