I was in the garden yesterday and noticed that my pretty, little birch tree appeared to be dying. On close inspection, I saw that it was full of these scary-looking creatures. It turns out that they are ladybird/ladybug larva and pupae. Who knew? Not me. Now I feel blessed...and not even a tiny bit sorry for the aphids also sharing my garden. (These are not the reason for my dying tree - sadly, we think that is some kind of rust).
