Except little Nan, who sits in a pan, weaving gold laces as fast as she can.

A nan is a ladybug’s pupa. Still within it’s pan (or cocoon) of gold laces while metamorphosing from its larval stage, it wouldn’t be able to get away from a field fire.

L ooks
A lot like
D ead
Y oung
B oys
U nder
G ground

Ta da! xD

Did you know that in some parts of Northern Europe, it is said that if you make a wish, and a ladybug lands on you, your wish will come true? Also, in Italy, it is said by some that if a ladybug flies into one’s bedroom, it is considered good luck. In parts of central Europe, a ladybug crawling across a woman’s hand is means she will get married within the year. In Russia, a ladybug is called God’s cow and they have a song about it to bring bread, instead of being burned up. Similarly, in Denmark a ladybug, called a Mary’s hen, is asked by children to fly to ‘our lord in heaven and ask for fairer weather in the morning’. In Gaelic, the ladybug is called “bóín Dé” — or “God’s little cow”.

The most common variation seems to be this:
Ladybug ladybug fly away home,
Your house in on fire and your children are gone,
All except one and that’s little Ann,
For she crept under the warming pan.

I thought that must have some hidden political or religious meaning as a lot of the nursery rhymes do and it might, but it seems it was something that was said by medieval farmers prior to torching their fields to clear them after harvest and prepare them for next year. It was said as a ‘warning’ to the ladybugs. It makes sense that a farmer wouldn’t want to burn the ladybugs that munched aphids for him but ya know, it’s not like he’s going to go pluck each one off and carry it of to safety before burning the fields so perhaps reciting this little charm made him feel better and more confident that future crops would be graced with ladybugs.

Oh man, I’d forgotten about that poem! Brought back all kinds of memories and what a strange poem too. National Ladybugs-in-webcomics year, GO!

Yeah I get ladybugs infested in my house every year around this time actually. They do indeed smell unpleasant, and some of them bite, little bastards!

What’s worse though are stinkbugs. You can’t squash them or it smells like nasty grease forever! And when they die, even on natural causes, their scent attracts their friends and soon you have thousands of them.

I usually let them ride their way down the toilet.

I also like dragonflies. Did you know dragonfly eyes touch each other? Chew on that, Calan!