Ladybugs flying free at Magnolia Gardens

Hundreds of smiling children will scatter throughout Magnolia Plantation and Gardens on July 23 to launch 150,000 ladybugs skyward during the Lowcountry’s largest release of the environmentally friendly insect.

The Third Annual Ladybug Release will begin at 9 a.m. An hour later, a red Volkswagen beetle, resembling a gigantic ladybug, will arrive to signal the time when children receive containers of ladybugs. The event ends at 2 p.m.

Children dressed in ladybug costumes will vie for prizes during a costume contest. Categories will be children under two, three to six and seven and older. Face painting, storytelling and other interactive activities are planned.

Car pooling and early arrival are encouraged. General garden admission is required to participate. Adult admission is $15 and children six to 12 is $10. Children under six are free. To expedite entry into the gardens a cash only table will be placed at the ticket booth.

Ladybugs are natural predators to harmful insects such as aphids, scale insects and other smaller insects, Chris Smith, Magnolia’s Nature Center director, said.

Karen Lucht, Magnolia’s special events and festival coordinator, said this year’s event will feature a larger number of nature displays and interactive demonstrations. The organizations that will be represented are:

· 4-H Development Program
· Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest
· Berkeley County First Steps
· Charleston Water Keeper
· Charlie, the RiverDogs’ mascot
· Clemson University Master Gardeners
· Cypress Gardens, butterfly display
· Grice Marine Laboratory at the College of Charleston
· Keep Charleston Beautiful, an anti-litter campaign
· Keeper of the Wild, a wildlife rescue center
· MUSC Medical Transport Helicopter
· Reptile Innovations
· S.C. Department of Natural Resources, archery activity and boating safety
· South Carolina Aquarium
· South Carolina Highway Patrol
· St. Andrews Fire Department
· The United States Coast Guard
· Turtle & Tortoise Society
· Turtle Survivor Alliance