Left:
This is a ladybug standing on what I call the "stage". The stage was a small diameter
pedestal that made it somewhat difficult for the ladybug to walk away. On an extended
flat surface, she would have walked away immediately after being placed there in camera
range. First the stage was an inch in diameter, but ladybug could still move out of camera
range and still be on the stage. Later a one-quarter inch stage kept the ladybug in camera
range for longer periods.
Right: The ladybug has a hard wing cover for each wing. Here she is opening the covers,
prior to extending the wings.
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Additional material from source text for insert of The Ladybugs(me) DVD

The Ladybugs (Las Mariquitas)

I was working on a wasp video when a lady bug fell from a light fixture on to the computer
keyboard and by the next day I was setting up to tape. While I read that  ladybugs can be
bought by the thousands, I come across very few ladybugs, so that I was afraid to lose her.
I made a round “stage” to place the ladybug while taping, expecting that the ladybug would
remain on the stage and in camera view. To get her on stage I would place a ball point pen
in her path until she would walk on to the pen. Then the pen was placed so that the lady
bug could walk from the pen on to the stage. But as soon as the lady bug was on stage she
started looking for a way down, she found the way down after a few seconds. The process
had to be repeated many times. Generally she would walk from the pen on to the stage, but
sometimes I had to help her make up her mind. Next there was a second stage with a very
much smaller diameter. Now there was time to zoom in closer on the ladybug before she
had a chance to walk away. A third different stage was one-quarter inch wide and six inches
long. Interestingly enough, only once did the ladybug walk on to the stage by herself!!!
After a while the ladybug was great in the "getting off stage routine".
It turned into an on-off merry-go-round!

The Ladybug
I was working on a wasp video when a lady bug fell from a light fixture on to the computer
keyboard and by the next day was setting up to tape. I come across very few lady bugs, so
that I was afraid to loose her. I made a round “stage” to place the lady bug while taping
expecting that the lady bug would remain on the stage and in camera view. To get her on
stage I would place a ball point pen in her path until she would walk on to the pen. Then
the pen was placed so that the lady bug could walk on to the stage. But as soon as the lady
bug was on stage she started looking for a way down. So that each time the lady bug was
placed on stage, she would walk down after a few seconds. The process had to be repeated
many times. Generally she would walk from the pen on to the stage, but
sometimes I had to push her. Next was a second stage with a very much smaller diameter.
Now it was possible to zoom in closer with the lady bug remaining in view. Only once did
the lady bug walk on to the stage. Next was the third stage, one-quarter inch wide and six
inches long. The stage was placed on a slide so that as the lady bug walked away from
camera view, the slide could be adjusted to bring the lady bug back into view. Soon I
noticed that the lady bug had two hard wings covers. To start flight the lady bug opened
one wing cover and extended the exposed wing, and then repeated the process with the
other wing; at that point it was ready to fly. This happened very fast and only because on
some occasions the lady bug did not start flight immediately, was it
possible to see the lady bug with fully open wing covers and extended wings. At the end
of flight the wings extend beyond the back end of the closed hard covers. Now the wings
are gradually pulled in under the hard covers. If the lady bug is placed on her back, she
will extend a wing and use it to turn herself upright.

Lady bug are considered as a sign of good luck and there is extensive lady bug lore.
Gardeners can buy lady bugs by the thousands and spread them in gardens to eat the aphids
that eat garden plants.