Second Annual ‘Ladybug Release’ At M’Finda Kalunga Garden
This image has been archived or removed.
Luck be a ladybug this Sunday at M’Finda Kaluga Community Garden. Yep, this weekend the Critter Committee for the neighborhood garden is throwing a party to release these little red beetles into the New York City wild. Not only are they the least annoying insect going, but they also eat pesky aphids, keeping the city’s limited greenery in primo condition.
Fun fact: the ladybug has been the state insect of New York since 1989; more specifically, the powers-that-be chose the “Made in USA” brand rather than the European species. This Coccinella novemnotata, or “nine-spotted ladybug” was thought to be extinct, so (according to Wikipedia):
…in 2006, the state considered designating the pink spotted ladybug as state insect instead, but the bill did not pass the Senate. In 2006 the nine-spotted ladybug was rediscovered in Virginia (the first East Coast sighting in 14 years). In 2011, about 20 of these ladybugs were found on a farm in Amagansett, NY, the first such sighting in New York since 1982.
Government!
A less fun fact: Ladybugs also go by the name “lady cow.” Seems a bit harsh.
Anyway, show some respect and support the red bug. The sendoff is this Sunday, September 29, from 1-3pm. Entrance to the garden is at Rivington Street, between Forsyth and Chrystie. The free event will also have a contest to name the elusive pond turtles, as well as arts n’ crafts for the kiddos.
And maybe kick around a soccer ball with a cross-dresser…
Recent Stories
Electeds Descend Upon Chinatown to Rally Against Hate
In the aftermath of a string of (potential) anti-Asian crimes across the city, several hundred people attended a rally as a show of support. It was held in Foley Square, not far from the incident last Thursday, in which a random attack on a Chinese man with an eight-inch kitchen knife left him clinging to life in a […]
‘Best Wingers’ has Flown the Coop on Delancey Street
Best Wingers has flown the coop. The Lower East Side chicken joint, an offshoot of the decades-old Murray Hill restaurant, recently closed its Delancey Street location. A large lease sign currently hangs in the windows. Sum told, Best Wingers spent nigh on three years here at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge. It had signed […]
Mi Salsa Kitchen Now Serving Cuban Cuisine on Allen Street
The Lower East Side now boasts a new Cuban restaurant in its restaurant ranks. Mi Salsa Kitchen opened last week at the southeast corner of East Houston and Allen Streets, serving up self-proclaimed “authentic Cuban cuisine.” The restaurant is currently open for walk-in dining and fulfilling takeout orders. Also via Grub Hub and Seamless. Current […]
Seward Park Now Bookended by Fast Food Crab Restaurants
Crab cuisine is now du jour in the Seward Park environs, which is bookended by such fast food joints. Two seemingly identical establishments. Seafood chain Crab Du Jour planted a flag at the former La Flaca on Grand Street earlier this year, and should open in the coming days. At the same time, just a […]
Cops Offer Reward for Info on Clinton Street Shooting Suspect
Police are now offering a reward for information in connection with the road rage shooting on Clinton Street last month that injured a 75-year-old bystander. At approximately 11:55am on February 16, a motorist driving what was reported to be a black BMW sedan turned right onto Clinton Street from Delancey, narrowly missing a pedestrian. Cops […]
