Love bugs!

Last year in May, for Ian's 2ND birthday we bought him a ladybug habitat.  Like half the things we get for the boys, we took and put it on a shelf and forgot about it till December.

I should have thunk twice and waited till Spring before ordering the ladybug larvae; they arrived in the mail the same morning a big snow storm hit and all but 3 of them froze to death.  Poor things.

Anyhow, we took the remaining 3 ladybugs and introduced them to their new ladybug habitat.  Over time, they transformed from ugly little alligator like larvae into red polka dotted  ladybugs! It was REALLY fascinating to watch the change happen; it was kind of like watching my own personal Discovery Channel show.  The care instructions that came with the  ladybug kit said that the  ladybugs would only live for 3-4 weeks but 2 of the 3 are STILL holding strong...we've decided they're IMMORTAL and immoral, they're always stuck to each other if you know what I mean...

They've survived freezing temperatures, mold (yes it's grown once or twice next to their water), a few dozen earthquakes (the boys shake them in their habitat every now and then) and droughts (occasionally I'll forget to give them water).  Who knew that ladybugs were such troopers?!