Fortune Plant (Dracaena fragrans)

Dracaena fragrans 'Masagaena' in bloom.

Dracaena fragrans is one of the most important houseplants in the United States because of its ability to tolerate low-light environments and low maintenance.  In the Philippines, it is grown both as an indoor or outdoor plant.

This plant is known by so many names and for different reasons. With its broad and elongated leaves that resemble that of corn (Zea maize), Dracaena fragrans is nick-named corn plant or cornstalk plant in this part of the world.  On the other hand, its botanical name indicates a significant olfactory characteristic - "fragrans".  This plant's ability to exude sweet odor outweighs all other characteristics that it is used to universally describe the species of the plant.  With such names we could say that this type of dracaena is a fragrant corn-looking plant.  However, in some countries it is called 'Fortune Plant'. There is a superstition that revolves not just in the Philippines but in the rest of Asia.  If the plant blooms in your care, then good fortunes will abound in the home.  The blooming time seems to be unpredictable that people associate it with the elusive incidence of good luck. :)

Dracaena fragrans is sometimes called Corn Plant.

For me, it is not uncommon to see this plant bloom. My mother had one that bloomed outside her front door year after year.  Everyone who came to our house after dusk knew it was in bloom even if they didn't see the flowers.  Here in my house (in California), there are three potted Dracaena fragrans - one of them is about eight feet tall and the other two are about six feet tall - all of which I've had for years now.  I purchased these plants at different sizes.  It has been my observation that only the mature plants - with a minimum trunk diameter of one inch- showed flowers.  However, not all plants with the same size of trunk bloomed.  One of my plants did not bloom this year even if it has larger trunk than the other two that bloomed.  Therefore, I have to come up with another theory -- that the plant has to be exposed to not one but a combination of critical factors prior to flower initiation. I think the plant blooms when they reach a certain age and accumulated experience.  How to quantify such variables remain unknown to me.  I'm sure there are scientific literature out there that explain this mystery.  But before I find them, I will enjoy the secret belief that my Dracaena fragrans is signaling the arrival of good fortune into my house.  :).
.

Dracaena fragrans line a village road in Cagayan,  Philippines.

Traditions, superstitions and beliefs determine the way cultures look at plants.  

Growing 'Woolly Rose'

Fig. 1    Woolly Rose (Echeveria cristata 'Doris Taylor') flowers

Every summer in my garden, the Echeveria cristata 'Woolly Rose' (a.k.a. Echeveria 'Doris Taylor') sends out colorful flowers that look like candies.  The rosette foliage of this plant is covered evenly with a thick mat of trichomes that gives it a velvety appearance - thus the name Woolly Rose.   Not only the plant is beautiful but it is also a source of nectar for the hummingbirds (Fig. 2).  Whenever my plants bloom, I move the ones that are in pots to a place where we can enjoy the view from the kitchen window.  

Fig. 2    When in bloom, Echeveria cristata is a hummingbird magnet.

Tips in Growing Woolly Rose 

1.  Soil.  Plant Woolly Rose in the garden where the soil is well drained.  Improve drainage of clay soils by adding sand or pumice in planting area.  In containers, use cactus mix for good drainage and weight.  Adding good amount of Perlite and sand to regular potting soil works as well.  

2.  Sunlight.  Woolly Rose is adaptable to a wide range of environments but the plant will look its best in the right place.  In the summer (Zone 9), position Woolly Rose where it will get a few hours of morning sun or a short period of afternoon sun.  Too much exposure to sunlight will result in washed out yellowish color of the leaves while too little sunlight gives relatively greener foliage and longer internodes.  The right amount of sunlight will give the plant a bluish green color and compact rosette foliage.  Contrary to popular belief, succulents thrive best in partly shaded environment.

3.  Water.  The plant can tolerate periods of dry conditions but they grow faster and look better if they get adequate water.  Adjust watering based on the weather.  Watering is needed more frequently in summer and spring time, when the soil dries up faster, than in the cooler months of fall and winter.  The size of container is also a factor to consider when it comes to watering.  Plants in smaller containers require more frequent watering than those in larger containers/

Fig. 3    Echeveria cristata planted along with some Aloes.

 4.  Fertilizer.  Woolly Rose performs better when it gets sufficient soil nutrients.  Although the plant does not need a lot of fertilizer, it is responsive to fertilization during growing season.  A low dose of complete fertilizer is all the plant needs.  Succulent/cactus fertilizers (2-7-7 and 1-7-6), available at local nurseries, are easy to use and can be applied as often as every other week.  

