Operation Ladybug Rescue!

Today I went down to our basement to open the windows.  What I found  in the unfinished part of our basement was a swarm of ladybugs, or ladybeetles, flying around and crawling around on the walls.  Cute little guys, but not at all what I was expecting! 

I quick-grabbed a ziplock and started stuffing bugs inside.  Well... not one of my smarter ideas but it made for great entertainment for the girls. 

I scooped up beetles, filled the bag partially, then took them outside on the porch where the girls helped me release them "into the wild". 

There were red ones, orange ones, ones with lots of spots and some with no spots at all.

We made several trips to the basement to gather these little critters.

Eventually I figured out that I could just remove the window screens, open the windows completely and they would (almost) all fly outside into the sunshine.  I hope they stay in the garden and not fly away too far!