CABINET OF CURIOSITIES

  It's now a 14 years since I first saw a harlequin ladybird in Country Durham, and a decade since I first found one in Teesdale. Yeste...

 Every year in late spring the blackcurrant bushes in my garden are plagued by aphids that multiply unnoticed under the leaves, until they b...

It's been a good year for ladybirds in our garden - here's a selection of the species that have visited so far: ...

Thursday's Guardian Country Diary describes encounters with ladybirds in Weardale and Teesdale. Back in the spring it seemed as th...

We found this tiny 22-spot ladybird on a dead hogweed stem in Teesdale a couple of days ago.  Teesdale is close to the  northern limit...

Several bloggers, including Caroline Gill at Wild and Wonderful , have remarked on the shortage of ladybirds earlier in the year. We had a ...