Seven-spotted ladybug Facts for Kids

A ladybug is a small red beetle with black spots. This kind has seven spots. It eats aphids, tiny bugs that nibble on plants.

A ladybug is a beetle, with hard red wing covers that lift up so its thin flying wings can unfold. It eats aphids, tiny bugs that suck the juice from plants, so gardeners are glad to see it. Its bright red color is a warning to birds that it tastes bad.

Ladybugs grow up in four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. The larva looks like a tiny spiky alligator and already eats aphids all day. In fall, ladybugs gather in groups to rest through the winter under bark, leaves and logs, and they wake in spring. The seven-spotted ladybug came to North America from Europe, and now some native ladybugs are harder to find, so scientists ask families to photograph the ladybugs they see and share the pictures to help track them.