On October 26 and again today, both beautiful, warm, suny afternoons, there were hundreds of ladybirds flying in and landing on the white walls of our goat stables. All sizes, all shapes, some red with black spots, some orange with spots, some black with red spots. They are not very good pilots, and several crashed into me on the way to join their friends. They gather this time of year, to find a safe place to hibernate for the winter.
It is quite common for ladybirds to get into the house at this time: if they do come in, they need to be picked up gently and put back outside, as our houses are too warm for them and they will wake up too early in the spring, and then starve.
Has anyone else had a loveliness of ladybirds recently?