Episode notes
Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin explore why ladybugs are secretly incredibly fascinating.
Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources, handy links, and this week’s bonus episode.
LINKS FOR KATIE GOLDIN:
- Katie Goldin on Bluesky
- @ProBirdRights on Bluesky
- ‘Creature Feature’ podcast (iHeartRadio)
- When Is a Bird a ‘Birb’? An Extremely Important Guide (Audubon)
RESOURCES USED TO INFORM THE EPISODE’S LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
- native-land.ca
- U.S. Department Of Arts And Culture
- The True Native New Yorkers Can Never Truly Reclaim Their Homeland (Smithsonian)
- “Finding Lenapehoking” (YouTube / Hudson River Maritime Museum)
- Why Do They Call It Beacon? (The Highlands Current)
- Dutch & Native American Heritage In The Hudson River Valley (National Park Service)
RESEARCH SOURCES:
- Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America by Eric R. Eaton & Kenn Kaufman
- Animals: Ladybug (San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)
- Ladybird facts (BBC Earth)
- Seven-spotted Lady Beetle (Vermont Center For Ecostudies)
- Eye-spotted Lady Beetle (Vermont Center For Ecostudies)
- Ashy Gray Lady Beetle (University Of California system)
- Steelblue ladybird – Halmus chalybeus (Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research)
- Fourteen-spotted Lady Beetle (Vermont Center For Ecostudies)
- Why harlequin ladybirds are invading our homes (Natural History Museum London)
- Why ladybugs and ‘Halloween beetles’ are everywhere right now (Popular Science)
- The Bugs Who Flew Too Much (Smithsonian Magazine)
- Asian Lady Beetle (iNaturalist)
- In red and black, the genetics of ladybug spots (The Conservation)
- Britain’s big, baffling ladybird glut: ‘My house is literally crawling with them’ (The Guardian)
- Asian Lady Beetle Infestation of Structures (University of Kentucky)
- The weird world of ladybugs (WBUR)
- Richer Homes Are Also Richer in Biodiversity (Smithsonian Magazine)
- A 10-Mile-Wide Ladybug Swarm Buzzed Over San Diego (Smithsonian Magazine)
- A Ladybug Swarm Over California Was Huge Enough to Show Up on Radar (Atlas Obscura)
- Convergent Lady Beetle (University Of California system)
- Students Release 72,000 Ladybugs at Maryland High School as Part of Senior Prank (ABC News)
- Pranksters Release 72,000 Ladybugs In Maryland High School (NPR)
- Bug Week: The Lady Bug Story (University Of Connecticut)
- Story Hub: Ladybug, Ladybug (San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)
- Ladybirds guide: why do they have spots, do they bite, ladybird life cycle and how many species are there? (BBC Discover Wildlife Magazine)
- The Seven Sorrows of Mary (St. Anthony Messenger)
- The Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary (EWTN)
- Seven Joys of Mary (Roman-Catholic-Saints.com)
- “Mona Lisa effect” applies to animals, too (Ars Technica)
- Hostile invader: Ladybug species carries spores that kill competitors (Ars Technica)
- Ladybird beetle–inspired compliant origami (Science Robotics)
- Scientists Sneak A Peek At How Ladybugs Fold Their Wings (NPR)
- Article: Ladybug (U.S. National Park Service)
- The Bug That Saved California (Smithsonian Magazine)
- Dakota Gardener: Do not buy ladybugs (North Dakota State University)
- ENTFACT-702: Ladybugs (University of Kentucky)
- Cottony Cushion Scale (University Of California system)
- A Silent Hero: The Australian Ladybug (Charles Darwin Foundation)
- How to make a bug hotel: a ladybird lodge (Natural History Museum London)
- Instagram post by Brandywine Zoo in 2026: “🐞 Let’s talk ladybugs!”
- Chilean Students Put Bug In NASA’s Ear (Chicago Tribune)
- Encyclopedia Britannica entry for Franklin Chang-Díaz, Costa Rican-born American physicist and astronaut
- NASA biography for Franklin R. Chang-Díaz
- NASA page for STS-93
- Butterfly Habitat, STS-93 (Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum)
- NASA page for Chandra X-ray Observatory
- A Brief History of Animals in Space (NASA)
- “Let’s Learn Everything” Episode 44: Katie Goldin & Alex Schmidt, Space Birds, and the Bison Emoji 🦬
- Secretly Incredibly Fascinating: The Color Red
- Secretly Incredibly Fascinating: The Color Blue
- Secretly Incredibly Fascinating: The Days Of The Week
In this episode...
About the show
A weekly podcast about the history, science, lore and surprises that make everyday things secretly incredibly fascinating. Hosted by comedy writer, emoji creator, and ‘Jeopardy!‘ champion Alex Schmidt. Join Alex & his co-host Katie Goldin for a joyful deep dive into seeing the world a whole new way!
Get in touch with the show
@sifpod
@sifpod
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