A first for everything

Most years, we get plenty of Ladybirds in and around our garden. My dad grows a crop of vegetables every year. The crops attract large groups of Blackfly and Aphids that the Ladybirds would normally eat. This year, the veg is growing as good as ever, and there are thousands of Blackfly and Aphids. But where have all the Ladybirds gone. I have seen only 1 so far this year (which I have pictures of below). I saw it crawling across our lawn. Even this one didn't look very well. It stopped for a few minutes on a dead leaf, which allowed me to fetch my camera.

So where have all the Ladybirds gone. Well, I did a Google search to see if I could find anything of interest. I searched "seven spot ladybird being outcompeted", and clicked on the first result (a Wikipedia page about the Seven Spot Ladybird or "Coccinella septempunctata". Towards the bottom of the article, I saw a little part, which said, "In the United Kingdom, there are fears that the seven-spot ladybird is being out-competed for food by the Harlequin Ladybird". I have proof! And, having seen the picture of the Harlequin Ladybird on Wikipedia, I know that I have seen this type of Ladybird in our garden and shed. I wonder if others have found this pattern too? Leave a comment on this topic if you wish.
Here are the photos:


Harlequin Ladybird. The colours are known to vary widely, so you may not see one like this. Picture from Wikipedia.

Seven Spot Ladybird in garden:

I thought I might just add in a quick note about some interesting and unusual birds seen in our garden over the last week or so. We have had the usual visitors such as House Sparrows, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Robins, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Goldfinches, etc. But we also had a Sparrowhawk fly over the garden and land on a nearby greenhouse. It then flew over 2 more times in the next few days (including once today). A Great Spotted Woodpecker also visited and took some fat. I have only ever seen Coal Tits on their own, but yesterday I saw a group of 3 take it in turns to feed. They really don't stay long. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of any of these rarer birds, but I hope they give me another chance by returning.