Where do Ladybugs live?

"Where do ladybugs live?" asked my youngest the other day.

Hmmm, I'm not sure - I think they just live in plants but do they have a nest? a hive? Do I remember? Did I ever know?

I know they like flowers and our window sill (!) but where do they actually live?

Thanks to wonderquest on the internet I can now share the answer with you: "In the summer, ladybugs live in shrubs, branches, and flowers. During autumn a few to several hundred ladybugs all crawl to the same place to hibernate--a base of a tree, along a fence row, under a fallen tree, or under a rock. They crawl under leaves that protect them from the winter cold.By the way, the name, ladybug, comes from the Middle Ages when churchmen dedicated the beetle to the Virgin Mary and said, "beetle of Our Lady."

Back in the old days, farmers burned hop vines in England after the harvest to clear the fields. The fires also killed many ladybird beetles. The nursery rhyme (Ladybug ladybug, fly away home...) tells the story.(Answered by April Holladay, science correspondent, November 14, 2001)

Thanks! Answering children's questions all day long (and I mean all day long - from the minute they wake up till the minute they fall asleep!!!) is a learning curve for me too!

My girls and I love ladybugs but both girls are upset that at one time or another they've both tried to pick one up ....and squished it.... sorry ladybugs! They didn't mean too - they just wanted to play with you!

Oh, in case you're not familiar with the rhyme it's "ladybird (UK name), ladybird fly away home, your house is on fire, your children alone". This is sadly like a lot of nursery rhymes, we recite them happily as children then when we're older and think about it they are really quite sad!Perhaps I won't teach my girls this one......!