What’s small, has shiny bright red wings, a black head and legs and is capable of destroying a lot of ornamental plants? It’s the red lily beetle and it’s the terror of many gardeners worldwide.

Also known as the lily leaf beetle, this small insect is notorious in areas where lilies are cultivated. First seen in Montreal, the red lily beetle has spread throughout Canada and in some parts of the United States.

“They are often confused with the cardinal beetles since they also have a black underside and wings that are spotless and red in color. However, lily leaf beetles have wings that are shinier with tiny dimples on them. They are more rounded in shape compared to the dull, narrow, flattened and elongated cardinal beetle,” according to the editors of Wikipedia.

“Another difference between the two is their food preference. Lily leaf beetles are herbivores and are usually found on lily plants eating their leaves whereas cardinal beetles are usually found on tree barks and flowers and feed on flying insects. Lastly, the cardinal beetle has comb-like antennae,” they added.

What’s the easiest way to help sick people recover? Give them a bunch of flowers and you’ll be doing them a favor.

That’s the advice of Kansas State University researchers who recently looked into the effects of flowers on recovering patients.

In their study titled “Effects of Flowering and Foliage Plants in Hospital Rooms on Patients Recovering from Abdominal Surgery”, Seong-Hyun Park and Richard H. Mattson of the Department of Horticulture, Forestry and Recreation Resources at Kansas State University in Manhattan, found that seeing green had a positive effect on people.

The study was carried out in surgical patients. Ninety people who had their appendix removed were randomly assigned to different rooms with or without plants.

“Patients in the plant treatment room viewed eight species of foliage and flowering plants during their postoperative recovery periods. Data collected for each patient included length of hospitalization, analgesics used for postoperative pain control, vital signs, ratings of pain intensity, pain distress, anxiety, and fatigue,” the researchers said.

At the end of the study, researchers said those who stayed in rooms that had potted flowering plants were better off. They needed fewer painkillers, had a lower heart rate and blood pressure, and were more relaxed.