Sage D.

Sierra F.

Ask the Ladybug

Introduction

Name of animal: Ladybug Scientific Name of animal: Conciella

SeptempunctataVertebrate or Invertebrate:

InvertebrateClass of animal: InsectOther names of animal: Lady Beetle,

Ladybird

How do your physical features help you stand out?

My physical features help me stand out so predators won’t eat me. Some ladybugs are different colors like red, yellow , and brown. Some ladybugs have black spots or white spots. Usually females are bigger than males. That’s how my physical features help me stand out.

Where do you live and is it endangered?

I live in Great Britain and all over North America. I also live in farmland, gardens, woodlands, grasslands, forests, cities, suburbs, and along rivers. But in the winter I hibernate inside houses, under rocks, and in rooting logs. And yes my habitat is endangered. People keep cutting down the forest I live in. I can live almost anywhere!

Food Chain

What do you eat and do other animals eat you?

I like a lot of animals to eat . The animal that I love to eat are aphids. I also prefer scale insects , mealy bugs, and mites. The main predators that eat me are birds. Other animals that eat me are frogs, wasps, spiders, and dragonflies . So that is what I like to eat and who likes to eats me.

Are your babies born alive or hatched from eggs and do you care for your babies?

My babies are hatched from eggs. The eggs look like little yellow jelly beans. I lay them on an underside of a leaf. When they hatch they look nothing like me! They look like little black bugs. I don’t care for my babies. They go off and eat little black bugs called aphids. Eventually they turn into pupas. A pupa is like a chrysalis but for ladybugs. After a few weeks they become adults. Did you know in a lifetime a female ladybug lays 2,000 eggs!

What defensive adaptations do you have and do humans harm you?

A defensive adaptation that I have is colorful marking’s that show other animals not to eat me. People buy ladybugs at stores to keep aphids away. Some people love to protect ladybugs. That’s how my defensive adaptation helps me stay alive.

Have any ladybugs gone into space and how many species of ladybugs are there?

Yes. Four ladybugs have gone into space in 1999. There are over thousands of different species of ladybugs. They also come in different verities of colors. That’s how many different species of ladybug are there.

A lot of people say you are only red and black is that true?

No. Some ladybugs are yellow and black some are even brown with white spots. Also some have 7 spots,19 spots, some even have 22 spots.

Works Cited

Book: Thomason ,Ruth. The Life Cycle of a Ladybug. New York: Rosen Publishing Group Inc,2009.

Encyclopedias: “Ladybug”. World Book. 2013 ed.

Internet Sites: “Ladybug”. 11/27/13. < http:// National Geographic Kids >.