A Safe Harbor for the Ladybug

I slipped past the front gate after lunch and strolled down to the park's sundial plaza. On the warm stone pedestal, a tiny ladybug was wandering in erratic circles, caught in a swirling gust of midday wind. Beside the bronze marker lay an intact, hollow dry acorn cap and a crisp sycamore leaf stem. Kneeling gently on the slate flagstone, I gathered the acorn cup in both hands and turned its hollow bowl upright against the sundial's rim. With patient guidance, I nudged the little leaf stem so the traveler could step aboard, then lowered it into the sheltered woody bowl. Shielded from the gusts, it rested quietly inside.