Helpful Bugs and Beasties in the Garden

While we were digging up the kumara today we saw this ladybird, and noticed it was eating the little white bugs on the leaves of the kale. Whaea Clare explained that the ladybird – which is obviously not a bird at all, and in some other countries is more accurately known as the ‘ladybug’ – is an amazing friend for gardeners. It eats aphids and the eggs of the cabbage white butterfly, both of which can do a lot of damage to our vege plants. Having ladybirds in the garden means we don’t have to use chemicals to control these pests.

We also found these worms – once upon a time we might have been grossed out to see a wriggly, slimy worm, but we are far too experienced as gardeners to react like that these days. Today we were so happy to find them, as they tell us our soil is healthy. The worms create air and water tunnels in the ground for us, which aerates the soil, and also feed the soil and plants with their poo.