Release the Ladybugs

During the summers of early childhood my brother Greg and I would spend a few weeks in Flagstaff, Arizona, with my Uncle Jim and Aunt Debbie. We would work during the days at their feed store and nursery, Debbie's Garden. I'll never forget the day my Uncle gave me a white paper bag that looked like coffee beans and told me it was full of Ladybugs that I could release in the gardens. It was a magical -- and formative -- experience.

Springtime visits to Chestnut Hill now bring back the fond memories of those experiences. We pick up bags of these all-natural pest controllers from the refrigerator case at Laurel Hill Gardens and bring them home in the hopes that they will keep the aphids away from the tomatoes and the leaves of the hydrangeas. Whether or not they will stay in the gardens to complete their job is uncertain, but the excitement of seeing hundreds of the bugs migrating out of the bag is guaranteed.