Ladybugs are great for gardens. They eat aphids that can destroy plants. They were even released in the Mall of America to help protect its vibrant greenery that serves as an air purification system. Ladybugs can be an organic gardener's best friends.
My own little Ladybug is a big help too. We've been working to weed and plant our garden. Weeding is my favorite part. There's something very satisfying about yanking the bad out to make room for the good. Weeding is also Ladybug's favorite part. She saw us pulling them up and tossing them to the side. Translated to toddler action, this means picking up handfuls of dirt and tossing them in the air above her head. Dirt rains down on her like confetti at a parade and she laughs and does it again. When that gets boring, she digs a little with her plastic garden tools or picks up rocks. There is always something fun to do in a garden.
She also likes to manage the seeds with me. This consists of her reaching for the open packets to tip them over if I'm not vigilant every second. Thanks to Ladybug's help, I have half a row of tomatoes and jalapenos that may have missing patches and may have spots where both a tomato and jalapeno plant grow. Whatever comes up is more than we had before so we'll just wait and see what happens.
Even if our garden grows a big chaotically, its worth it to see the joy on my dirt caked little girl's face as she experiences the wonder of an actual ladybug crawling on her arm or announces gleefully via squeal that she found a neat looking rock, different and infinitely more special than the hundreds of other (remarkably similar) rocks around her. I don't know that I would like gardening at all if I didn't experience it first through the wonderstruck eyes of a one year old.
~MM
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