Blue lady bug / ladybird

We found some blue ladybugs on thelemon tree, so of course I had to draw them.
A symbol of Luckiness.
The ladybird is probably the only insect to have been consistently viewed as an omen of good luck throughout the ages.

The word 'ladybird' itself is an evolution of 'lady beetle', which was so called because of its traditional connection with the Virgin Mary. A popular legend recalls that during the Middle Ages when invasive insects were destroying food crops, the farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary and were blessed with thousands of ladybirds who quickly ate the pests and saved the harvest. From then on, the ladybird was known as 'Our Lady's Beetle', which evolved through ladybeetle, ladybug and finally to the presently known ladybird. This religious connection is also found in the ladybirds' names around the world:
· Nyckelpiga - Our Lady's Key-Maid (Scandinavian)
· Marienkafer - Mary's Beetle (German)
· Bozhia Korovka - God's Little Cow (Russian)
· Vaquilla de Dios - Cow of God (Spanish)
(‘cow’ most likely given because of the ladybirds’ markings).
· Bete a bon Dieu - literally Animal of the Good God (France)


In Northern Europe, tradition says that one's wish granted if a ladybird lands on oneself (this tradition lives on in North America, where children capture a ladybird, make a wish, and then "blow it away" back home to make the wish come true). In Italy, it is said by some that if a ladybird flies into one's bedroom, it is considered good luck.