Like a fish out of water...

Invasive species, not native to Ireland, are threatening flora and fauna, and can be harmful, says Dan MacCarthy.

THE ladybird idled along a leaf in a suburban garden, oblivious to the human peering down at it. Hang on a second. This ladybird is too dark, too metallic red, and too rectangular to be a ladybird. After being placed in a jar, a photographic comparison on the internet revealed the ‘ladybird’ to be a scarlet lily beetle. This was later confirmed by Colette O’Flynn, of the National Biodiversity Data Centre, in Waterford.

The scarlet lily beetle, or red lily beetle, so named because it has a fondness for lilies, was found on a lily purchased in a supermarket in Cork.