Convergent lady beetle
Hippodamia convergens
Small round red ladybug with black spots and white pronotum mark. Bay Area native; adults and larvae voraciously consume aphids and scale insects. Essential biological pest control in organic gardens.
Plants that support Convergent lady beetle
18 plants
Black Sage
Salvia mellifera
shrub
Pollen feeder Apr-Jul; adults and larvae benefit from abundant pollen
California Flannel Bush
Fremontodendron californicum
shrub
Pollen feeding while predating flower-visiting insects
California Manroot
Marah fabacea
vine
Predatory beetle uses vine structure for hunting and shelter
Coastal Tidy-tips
Layia platyglossa
annual
Spring pollen forage and aphid hunting on plant
Cobwebby Thistle
Cirsium occidentale var. venustum
annual
Adults feed on pollen; also predate aphids on thistle foliage
Common Fiddleneck
Amsinckia menziesii
annual
Predaceous beetle foraging on plant arthropods
Common Pearlyeverlasting
Anaphalis margaritacea
perennial herb
Uses as shelter and food source particularly in winter aggregations
Coyote Brush
Baccharis pilularis
shrub
Overwinter aggregation sites in dense foliage
Douglas's False Willow
Baccharis glutinosa
perennial herb
pollen feeding for reproductive maturation in spring
Eastwood's Manzanita
Arctostaphylos glandulosa subsp. glandulosa
shrub
Overwinters in dense shrub foliage; hunts aphids on and near plant
Fool's-onion
Triteleia hyacinthina
geophyte
Pollen feeding during emergence season
Harvest Brodiaea
Brodiaea elegans
geophyte
Spring pollen feeder on blooming brodiaea
Interior Live Oak
Quercus wislizeni
tree
Winter aggregation sites in bark crevices and canopy
Silver bush lupine
Lupinus albifrons
shrub
Prey attraction via herbivorous insects on foliage
White bark California lilac
Ceanothus leucodermis
shrub
Predator of aphids on ceanothus; important for natural pest management
Wild Tarragon
Artemisia dracunculus
perennial herb
Native predator visiting for pollen; preys on Artemisia-feeding aphids
Yellow Coastal Bush Lupine
Lupinus arboreus
perennial herb
Spring visitor feeding on aphids and nectar