#seven spotted ladybug

[onenicebugperday]

Ladybug, southeastern Oklahoma, May 2026

Can you tell what kind it is? (Sorry for the bad camera angle. 😔)

Lil cutie! Looks like a seven-spotted lady beetle. People often say these are the "good" ladybugs and Asian lady beetles are the "bad" ones, but neither one is native to North America.

[roswellsoup]

staying dry together!💧🐞🍃

[drawingcreaturez]

Today's creature is the seven-spot ladybird! They are native to Europe, and Asia. They can be found in areas with lots of plantlife. They eat aphids and are often used as pest control due to this. They can eat other things in emergencies but cannot reproduce without aphids. Females will mate with multiple males. They lay clusters of 10-30 eggs on leaves and can lay up to 500 eggs in their lifetime. They hibernate together in groups to stay warm.

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Seven-Spotted Ladybug and Red Aphids - Coccinella septempunctata & Uroleucon sp.

It's not just Fourteen-Spotted Ladybugs that get to enjoy a feast of delicious Aphids this summer! This red swarm gathered on the underside of the leaves here likely didn't count on being disturbed by the armored warrior strolling along the edge. This is another healthy Ladybug who can pounce and take a bite out of any individual Bug here whenever they please. Of course, that will only happen when hunger arrives, as a Ladybug won't hunt Aphids for sport, no matter how numerous they may be. Moreover, as this an adult-stage Ladybug who has completed metamorphosis, there's no need to overfeed - as the larvae do - in order to facilitate the next molt. These red Urolecuon sp. Aphids should breathe a sigh of relief (if they could). Otherwise of note in these images: this seven-spotted individual has a wingcase featuring more vivid orange coloration compared to the typically deep red associated with this specie. However, this isn't the first time I've found a Seven-Spotted Ladybug with a more orange shell. This isn't a result of low light conditions, nor is out of the ordinary to see such coloration. You can chalk this up to variation between individuals.

Pictures were taken on July 5, 2025 in High Park with a Google Pixel 8a.

[bug-slug]

Yet another ladybug

🌿🐞🌿

[pleistocene-pride]

Coccinella septempunctata more commonly known as the seven-spot ladybird, seven-spotted ladybug, or C-7 beetle, is a species of ladybug which was originally endemic to mainland Europe and the middle east but thanks to humans and the spread of agriculture it can now be found all throughout North America, mainland Africa, mainland Asia, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Madagascar, Cypress, Malta, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand. Here they dwell in a range of habitats including grasslands, meadows, steppe, gardens, forests, parks, marshes, and agricultural fields. Although both seven spot ladybug larvae and adults mainly eat aphids, pollen, and nectar, when aphids are not available these ladybugs are known feed upon other insects such as thrips, white flies, jumping plant lice, leafhoppers, and on the eggs of some beetles and butterflies. Reaching around .3 -.5 inches (7.6- 12.7mm) in length, adult seven-spot ladybirds have round bodies with black heads and abdomens and red thoraxs while the larvae are brownish-grey in colour, with four pairs of bright orange splotches across their bodies. Their distinctive spots and conspicuous colours warn of their toxicity, making them unappealing to predators. The species can secrete a fluid from joints in their legs which gives them a foul taste. A threatened ladybird may both play dead and secrete the unappetizing substance to protect itself. The seven-spot ladybird synthesizes the toxic alkaloids, N-oxide coccinelline and its free base precoccinelline; depending on sex and diet, the spot size and coloration can provide some indication of how toxic the individual insect is to potential predators. Breeding occurs from spring to fall, with seven spots often mating with several partners per day. Females may lay a cluster of 10-30 eggs on aphid-rich vegetation immediately, or, in fall, may store sperm and lay eggs in spring so their larvae have a more robust food supply. Eggs hatch after around 10 days as larvae eat and grow for another 21-30 days before entering the pupal stage, which lasts seven to 15 days. Adults overwinter in a state of diapause (dormancy) in leaf litter, dense vegetation, under tree bark, and in other sheltered spots. Ladybugs are unusual among insects with complete metamorphosis (egg-larva-pupa-adult) because both the larvae and the adults occupy the same spaces and eat the same thing. Under ideal conditions a seven spot ladybug may live upwards of a year.

[bugsoupforthesoul]

Some cover from the rain

[thesingingbullfrog]

Seven-Spotted Ladybug