Ladybugs in LA!

First of all, happy fall! This is my favorite season here in Los Angeles.

I'm excited to announce the end of my first science illustration internship. Wow! I've learned a lot in the past few months... and I'm happy to post my final project. 

Working with Lila Higgins of the Community Science program at the Natural History Museum, I learned a ton about ladybugs, pill bugs, and spiders. It was the summer of invertebrates! 

These illustrations help identify the local ladybug species. Check out the differences in color, spots, the shapes, and sizes... Hopefully these will encourage an appreciation for nature in Los Angeles. That's the Los Angeles with sidewalks and strip malls- along with the more wild areas of Griffith Park, the LA River and the local mountains. 

These ladybugs will ultimately be printed in a more formal field guide for museum visitors... I'm not sure when it will be published. I'll post when hard copies are available.

    

 I'm already working hard at my next internship at the Huntington Botanic Gardens. The Amorphophallus titanium ... is the subject of one of my first projects! Look this plant up if you don't already know it! It's deeply weird.

Thanks for stopping by! Andrea LQ