My daughter spotted this ladybug crawling downed leaves under a neighbor's plant Saturday afternoon. Most years in late September, that would mean nothing. But it was only the third one I have seen this fall, so I ran home and grabbed the camera.

Narturally, I wondered if my lack of sightings meant something or if it was just a quirk in where I have been and seen.

So I reached out to Carl Strang, a naturalist who has a good eye and feel for our local natural wonders. His official job is with the Office of Education - Mayslake for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

Here's his response:

I am not aware that anyone is formally monitoring them. This is my first year with my office at Mayslake, so I don't have a basis of comparison to go on here. I have never seen unusual numbers around my home, so also can't comment there. It has been a cool, wet year, so it's conceivable that the non-native species were affected (fungal diseases, for instance, would be favored by such conditions). However, I haven't seen mention of such.

Maybe it is the cool year, because most often they congregate around the warm windows, sort of like sinners around a hellfire-and-brimstone preacher.