News from Our CCESC
Cornell Summer Intern
Megan Dodge, [email protected]
Ladybug Fly Away
The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County staff is small, but mighty. They are a tightknit group of highly experienced and motivated individuals that I, their mere summer intern, count myself lucky to work with. My name is Megan Dodge and I’m a rising junior in the College of Agriculture at Cornell University. I’m majoring in animal science, love to run ridiculously long distances, and would eat cheese every meal for the rest of my life if it wouldn’t kill me.
From June to August, I’ll be working with the CCE staff and in the Teaching Garden doing everything from weeding, mulching, and beautifying the plots to compiling recipes and facilitating educational workshops with community groups like Arc, WIC, and PINS Diversion. There is never a lack of things to do and it baffles me that an entire month has already flown by.
Thats me-------->
But of the work completed in these past few weeks, I am particularly proud of and excited about an upcoming event CCE Schuyler will be hosting involving our red and black-spotted ladybug friends. But before explaining that, let me first share some history about the beloved ladybug:
The namesake of the ladybug dates back to Europe in the middle ages. The most common legend states that swarms of insects were destroying farmers’ crops leading to community collapse and starvation. But then, mass numbers of red, black-spotted bugs came and ate all of the pests, saving the day. These bugs were hailed as a blessing from the Virgin Mary—“the beetles of our lady” was quickly shortened to “lady beetles” then to ladybugs.
Two-spotted ladybug (left) and
nine-spotted ladybug (right)