5.  Protection from Frost.  Woolly Rose is easy to grow - the only problem, especially where I live, is the susceptibility of the plant to frost damage.  In areas where freezing temperatures are expected, protect the plant by moving them to a sheltered area.  With a little bit of protection this plant will continue to provide a delightful touch in the succulent garden.

6.  Propagation.  The plant is easy to propagate through cuttings.  Stem cuttings collected under the lowest leaves are the fastest to root.  Collect and stick the cuttings where there is a little bit of moisture and warmth. Figure 3 shows Woolly Rose growing from the sides of an orchid plant. Cuttings were directly planted into the holes.  Some succulents can be easily propagated from the leaves but this is not the case with Woolly Rose.  

Fig. 4   Trichome-covered rosette foliage.

Note:  Extreme temperatures, drought, and nutritional deficiency are conditions that can cause stress to Woolly Rose - all of which can contribute in the loss of the basal leaves and exposing a dark brown stem (Fig. 4).   However, this is not necessarily alarming.  In fact, this is a natural process that gives that plant an aged look. 

Looking Back: Heavy Lessons on Thinning Young Fruits

Peaches in my garden - summer 2013 

Too much of anything is not a good thing.  There is balance to be observed between that which is beneficial and that which is permissible for a healthy life - plants included.   This year we were delighted to see a beautiful crop of peaches which is attributed to the absence of leaf curl infection.  The drier weather from late winter to early spring was not conducive for the proliferation of the pathogen Taphrina deformans.  In previous years, the tree would lose all its early leaves leaving the developing fruits to starve until the new set of healthy leaves come out.  Sometimes the fruits also get infected which results not only in low yield but poor quality crop.  

As the fruits grew larger under the summer sun, the problem slowly surfaced.  The slender stems laden with fruits began to hang straight downwards.  One of the larger branches was so heavy. I was afraid that it might break.  We had to prop it up with three pieces of 2x4x8 lumber.  I admit that my tree is not in its best form.  Pruning on this tree has been mainly for the purpose of making sure it does not arch into our neighbors' yard.  (I doubt they appreciate peaches falling into their swimming pool.)  This effort has led to the formation of a lop-sided tree.  It is a nice tree but it not strong enough to bear a heavy crop.  

   

A heavy fruit load can be detrimental to the tree.

Based on the situation described here, the problem that needed to be addressed is excessive fruits.
Under favorable growing conditions, such as what we had this year, fruit trees set more fruits than they can support adequately.  And this problem is magnified when trees have not been properly pruned in the previous season.  A heavy fruit load can result in branch breakage.  When there are too many fruits competing for carbohydrates, the fruits cannot reach their optimum size.  The tree also gets nutritionally deprived and weakened - making it more susceptible to pests and even sunburn damage.  Another possible effect of excessive fruits on trees is alternate bearing (the cycle in which the tree bears a heavy crop in one year and a skimpy or no yield in the next).  This phenomenon happens when the tree is nutritionally deprived while supporting its fruits - a situation that will continue to plague my tree until I will muster enough discipline to remove the excess fruits when they are young.  

Rule for fruit thinning:  Mature fruits should not be touching each other.

Peaches are among the fruit trees that require fruit thinning for best results - superior quality fruits are produced while maintaining a healthy tree.  As a general rule, allow room in between fruits so that at maturity fruits should not be touching each other.

Tomatoes in September

Fig. 1   Harvest ('Sun Gold' and 'Super Fantastic' -  September 18,2013)

Today my husband brought in these tomatoes from the garden.  They are still producing and the fruits are still sweet and juicy.  Here in our area, as long as we continue to tend to these indeterminate tomatoes, we can expect to have fresh tomatoes until early November or Thanksgiving depending on the weather.  

Fig. 2  Super Fantastic showing flower buds as of September 18, 2013

As seen on the growing tips of the indeterminate 'Super Fantastic' tomatoes (Fig 2) flowering continues even as we approach the end of summer.  In fact, they will continue to flower until the temperature gets too cold. (Determinate tomato varieties, on the other hand, will cease to flower in spite of favorable growing conditions.)  At some point however, even when the flowers set, low temperature will hinder the fruits from growing into reasonable-size tomatoes as they will also fail to ripen.  This is the reason for fried green-tomatoes in my kitchen.

