Ladybug swarm on Cooper Spur

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JBG
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Ladybug swarm on Cooper Spur

Post by JBG » October 3rd, 2022, 4:52 pm

I was up on Cooper Spur weekend before last, and at the top of the climb, where those circles are cleared, and along the path to Tie-in Rock, there were what I can only call swarms of ladybugs. I've never seen anything like it. A couple was up there and I asked them but they didn't know what it was about. They asked, "What could they be eating up here?"

Anyone else see something like this? There aren't any plants up there, and the temps get pretty extreme, as well as the wind. I know some people on this forum get up that direction with some regularity, so I thought I'd ask here.

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christabrews
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Re: Ladybug swarm on Cooper Spur

Post by christabrews » October 3rd, 2022, 5:08 pm

Were they clumping together on surfaces or flying around? I was always told that the ladybugs gather together in clumps, often on tree branches, to conserve heat and prepare for winter. But I'm no expert.

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adamschneider
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Re: Ladybug swarm on Cooper Spur

Post by adamschneider » October 3rd, 2022, 5:54 pm

I found a crazy number of them on the summit of Mount Whittier (in the Mt. Margaret Backcountry) one autumn. And also a couple of years ago atop Diamond Peak. The Whittier ladybugs were hunkered down; the Diamond Peak ones were flying around and landing on me.

I know that some species of ants grow wings and gather at high points to mate; they call it "hilltopping." But I don't know if that explanation also applies to ladybugs.

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drm
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Re: Ladybug swarm on Cooper Spur

Post by drm » October 3rd, 2022, 6:07 pm

I have seen this many times in other places. Growing up in California, I knew some places where it was reliable every February (the wet season there). I am pretty sure it is a mating thing. I guess not everybody wants privacy for that. :roll:

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adamschneider
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Re: Ladybug swarm on Cooper Spur

Post by adamschneider » October 3rd, 2022, 6:11 pm

"Exploring the Mystery of Summit Ladybugs" on SummitPost — This article says it isn't clear why they do this, but if it IS a mating thing, then I'd guess it's the same as for the ants:


Head Ladybug on P.A. system: "Attention, all ladybugs of Hood River County! How about we get together every fall to have an orgy and mix up our DNA?"

Crowd of Ladybugs: "Sounds awesome! Where should we meet?"

Ladybug #1: "The pond!"

Ladybug #2: "Which pond?"

Ladybug #1: "Ummmm...."

Ladybug #3: "That big tree!"

Ladybug #4: "Which tree??"

Ladybug #5, guided by Instinct: "I know! Let's just find a mountain and go up as high as we can. We'll meet at the summit, or at least on a big ridge."

Crowd of Ladybugs: "OK! See you later this summer! Yayyyy!"

🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞 [bow-chicka-wow-wow]

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retired jerry
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Re: Ladybug swarm on Cooper Spur

Post by retired jerry » October 4th, 2022, 6:16 am

I've seen them in the San Gabriel Mountains above L.A.

I thought maybe they got blown up there in the wind. Not that they intended to go there. It doesn't seem like they have much chance of surviving at that point, or any eggs they might lay.

JBG
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Re: Ladybug swarm on Cooper Spur

Post by JBG » October 4th, 2022, 6:29 pm

Thanks for the replies. In brief, they didn't seem to be clumping, though they were flying around and were crawling all through the scree and scramble, so who knows what was going on underneath. Wish I had taken the time to get some video.

leiavoia
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Re: Ladybug swarm on Cooper Spur

Post by leiavoia » October 5th, 2022, 6:23 pm

I saw this on Eagle Cap summit last year. No clumping, just a weird number of lady bugs in a weird place for ladybugs.

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retired jerry
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Re: Ladybug swarm on Cooper Spur

Post by retired jerry » October 6th, 2022, 6:55 am

I googled this and found http://www.lostladybug.org/participate.php

They want people to photograph ladybug swarms and upload them so they can track ladybug numbers

I don't know that this is real

From googling, it seems that ladybugs clump to stay warm, mate, evade predators,... But still, it seems like there would be no reason for them to intentionally go up to a mountain. If they're on Cooper Spur right now I can't imagine them surviving the winter.

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BigBear
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Re: Ladybug swarm on Cooper Spur

Post by BigBear » October 6th, 2022, 8:03 am

They are mating. They will gather at high points so that they mate with the insects on the other side of the ridgeline to enrich the gene pool with the traits of multiple colonies instead of keeping with their own (in-breeding). It is rather interesting when you get to the top of ridge and find the rocks plastered with the red and orange insects. I first saw it atop Lemei Rock in mid-September back int he mid-90s.

Another interesting mating swarm I saw one late August evening were the mayflies at Maidu Lake near Mt. Thielsen. They came in like a heavy snowfall and coated everything (trees, logs, our tent, us...). Unfortunately for many of them, the nighthawks anticipated the mating frenzy with a feeding frenzy of their own. After about 90 minutes, the mayflies vanished as if they had never been there, not because of the birds, but because their orgy had ran its course.

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