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More About Ladybugs ...
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Ladybirds (Commonwealth English), also known as ladybugs (American English, Canadian English) or lady beetles (some scientists favor this) are a family, Coccinellidae ("little sphere"), of beetles. Ladybirds are found worldwide, with over 4,500 species described, more than 450 native to North America alone. Ladybirds are small insects, ranging from 1 mm to 10 mm (0.04 to 0.4 inches), and are usually yellow, orange, or red with small black spots on their carapace, and black legs, head and feelers. As the family name suggests, they are usually quite round in shape.
Ladybirds are beneficial to organic gardeners because most species are insectivores, consuming aphids, fruit flies, thrips, and other tiny plant-sucking insects that damage crops. In fact, their name is derived from "Beetle of Our Lady", recognizing their role in saving crops from destruction. Today they are commercially available from a variety of suppliers.
Adult ladybirds are able to reflex-bleed from their leg joints. The blood is yellow, with a strong repellent smell, and is quite obvious when one handles a ladybird roughly.
The ladybird is immortalised in the children's nursery rhyme:
Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home
Your house is on fire and your children are gone
All except one, and that's Little Anne
For she has crept under the warming pan.
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Source: Wikipedia Read more about Ladybugs
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INFO LINKS
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Seven-spot ladybird
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Seven-spot ladybird: Facts and Pictures Read More
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Two-spot ladybird
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Two-spot ladybird: Facts and Pictures Read More
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Ladybug
The Longpoint schoolhouse
Ladybug Read More
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Ladybug
National Geographic
Ladybug fact sheet and pictures Read More
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Ladybug
University of Kentucky, Entomology
categorized information on description, habits, lifecycle and controls Read More
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Ladybug
Amazing insects
short narrative/pictures Read More
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Background for the Teacher Read More
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