Shylock discovered ladybirds on Saturday, he has also discovered why they are bright red. He is at that age where anything small crawling through the grass is worth pouncing on and eating. First I knew of it was a sneeze and a spit from the cat. The ladybird was projected from his mouth at speed. Then his face screwed up into a expression that can only be described as "Oh my god, that tastes awful", a bit like if he'd been eating lemons dipped in vinegar!

I've now explained to him that bright red insects are bright red because they taste so bad and it is not a good idea to try to eat them.

Copyright © Rachel Craddock
August 2, 2004