Fig. 3  Beautiful fruit set

I also noticed some signs of tomato worm damage in the tips of the tomatoes.  Fortunately, because we have resident Blue Jays in the garden, the damage is not extensive at all.  

 How are your tomatoes doing this month?

Cyclamen Corolla: After Pollination

Fig. 1   Cyclamen flowers:  before and after pollination.

The cyclamen flower continues to amaze me.  In some of my previous blog posts, I described my observations on the movement of the petals (corolla) prior to fertilization and the eventual behavior of the seed head.  But the uniqueness of the plant has not ended there.  This beautiful plant is more mysterious than I originally thought. 

Fig. 2      Unfertilized flowers fade away.

 

Corolla of unfertilized flowers remains attached to the peduncle. 
It has been my recent observation that the corolla (petal) can fade away in two different manners depending on whether the flower is pollinated or not.  Firstly, flowers that have not been pollinated tend to senesce naturally while they remain attached to the peduncle.  The unpollinated flowers undergo a gradual decline of turgor resulting in wilting of the flowers (Fig.1).  This is then followed by a gradual discoloration of the corolla.  It is noteworthy that the corolla remains with the peduncle when pollination fails (Fig. 1).  The flower failed.

Fig. 3    After pollination flowers turn into seedheads. 

Pollination results in corolla abscission
Secondly, flowers that have been pollinated shed off their corolla shortly after fertilization has taken place (Fig. 2).  In other words pollination results in corolla abscission.  (Abscission is simply the natural separation of any plant part from the main plant system)  It has been established through research that there is a significant increase in ethylene levels on pollinated flowers as compared to the unpollinated ones.  Combine this thought with the common knowledge that ethylene causes abscission among others and we get an explanation for the abcission of the corolla in fertilized flowers.  The flower whose goal was to attract pollinator now enters a new stage - to support the developing embryo.  At this point, the corolla or petal has accomplished its purpose and is no longer necessary - it falls off the flower cleanly.

My "almost-scientific" personal opinion
When flowers begin to lose the flow of fluids and sugars from the main plant (Fig. 1) then how can one expect further production of plant hormones, such as ethylene, from these parts anymore?  So the idea that ethylene is the cause of corolla abscission is kind of counter-intuitive.  There are evidences that show the role of ethylene in the development of the embryo.  The separation of the corolla could be an incidental occurence as the sepals begin to push downward to enclose the recently fertilized ovary (Fig. 4).  In contrast, the unfertilized flower that has already lost its turgor (Fig. 2) no longer have the force to do anything - such as push the corolla off the flowers. 

Fig. 4   The sepal enclosing the fertilized ovary after pollination.

Every plant has a set of unique behaviors which the gardener, given enough time, eventually comes to notice and appreciate.

Haworthia reinwardtii: Discovering a Problem

Fig. 1    Haworthia reinwardtii

A year ago during our trip to Southern California, we visited some friends in Oxnard. They gave me this interesting plant (Haworthia reinwardtii) (Fig. 1) already with five offsets. I thought that I'd wait for it to grow some more before repotting. Flowers (Fig. 2) came out on long spindly spikes twice during that time. A few leaves grew on top of the neatly stacked arrangement - adding more height to the offsets. For plants like this, production means the appearance of new plants in the form of offsets. However, no new offsets appeared. The plant was moved to different places in the yard to compare how it would perform under different conditions. The plant grew minimally regardless of the location. 

 

Fig. 2  Flowers of Haworthia reinwardtii

Observations.  The color of the leaves (Fig. 3) changed with light intensity and soil moisture levels. When exposed to more sunlight the leaves turned reddish and when the plant was in the shade the leaves turned back to green.  The leaves also developed a yellowish tint when water was withheld for an extended period of time.  The lack of moisture generally slows down photosynthesis which consequently results in reduced chlorophyll production.

The leaves (Fig. 3) of this plant are very hard and crusty - they remind me of armadillos.

Fig. 3    Leaves

Shocking Observations. I've waited too long - I could not wait for a substantial growth to happen on this plant anymore. So I decided to do a deeper investigation into this potted plant. It was surprising to find out that the plant was growing in pure sand (Fig. 4). If there was any other material in the pot it was only a few dead roots. The poor plant was living in an almost inert material. It appears to me that whoever planted this plant was more concerned about drainage than nutrition. One thing became very obvious - the plant can withstand extremely poor soil conditions. However, for optimum growth, the essential elements have to be provided to the plant. This is probably the reason why the plant failed to multiply.

