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A ladybird's bright spotted back is really a wing cover.
When the two halves of the cover open, the ladybird's folded wings stretch out. Ladybirds can fly up to 24 kph! |
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Ladybirds live near garden paths and on plants.
Gardeners like them because they eat plant pests.
A ladybird lays its eggs near aphids or scale insects. When the young larvae hatch, they have a meal waiting for them!
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A ladybird larva will eat hundreds of aphids before it grows larger and changes into a ladybird.
Ladybirds taste too terrible to be eaten themselves! Birds soon learn to leave them alone.
When they are in danger, ladybirds 'play dead' and sometimes ooze their bitter orange blood from their legs.
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