The Ladybug & Perspective

Today's post is about an unassuming and gentle little creature called a ladybug.  As I began researching the ladybug, I wasn't quite sure which direction this message would take me.  They are such a sign of spring, they add to nature's environment of color after the gray of winter days. The ladybug has led me on quite an adventure in discovery.   For the most part, I try to avoid insects of any kind that creep and crawl and fly and bite!  Insects are not the most appealing of God's creation (in my eye) but each must have a purpose in His design.  However, I have no trouble allowing a tiny insect such as the ladybug to crawl up my arm before it decides to fly into blades of grass or a small plant nearby.  I don't even get hysterical when I see such an insect making friends with my grandson.  

 To begin with, a little trivia about this fascinating little red beetle.....
- In many cultures, ladybugs are considered good luck. Most people like them because they are pretty, graceful, and harmless to humans. But farmers love them because they eat aphids and other plant-eating pests. One ladybug can eat up to 5,000 insects in its lifetime!
-  They come in many different colors and patterns, but the most familiar in North America is the seven spotted lady bug, with its shiny, red-and-black body.   
-  They have sticky feet which helps them to climb and crawl upside down on a leaf without falling off.
-  They can fly about 15 miles per hour.  That is much slower than other insects, some such as dragonfiles can fly 60 miles per hour.   Footnote by me:   I wonder how they figure that out!
 - The lady bug is the official insect of at least six U.S. states... Delaware, Ohio, Massachusetts, Tennessee, New Hampshire and New York.
-  In Germany, these insects go by the name Marienkafer, which means Mary beetles. Another fact is that Ladybugs are known as LadyBirds in Britain, Australia, and South Africa.

The Legend of the Lady Bug and how it was named:
Stories vary about how this legend began. The most popular began in Europe during the Middle Ages when swarms of insects were destroying the crops. The farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help. Soon thereafter the Ladybugs came, devouring the plant-destroying insects and saving the crops. The farmers called these beautiful insects 'The Beetles of Our Lady' which over time became 'Lady Beetles' or 'Lady Bugs'. The red wings were said to represent Mary's cloak and the black spots were symbolic of both her joys and her sorrows.  So, next time you see a lady bug, think of all the good this little critter does and of Our Lady, who it was named after.

Along with ladybugs, comes the dandelions which are in full bloom in the yard and places in the fields.  I have a whole new appreciation regarding the dandelion, which I will share with you in the near future.  They are so much more than an obnoxious weed that pops out in the lawn.   

The following lyrics contain a thought which is worth pondering on.  We do all see in part; we see out of our own perspective, out of our own experience.   Using the ladybug as an analogy, I think of this little insect that can walk on top of a leaf and views life around its little beetle self.  Then it can crawl upside down on the bottom of the leaf and whoa!... there is a whole new world to take in.  As a collective people and as individuals, we can enlighten one another in sharing the parts that we do see and even change our own perspective in the process.  Both can bring about fuller understanding in the view of life's circumstance.  And no matter where you turn, God is in the equation.

Everybody sees a part

Of what this life can really be,

No one sees like you can see

When you let your mind flow free.

The wind is blowing through the trees,

A song that everyone can learn

And God is playing hide-and-seek

Every where you turn

Lady Bug

Don't disturb the Lady Bug

Sleeping by the spider's web

And if you see a butterfly,

Don't try to catch it in your net

It's taken such a long, long time

To make this a very special place,

Open up your soul and mind

To all it has to say.

Be still, Take it in a while,

Feel the sunshine warm upon your face,

You'll feel when it makes you smile

Like you're welcomed to the human race.

This beautiful video was created by zjmn58, aka - Anne Murray Music Fan.  The song is called 'Lady Bug' by Anne Murray and written by James Stein.  zjmn58 used own photography.
You can also view at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaLF03JNEEY

 Meet you next Monday at The Turn-Up Patch and let's find out what "turns-up"!