Waterlogged

This is my first shot of a ladybird - a very distressed ladybird.  She had landed in a shallow water bowl hanging in our courtyard and when I first saw her, was swimming in circles, with no way out.  I emptied the bowl carefully and placed a camellia leaf in it on which she could climb.  This allowed her to start stripping the water from her legs and undercarriage.  Shortly the shell started to divide, allowing the sun to get to the wings. Then she began stretching her wings into the warm sun until they finally dried off.  I stayed watching her because I felt she was so vulnerable to the willy wagtails that feast on small insects and are prolific in our area at the moment.  In a short time she simply upped and offed! I loved watching the drama unfold and felt pretty chuffed that I had saved a little life (and got about 60 shots!).
The extra is the first sign of the wings being  exposed to take advantage of the sun.