When J was a baby, she ate a ladybug. It was crawling innocently amongst the grass, and I thought she’d be interested so I pointed it out. She took a curious look, then faster than I could react she picked it up and stuffed it in her mouth. My sister in law still rates it as the funniest thing she’s ever seen.
Yesterday I found this crazy ladybug on my lime tree. It was so shiny I could see my own reflection* in it.
Brief googling tells me that this is a steelblue ladybug Halmus chalybeus. It apparently eats scale, so I decided he could stay there. If he ended up being one of those nasty plant-eating ladybugs, I might have been forced to give him to J. I’m pretty sure that she wouldn’t have eaten him nowadays. She’s the master of excuses as to why she can’t eat anything at all.
Nowadays I think she’d just love it to death.
*Go on – click on the picture for the large version – you can see my reflection!
500m2 in Sydney 
Awwww it is very shiny and very gorgeous! That story of J is very funny. I need some ladybugs in my garden!!
The internet has scarred me… first though when I clicked on the image was of the ebay kettle from a few years ago.
Beautiful photo to go with the beautiful story. Might have to borrow J next time the we have a harlequin bugs infestation. 🙂
WOW! That is the most gorgeous ladybug I have ever seen. I never even knew there could be mirrored ladybugs at all. Thanks for the education.
And God made us so we crawled around on the ground for ages sticking heaps of icky things in our mouths for a reason – we need to build up our immune system! I’m not entirely sure what disease eating a ladybug would help prevent, but, hey, it’s a good theory! LOL