Lady Beetle Life Cycle

Have you ever looked closely at a lady beetle? This very common insect has two sets of wings: the outer set (‘elytra’) are hard and beautifully decorated, and the inner set are used for flying.

There are over 450 different species of lady beetles in the United States and more than 5000 species of lady beetles around the world. To contribute to a citizen science project recording different lady beetle species, head over to The Lost Ladybug Project.

For a fun activity, why not make a life cycle wheel of the four stages of a lady beetle’s life, or draw a lady beetle to label all the insect parts (six legs, head, thorax, abdomen, antenna)!