Not all bugs are bad! Not even the ones that look scary.

This is a ladybug nymph, or juvenile. This 1/2-inch baby ladybug is nothing like the beetle we know and love, but it will eat hundreds of aphids before it pupates into an adult. Ladybugs’ favorite food is aphids, but they also eat other garden pests like whitefly pupa, thrips and spider mites.

Ladybugs also eat pollen. You can encourage them to browse in your garden by planting dill, chives, marigold, cosmos and sweet alyssum.

p.s. It’s getting hot! Don’t forget to water deeply to keep your plants from getting stressed, which makes them more susceptible to pests.