Friend or Foe?

The first frost lay across the grass as I walked to fetch a newspaper. But then the day turned into a glorious blue-sky, warm, t-shirt sort of day.

It was so sunny that I put the sun umbrella up in the garden - and this ladybird fell out of its folds. It probably thought it had found the ideal place to hibernate.

Unfortunately, it is a Harlequin ladybird, not one of the UK's native good guys. It's not the Harlequin's fault; some bright spark thought they'd introduce this Asian native as an aphid control. But now our native varieties are under threat from this tougher and more voracious incomer, to such an extent that Harlequins are now considered 'pests' themselves.

It just goes to show how delicate nature's balance is - and that we humans should take great care before we meddle with it.