Glorious Greenfly

When I first started the balcony garden I was horrified with bugs. Horrified. I squished and squashed, I washed away, I bought a biological control. And none of it worked. I had greenfly, I still get greenfly. I might have even made the problem worse. Now the greenfly come. I let them. I wash them off anything I'm about to eat and occasionally get freaked out by the entire 'born pregnant' thing but I generally let them live. The good thing about nature is that eventually the predator with catch up with the prey. And then I get ladybirds.

Love Hate: the greenfly

Last year we had ladybirds hiding all over the balcony. And I love ladybirds. They are red (except for when they are not) and cheery and wonderful, they fly, and they have spots. I love spotty animals, I will constantly argue how One Hundred and One Dalmatians is one of the most fabulous films. I really love ladybirds.

Ladybirds hide on the balcony, a reconstruction

And if you want ladybirds there has to be something for them to eat. I can oblige with my greenfly. That's why we had a nursery of ladybird larvae last year. We were hoping they would return and breed again and we did spot an adult earlier in the year. This weekend we finally spotted a baby crawling on our thyme. 

When I grow up I want to be a ladybird