Fig. 4  Sand

Solution to Problem.  The plants were repotted into five individual plants.  New potting soil with considerable amount of organic matter was used.  They are currently being held under the shade of a tree while recovering from the transplant shock.

Expected Outcome.  In the new potting soil, it is expected that the plants will respond to the nutrients present in the soil.  New offsets might begin to appear at the base of each plant.  Dividing the plant allows more room to for each plant to grow. 

When plants are not growing normally it it likely that it is deprived of something - soil nutrients, water, sunlight, or air.

Nocturnal Flower: Lagenaria siceraria

Lagenaria siceraria with nocturnal flowers.

Problem.  As I have mentioned earlier, I planted a variety of bottle gourd in my yard last spring and have successfully raised it to reproductive phase.  Hooray!  Several flowers - both staminate and pistillate have been forming daily starting from an early stage.   However, only one fruit per plant has developed and matured so far.  Back in the olden days in my grandfather's garden, I remember seeing several of green gourds of various sizes hang on trellises.  Using small twig, I used to write my name or draw hearts on the gourds that I can reach.   What's wrong with my plants?  How come fruit setting is so poor with my own plants?   I have made observations that might explain the sparse fruiting in spite of the flowers.

Explanation. The Lagenaria siceraria bears flowers that open at night.   They start to open at about 6:00 pm and remain open till the next morning - when they get spent under the scorching sun. Consequently, pollination happens at night also.   The plant depends on a nocturnal insect to pollinate its flowers.  Hawk moth has been reported to pollinate gourds.  Although I have not made the observation myself, this idea makes sense as most species of moths are nocturnal (they are active at night).   But there's one problem - with our dry climate, there is a lower population of these night-time pollinators in the area.   My theory is that the problem is due to limited night-time pollinators. 

Solution.  When planting Lagenaria siceraria in the future I will also include planting more plants that open at night to attract night-time pollinators in my garden.   If my theory is right, then increased attractants should result in more fruits. 

 

Developed fruit

White Flowers attracts nocturnal pollinators.

Well developed Fruit:  Two feet + long

Developing fruit

Opened Flower - Picture taken at 8:00 pm

Open Staminate Flower:  Picture taken in the morning

 Staminate Flower

The Lagenaria siceraria  produces well in a tropical environment but not in the semi-arid conditions of my garden.  Sometimes we transfer an organism from one to another location and expect that it would behave similarly.   Unless we can simulate the conditions of the old place then we are just dreaming.  

Tendril

Aided by the air movement this tendril will soon touch the wire.

I have been closely monitoring the growth and behavior of the two bottle gourds (Lagenaria siceraria) plants in my garden because I'm curious as to how they would behave in this climate.  Although my growing-up years involved eating its fruits and playing under the shade of its broad leaves on overhead-trellises so far I have not grown it in my California garden.   Now I get to appreciate those plant characteristics that I took for granted in my younger days. 

Tendril is one of the special features of this plant that I came to appreciate.  Technically speaking, tendril is a modified plant organ.  Everyone knows that the basic plant has roots, stems, leaves, branches, fruits and flowers.  Depending on the nature or original habitat of the plant, one or more of these basic plant organs take on a modified form.  The bottle gourd is a plant of the tropics where the vegetation is dense that plants continually fight for a favorable position in relation to available sunlight.  Some plants which are not structurally equipped to stand tall have developed tendrils for support.  This is called adaptation.  One fictional example of this phenomenon is demonstrated in the movie "Waterworld" where Mariner (played by Kevin Costner) developed gills because his world was the water. 

Branched tendrils coil around slender wire...

The tendril is sensitive to contact - this is called thigmotropism.  Any solid object that comes in contact the tendril serves as a stimulus to the direction of its growth.  Tendrils tend to consistently follow a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.

The tendril of the bottle gourd (a cucurbita) could be a modified shoot.   It grows from the node where a leaf, flower and another branch normally appear.  The tendril being a shoot eventually breaks into lateral branches as demonstrated by more than one tendril coming one original growth from the node.

The tendril contracts spirally to strengthen its grip...

The springy tendrils brace the plant close to the solid support.

Have you any plants with tendrils growing in your garden?

Cymbidiums: Good Things are Happening

Transplanted pseudobulb with new shoots.

