The perfectplace to hang your hat!

What people are saying about us:

It is a great place to hang your hat. It is a great place to live.!! The food is very delicious. People are friendly. The pool exercises are very useful to get the body moving and getting the kinks out.

--Laura

I love it at BCE. I feel so fortunate to be here. The very first day, all the staff knew my name. In some ways it's like living in a fancy hotel. Amazingly good food. I love that someone else will make me healthy dishes that taste great... There are so many fun things to do like Bunco, swimming, pub night with live music, movies in recliners (popcorn included, of course) chair yoga and great events...The building and grounds are meticulously maintained. The public spaces are gorgeous... It's sparkling clean and kept that way by housekeepers who also clean our apartments. Living here is a hundred times better than my old life and I'm spending just about the same amount of money because of all the amenities that are included. (Did I mention that I love it here?) --Leslie

SCAN

Ladybugs are one of our most common and helpful predatory insects. The adult beetles and their larvae seek out garden enemies like aphids and spider mites on a wide variety of garden plants and flowers. A single female can eat as many as 75 aphids a day. Over its twoyear lifetime, a ladybug can consume 5,000.

Many growers introduce mail order ladybugs into their gardens. Ebay sells 1,200 live beetles for just $12.99 plus shipping. But the success rate varies. If a garden has little to eat, the ladybugs fly away in search of tastier options.

There are more than 5,000 species of ladybugs worldwide, 400 in North America and 90 different ladybugs that live in the Pacific Northwest. But not all ladybugs sport red exoskeletons with black spots. Some are red with black stripes. Others are yellow, orange, brown and pink with spots, and even solid black ladybugs.

Ladybugs don’t head to warmer climates for the winter like birds and other insects. They sleep during the cold weather months, after gathering for a massive mating-fest in the fall. In the wild, colonies of thousands rest in natural settings like rotting logs and under rocks. Their fat stores keep them alive until spring.

I will never forget my first encounter with a swarm of ladybug beetles. I was hiking on the Liberty Lake trail in late fall, looking for mushrooms when I spotted them on a nearby tree. They were everywhere, from the trunk to the branches, even on the plants and dirt below the tree—tens of thousands of them. Amazing!

The next time you consider the humble ladybug, I hope you’ll serve up a little more appreciation. They are considered good luck in many global cultures and they are truly tiny wonders in the world.

Lady Bug Specifics

With more than 5,000 to consider, we can’t list all ladybug species—called Ladybirds in most of Europe. But here are a ten types to spark your curiosity.

n Seven-spot ladybird

(the most familiar red ladybug with black spots) n Nine-spotted lady beetle n Eighteen-spotted ladybird n Eyed ladybug n Yellow-shouldered ladybird n Mealybug ladybird n Steelblue ladybird n Pink-spotted lady beetle n Ashy gray lady beetle n Large leaf-eating ladybird

Lady Bug name origin

According to National Geographic, the name “ladybug” began with European farmers struggling with an infestation of crop eating insects. They prayed to the Virgin Mary for help and soon witnessed huge swarms of hungry spotted beetles descending--ready to gobble up the enemy bugs. Grateful farmers called them “beetles of Our Lady” and Ladybug stuck.

Here are a few tips

McElroy lives by: n Walk through your gardens every day during the growing season, not only to enjoy but also to notice any issues before they become problems. n Never till. It disrupts the soil web and the microorganisms. Always add organic compost and mulch. n Don’t handle the soil when it is still wet and clumpy. n When shopping for plants, read the label. Labels should indicate what growing zone, sun or shade requirements, and moisture. n Know your growing zone. In our area, the growing zone generally ranges from zones 4 to 6.

Each plant in your garden has different needs, depending on the type of garden you have or hope to have, but at the root of it all, the “soil is the most important element,” McElroy explains. As for types of plants compatible with our region, a variety of annuals, perennials, and vegetables grow here, but require varying levels of care.

Many publications address growing strategies in our area, including the Northwest Gardener’s Handbook written by two of the WSU Master Gardeners, Pat Munts and Susan Mulvihill. It covers many topics that help gardeners understand how to cultivate prosperous growth in our region.

If you are struggling with your garden, do not hesitate to make use of this fantastic resource. The WSU Master Gardeners are there to answer any questions concerning your plant problems. They can be reached by phone at 509 477-2181 or by email at mgardener@spokanecounty.org.

They also have a clinic at 222 N Havana in Spokane that is open for in-person visits starting on March 1, Monday through Friday, from 9 AM to 1 PM. I hope this information helps all of you gardeners out there. And I can’t wait to see the beautiful gardens you grow. Happy planting!