06.09.2020 Animal Of the Week: Seven-spotted Ladybird

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to this week's animal of the week post. This time about the ladybird, and personally I can't wait to find out more about these creatures. Enjoy!

Which ladybird we are investigating today?

Today, I am telling you about the seven-spotted ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata), which is the most common ladybird in Europe. Other species include the Two Spot Ladybird and other uncommon ladybirds such as the 16 Spot and other peculiar types.

Habitat

The seven-spotted ladybird lives in a variety of habitats such as meadows, gardens and hedgerows. They can also be found on farmland, especially with crops such as alfalfa, clover and wheat and corn before it grows too tall.

Diet

The seven-spotted ladybird feeds on a range of aphid species. This is why they are often referred to as a gardener's best friend as they eat these creatures who can damage plants. They can also eat white flies and anything else that is soft-bodied.

Larvae

The seven-spotted ladybird's larvae are, let's just say, very different to the adult version! As they hatch at different times, it is common for them to eat their siblings! They also resemble some sort of rather ugly creature!

Are they endangered?

No, the seven-spotted ladybird isn't endangered. However, we have got other species that aren't native to the UK such as the Harlequin ladybird and several other Asian species in particular. These have been thought to eat our native seven-spotted ladybirds and steal their habitat and food, which could put them in danger although not for a while as they are so widespread. Something else which can be a threat is when farmers bring in their crops, as ladybirds like to live there. This can kill unsuspecting creatures as they pass through machinery. Someone calculated that for one hectare of land, between 20,000 and 120, 000 ladybirds could be killed. This doesn't impact the population hugely though as there are so many of them.

Ladybird or Ladybug?

I just want to clarify that both ladybird and ladybug refer to a Coccinellidae beetle. In North America, it is commonly called the ladybug or Lady beetle. However, the British English word is Ladybird.

I hope you have enjoyed learning about the seven-spotted ladybird in this animal of the week. Please remember to subscribe with your email if you haven't already to make sure you get the latest updates. Thank you!

Images:

Ladybird on brown leaf: This image is owned by Petr Ganaj on pexels.com.

Ladybird on green leaves: This image is owned by Lisa Fotios on pexels.com.

Sources:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/beetles/7-spot-ladybird/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccinella_septempunctata

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