"Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home. Your house is on fire, your children will burn!"Do you know how that curious couplet came into use? Its origin is probably this: In England and other European countries, the ladybird larvae,or young,feed principally on the aphides, or plant lice, which infest the hop vines; and when, in spite of the efforts of the ladybird, these aphides multiply excessively in the hop gardens, the usual remedy is to let a fire run through the latter, and thus burn up leaves, plant lice, ladybird larvae, and all. It was their acquaintance with this practice, which, many generations ago, suggested to the children of those countries the warning lines now so familiar on both sides of the ocean.
Photo by aten.
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