New Growths on Pseudobulb.  Pseudobulbs are the swollen orchid stems where leaves are attached to.  When the leaves die and abscise during the season, pseudobulb is not relieved of its function.   Leafless it may be it serves as a reservoir of water and nutrients for the plant.  The picture you see above is a product my one mistake.  I detached the pseudobulb from the plant and planted it to see if new plant comes out.   This is not recommended since it would deprive the rest of the plants from the good stuff stored in it.  

New growths showing up

My inexpensive potting mixture is working.  Last May I experimented on the potting mixture that I used to repot the orchids.  I observe that the plants seem to like it as indicated by the number of new pseudobulbs coming out.   Spike is the term used to refer to the inflorescence or the flowers in cymbidiums.  As a general rule, a spike comes out at the base of each new pseudobulb.  If these plants continue with their current growth trend then I can safely say that you and I can save a lot of money by making our own cymbidium potting mix.

Cooler spot.  Cymbidiums love the sunshine but the blazing summer light intensity is too much for these traditionally-understory plants to bear.  For now I have moved the orchids to a more shady part of the yard.   The good thing about potted plants is that the microclimate can be adjusted easily by moving them around.

A Hint of Summer

Solanum lycopersicum 'Better Boy'

For the first time this year an orange color was spotted among the tomato vines.  This is a very sure indicator that summer is fast approaching.  Soon the tomato plants will be studded with this color but for now I have to celebrate the first hint of summer.

Stroll in your garden and welcome the arrival of summer.

Bok Choy: A Fast Food

Bok Choy or pechay (Brassica rapa)

Some of pechay made their way to kitchen today.

Exactly one month from the time of sowing, the bok-choy in my garden is ready for harvesting.  If there is such thing as "fast food" in the garden, bok choy (a.k.a. pechay) is one of them.  

Bok Choy is a very common vegetable in the South East Asian countries. It is one of the most common vegetables grown in backyard gardens.  I grew up eating a lot of them. :)  For some reason (nostalgia) I seem to always buy a packet of seeds every year and sometimes I also forget to plant them.   I remember the first time I tried to plant this in my California garden.  It was summer and I was pleased to see the young plants emerge so quickly.  However, shortly after they put on their first pair of true-leaves they "bolted" (flower).  Bok Choy is a long-day plant - a lesson I had to learn.   

As of today the daylength in California is 14 hrs and 33 minutes.  So far no sign of bolting has been observed.  I wonder what the critical day length is for bok choy.

Japanese Maple

Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum 'Bloodgood')

Delicate Trees.  The Japanese maples are in their best appearance right now.  The leaves are still young and sharp in their color.  There is no better time to take their pictures than this time.  When the temperatures rise to remind us that we live in El Dorado Hills - meaning hot, the color of the leaves begin to take on a grayish tint and some of the leaves will be scorched.

 

Making Use of Volunteers.  Every year Japanese maple seedlings (baby plants) grow around the trees.  They are the seeds that had fallen there last year.  We call these plants "volunteers".  My daughter, Shannon, likes transplanting them into pots and she takes care of them.  She now has trees that are four feet tall in pots.  She started them from three-inch seedlings two years ago.  She is responsible in doing all the

necessary management practices (watering, fertilizing, staking and making sure that they are situated to get enough sunlight) with a little technical support from me.  This year, I noticed that there are a lot more seedlings around the trees compared to previous years.  Shannon is getting ready to transfer these volunteers into small pots.  Even if the seedlings are from the same parents, the genetic makeup of each little tree is different from the other.  Who knows someday she might be able to select one that is unique enough to deserve a name.

Hort Art - Pollarding

Pollarded tree at the Jardin du Luxembourg

During their recent trip to France my husband and my son took pictures of pollarded trees in the gardens of Paris.  Although they think that they went there at the wrong time because the plants are still bare, I personally think that it is the best time to see the distinguished architectural beauty of pollarded trees.  The appearance of newly polarded trees may exhibit an ignoble sight with their fresh cuts.  Those that have gone through years of this drastic pruning method, however, display an unparalled presence of endurance and persistence through their stubby and gnarled formation.

Pollarded tree at the Jardin du Luxembourg

Pollarding is the method of pruning where the top tree branches and stems are cut back drastically.   Pollarding starts with a maiden tree, a tree that has not been pollarded.  A pollarded tree is called a pollard.  Pollarding results in a flush growth of slender shoots and branches which needs to be removed annually.  The annual attempt of the tree to grow a scar tissue over the repeated cut, results in the formation of bulges at the ends of the branches. 

