As we "green" our environment, let us not overlook one of nature's best little helpers...the Ladybug!

"Following are a few facts you may not know about this small insect and how it helps gardeners by consuming huge numbers of plant-eating pests.

. There are nearly 5,000 different kinds of Ladybugs worldwide and 400
live in North America.
. A female Ladybug will lay more than 1,000 eggs in her lifetime.
. A Ladybug beats its wings 85 times a second when it flies.
. Aphids are a Ladybugs favorite food.
. Ladybugs make a chemical that smells and tastes terrible so that
birds and other predators don't eat them.
. If you squeeze a Ladybug, it will bite you but the bite is harmless
and painless.
. The spots on a Ladybug will fade when it gets older.
. During hibernation, Ladybugs will feed on their stored fat.
. Ladybugs won't fly if the temperature is below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
. The Ladybug is the official state insect of Delaware, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Ohio and Tennessee.
. The male Ladybug is usually smaller than the female Ladybug."
(Source: Gardening Zone)

As the real estate industry goes green, don't forget that protecting the environment is part of the plan...even the little Ladybug can play a small, but important, role! Remembering to introduce this fascinating, plant-eating insect to the garden will be both beneficial and environmentally correct as it preys on aphids (plant lice), mealybugs, spider mites and other destructive insects in a natural, chemical-free way just as nature intended.