Everything About Ladybugs!

How to Attract Ladybugs to Your Yard

A list of flowers that ladybugs like so you can start a ladybug garden.

We have a few little cuties crawling around our backyard. They really seem to like Marigolds and a really pretty pink daisy bush. Pollen is another part of a ladybug's diet, so the more flowers the better!! Ladybugs will snack on pollen before they get ready to hibernate to store up some energy. Here are some flowers that ladybugs love to hang out around. Also you will find some helpful hints on growing these flowers in your yard or garden.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the more flowers you have, the more other little insects will arrive such as aphids, providing food for your ladybug pals. Also, some of the below flowers many people consider weeds but provide ladybugs with dense foliage to live in while they are feeding, laying eggs, mating and pupating.

The flowers pictured below can all be purchased and delivered to your garden. An online florist can send the flowers by post within a matter of days.

Calendula (Pot Marigold)

There are several different variations of calendulas out there. You will find calendulas in different shades of deep orange to pastel yellows and different petal patterns. They are relatively easy to grow in sunny to moderately sunny locations. These flowers seem to thrive best in full sun with good soil, good drainage and regular water. Like many other flowers it is recommended that you removed the dead and/or dying flowers from the plant. Ladybugs will often hide and feed in the green leaves of these flowers.

Chives

Chives are the smallest type of onion. This herb flowers from April to May in the southern zones and in June in the northern zones. Chives do very well in rich, well drained soil and prefer to be in a place with full sun light throughout the day. You can start the seeds indoors so they are kept warm. After four weeks, the young shoots should be ready to be planted outside. In the winter, chives die back to the underground bulbs, with the new leaves coming back early in the spring.

Cosmos

Ladybugs LOVE the Cosmos in our garden! We've had 3 species of ladybugs living in our cosmos at various times. Hippodamia convergens, Coccinella Californica and Psyllobora Vigintimaculata.

Cosmo flowers are about 2 to 4 inches in diameter. White, pink, orange, yellow and scarlet are some of the colors that cosmos come in. Cosmo flower plants grow to 3-6 feet tall. The bushes can get pretty full too and if you clip the flowers off as they die it helps promote more buds to grow. If you want to have some cosmos come back the following year, let some of the dead flowers go to seed and the seeds can spread themselves in your garden. Cosmo seeds are one of the easiest seeds in the world to grow. Cosmos can be grown easily anywhere!


Here are some great resources for getting live ladybugs for your garden

Dandelion

Dandelions are most famous for their fuzzy cotton like part of their life cycle. Dandelions are mostly considered to be a weed affecting lawns. Dandelions are yellow, then when they dry they turn into the cotton "puff ball" which is when they disperse their seeds. Most children (and adults!) help mother nature along with this process when they pick the dandelion, make a wish, and blow the seeds all over!!!

Dill

Dill is a common herb used as a spice. It grows best and gives the best crop during hot summers in full sun light. Dill needs very rich and well drained soil to grow at its best. If you want to grow it to harvest, when the seed starts to ripen, cut the flower heads off the plant, place them upside down in a paper bag for a week in a warm place. Store the seeds in an air tight container for later use!

Feverfew

Feverfew was a medicinal herb grown in old gardens and is also grown for ornamental purposes. Feverfew has been used for treating fevers, headaches, arthritis and digestive problems. You can plant feverfew in pots or in the ground, it loves full sun and does not need a lot of moisture. It flowers throughout summer and fall. The plant can grow to be up to 2 feet tall and has an abundance of cute white flowers with yellow centers.

Marigold

There are about 52 different species of Marigolds They come in a variety of colors. It's best to plant marigolds after the last frost, either seeds or already grown plants. It's best to make sure they have no flowers yet so that they can establish their roots and become strong. To keep your marigolds healthy and to promote more flowering, clip the flowers off once they start to wilt.

Statice (Sea Lavender)

There are 120 different species of Statice also known as Sea Lavender. It comes in a bunch of different colors but the main ones are purple, white, pink and yellow. It is a drought tolerant plant and needs full sunlight and well drained soil. Good amounts of compost will help the plant to grow strongest. Plant this pretty flower in your garden after danger of any frost has passed. This flower was also once used as a treatment for dysentary, a disease affecting the intestines. This flower has been grown and farmed since the mid 17th century.

Sweet Alyssum

We mostly see this pretty little flower used as borders or hanging baskets. It is also a drought tolerant plant. It will take to just about any kind of soil and likes to be in full sun to partial shade. To keep the flowers blooming, trim back the dead flowers. If grown in an area with little or no frost dangers, this cute little flower could bloom year round!!

Mustard

Mustard is a very versatile plant! The seeds are what is used to make the well known condiment Mustard by grinding them up and mixing with other ingredients. And the leaves are edible too, mustard greens make a good addition to a salad. The mustard plant likes to be in the full sun light but in cool weather climates, they don't like the heat. Any good garden soil will provide a good ground for the mustard to grow in. Mustard likes to be well watered and grow pretty quickly.

We see lots of ladybugs on the mustard near our house in mid to late summer. Both hippodamia convergens and coccinella septempuncata seem to enjoy feed on bugs in this plant.

Ladybug Facts
Learn some great facts about ladybugs such as what they are, what they eat, where to find them and much more!



Ladybug Anatomy
Learn about the anatomy of ladybugs. The most well known part of the ladybug is called the elytra which is the outer hard shell-like wings of the ladybug.



Ladybug Life Cycle
Ladybugs sure grow up fast. Like other beetles they have complex little lives. Learn the phases of a ladybug's life cycle here!



Ladybug for Pest Control
Ladybugs are renowned for their abilities to control a number of pests that eat our plants. Learn the facts about ladybugs & pest control here.