An Evil Ladybird

I've just been out watering dahlias. The anticipated and much-discussed "heat dome," whatever that is, hasn't hit us yet -- but when it comes, I want the plants to be hydrated and ready! Tomorrow is expected to be the first of three really hot days, Wednesday being the scorcher with temperatures up to 99º F (or 37.2º C).

I found this little ladybug on the "Poodle Skirt" dahlia. It's kind of an unusual one. Here's a close-up:

According to Google, this is a "Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) in its melanistic form, commonly known as f. spectabilis. A key feature is the presence of white markings on its head and pronotum, sometimes referred to as 'cheeks.' These beetles originate from Asia and have become a widespread invasive species in many parts of the world, including the UK, where they can threaten native species."

Most of the ladybirds we see in our garden are Harlequins, even though we released several batches of native ones a couple of times in years past. I've never heard that we're supposed to do anything to cull Harlequins, and in fact it can be hard enough to figure out which is which, so I just let them be. I'm not sure I could ever bring myself to kill a ladybird, invasive or not.

I watered all the houseplants and walked to the hardware store on the high street for some bug spray (an allegedly "pet and child friendly" type) to treat the Rhipsalis cactus for its mealybugs. The cactus has so many branches and spindles that I can never get every nook and cranny treating with alcohol and Q-Tips by hand. I never use any kind of bug spray outside, but the cactus lives indoors, so there's no risk that spraying will harm beneficial insects. I'm sure this will be an ongoing project.

I also cleared the path into the garden. I tied back the Crocosmia so that it doesn't flop as much, and I put in a plant support to push back the Phlomis and the dusty miller. Now we can walk through here without feeling quite so oppressed.

Two of our orchids are brightening up the living room at the moment. Kind of hard to see them against the avocado and tree fern outside!

Finally, today is Dave's birthday. Woo hoo! He is a youthful 58. We celebrated last night with a dinner out in Soho and then a show -- "Titanique" at the Criterion Theatre. "Titanique" is a panto-inspired parody of the movie "Titanic" and features Celine Dion as a central character, a sort of master-of-ceremonies. Dave likes "Titanic" and knows it well, so I knew he'd get a kick out of "Titanique," and as an added bonus it's currently starring a guy named William Hanson, who I'd never heard of but who Dave knows from YouTube. (Dave is much trendier than I am.) So he got a kick out of that, too. By the time we got out of there last night, our cheeks hurt from laughing so much.

I also bought Dave a pan that he's wanted, by Made In Cookware. But he asked for that, so it was hardly a surprise. He basically just ordered it through me!