Pollarded trees at the Jardin du Plantes

Pollarding is very popular in France especially in urban gardens and parks (I noticed from the pictures).  This procedure controls the growth of the plants beyond their space allowances.  Pollarding reduces the canopy cover of trees which is important in maintaining the desired level of shade.  It increases the resistance of the trees to winds.  Root growth is regulated preventing them from being to invasive.

Rows of pollarded trees at the Jardin du Plantes

Rows of leafless tall pollards look stately in the spring.  In the summer I imagine evenly clipped trees that provide a continuous row of shade.  This are not common in California where we live...so I wonder how these tall trees are pruned and how much time, manpower, and Euros are spent in pruning them?   I guess whatever the cost of maintaining them that they are worth it.  

Volunteer mushrooms

Beautiful and healthy mushrooms were all over our neighbors' yard last month.  They were concentrated on the mulched areas of their garden.  This leads me to believe that spores were carried with the mulch.  For the gardener, mushrooms are not considered pest, they only grow when the soil is moist.   When the season change and the rainfall is less or down to nothing, mushrooms will not grow.  Having said so, some gardeners still find mushrooms on their lawns even in the spring or summer.  The reason for this has something to do with management practices and it is avoidable.   When an area in the yard is over-watered at a frequent interval, the soil remains moist providing a favorable growing media for mushrooms.   To solve the problem, irrigate deeply at lesser intervals.  It is alright to allow the soil to get close to dry before the next watering schedule. 

If you have small curious children in the home, teach them that some types of mushrooms are poisonous.  As a kid growing up in the Philippines, I played with all sorts of mushrooms (different shapes and colors) in the wild.  Since we never ate mushrooms raw, it was not inviting for a little girls to taste them.  There was one rule that my grandmother told me which I still remember and apply even up to this time:  Avoid all mushrooms with rings on their stem; they are poisonous.  However, this is not the only indicator that a mushroom is toxic or not.  MykoWeb provides an expansive reference about the different mushrooms in California. 

Question of Dormancy

Seed germinating inside a tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit

All these years I have believed that tomato seeds cannot germinate without being washed and dried first.  I was surprised to see "seedlings" inside this tomato...obviously this one did not make it into my salsa.   This occurrence was observed in half of the tomatoes in the tray that I bought from Costco.  It happened only once so far...but it definitely caused me to wonder.

I am not sure what variety of tomato this is.  It is a common knowledge that the tomato seeds are coated with growth inhibitors which keep them dormant.  Abscisic acid (ABA) inhibits growth and controls dormancy in most seeds.  Could it be that this particular variety of tomato has not enough ABA content to effectively impose dormancy?  

We also know that both producer and vendor have to make sure that their produce maintains good shelf appearance and eating quality.  Could it also be that this tomato has been subjected to excessive post harvest treatment that the ABA has been broken down before the produce reached the market? 

Either way, something went wrong.  I would not recommend having tomato sprouts in my salad or in my sandwiches.  Neither would you.  Although some sprouts (such as broccoli, alfalfa, mungbean, etc.) are considered nutritious, tomato, being in the night-shade family (Solanum), should never be considered as such.  Unless it can be proven that the toxic substance in the leaves are processed only upon exposure to direct light.

Seven-spotted Lady Beetle

Lady Beetle (Coccinella septempunctata) on Flat-Leaf Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)

This seven-spotted lady beetle (ladybug or ladybird beetle) has been spotted in my yard.  Fortunately, this lady is a gardener's friends. Scientifically it is called the Coccinella septempunctata.   Being a predatory insect, the C. septempunctata plays an important role in the biological control of aphids.  Both the adult and the larvae feed voraciously on aphids.  Adults hibernate or overwinter in protected areas.  In the spring when temperatures get warmer, they come out and feed on aphids before they lay eggs.  The females can lay up to 1000 eggs within a three month beginning in spring.  The females are very strategic in their choice of a place to lay their eggs.  They prefer areas with a high insect population such as in gardens, fields and tree canopies. 

Close-up on the Lady

The C. septempunctata is commonly identified by the seven black spots on the bright red elitra (singular elytron: are the tough fore wings of beetles and earwigs).  It undergoes a complete metamorphosis.  This means that it has to undergo four stages of change to complete its life cycle:  Egg; Larvae; Pupa; Adult. 

Although most ladybugs are beneficial to plants, some of them are considered pests.  In a future post I will name those bugs and describe why they are not so "lady-like."