Ladybird, ladybird...

I think I saw more ladybirds this afternoon, when I was tidying up the garden, than I have seen on any day through the summer. They have been terribly scarce and we should probably be just as concerned as we have been about the alarming drop in bee numbers. Anyway, it was good to see a number of these Seven-spot ladybirds, Coccinella 7-punctata, looking around for places to spend the winter. This one posed nicely on a brightly coloured beech leaf.