My first Eyed ladybird

22 Tuesday Apr 2025

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Anatis ocellata, Britain's ladybirds, Eyed ladybird, ladybird, ladybird on Pine

This lovely little creature was a bit lost. I found it sitting on some nettles beside a busy road. Admittedly, the bank above was covered in tall broadleaf trees and scrub but with none of the Pine trees the Eyed ladybird (Anatis ocellata) is meant to associate with. And the reason for that association is the fact that it eats Pine aphids.

This was my first ever sighting of an Eyed ladybird, Britain’s largest at 8-9 mm. I’ve been looking more closely at Pine trees lately but I’ve not seen one there … yet. The adults are out and about from Spring through to Autumn, so I’ll keep looking.

I wish I’d been able to get better photos but, you know, nettles!

10-spot ladybird

27 Thursday Mar 2025

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird

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10-spot ladybird, Adalia decempunctata, British ladybirds, ten-spot ladybird

This sweet little creature was a lovely surprise on the park railings earlier. It was tiny, looked only half the size of the many Harlequins that were lumbering along nearby.

I wasn’t sure which of the ladybird species it was until I got home and checked. Though its colours and markings can vary greatly, this is a 10-spot ladybird (Adalia decempunctata), a species I’ve only seen once before and that was back in 2016.

They prefer woody places, whether they be actual woodland or parks or simply gardens with plenty of trees, and they can be found from now until October, so I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for more.

My first Pine ladybird

10 Monday Mar 2025

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird

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British beetles, British ladybirds, Exochomus quadripustulatus, ladybird, Pine ladybird

I don’t know why this has taken me so long but yesterday, by sheer chance, I finally found my first Pine ladybird (Exochomus quadripustulatus), which also happened to be the 1600th species I’ve recorded with my local biodiversity records centre since I first started recording back in February 2016.

At first, I wasn’t entirely sure it was a Pine ladybird but a ladybird sitting on a Pine tree had to be a strong contender so I took some photos and, when I checked later at home, I was able to confirm that the red splodges that look a bit like commas on the front of its black wing-casings (elytra) are diagnostic.

The Pine ladybird is listed as common throughout much of England and Wales, though, in fact, there are only nine records of this little ladybird, dating from 2007-2022, in my local 10km grid square, and that is my excuse for not having found it before now! You can see a map of its distribution on the UK Beetle Recording website here.

Two more ladybirds

04 Tuesday Mar 2025

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird

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7-spot ladybird, British ladybirds, Coccinella septempunctata, Halyzia secedimguttata, Orange ladybird

My ‘ladybird species seen in 2025’ total has risen to the highly unimpressive total of …

three, now that I’ve seen a few 7-spot ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata) and a single Orange ladybird (Halyzia sedecimguttata). Other people seem to be finding several species of ladybirds clustering on headstones in graveyards so I’m planning a trip very soon to my favourite old cemetery. Fingers crossed!

Harlequins everywhere

11 Tuesday Feb 2025

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird, winter

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British ladybirds, Harlequin, harlequin ladybird, invasive insects, invasive ladybird

I admit to feeling a few pangs of envy when, a couple of days ago, one of the entomologists I follow on social media posted photos of the eleventh species of ladybird they’d sighted this year. I’ve never seen 11 ladybird species in my entire life (my total is 8), let alone in the middle of winter. [Note to self: must try harder!]

Meanwhile, in the local park (and, yes, many are on the railings), apart from a single 7-spot ladybird, the population seems overwhelmingly to be comprised of Harlequin ladybirds, those invasive interlopers that originally lived in Asia but have become one of the most invasive insect species in the world, according to the Buglife website.

Hiding in plain sight

17 Wednesday Jan 2024

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird, winter

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7-spot ladybird, British ladybirds, ladybird, ladybirds in winter

Have you ever wondered where ladybirds go in winter? Some of them hide away in crevices in tree bark, or under unused flower pots in garden sheds; some even invade our houses, where they can often be found huddled together along the edges of windows.

240117 ladybird (1)

Others can be spotted outside, hiding in plain sight, as you see here, tucked in holes in fences or clinging on beneath seed heads. They’re such wonderful, though tiny pops of colour in an otherwise fairly drab landscape.

240117 ladybird (2)

Orange and spotty

21 Saturday Oct 2023

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird

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British ladybirds, Halyzia secedimguttata, Orange ladybird

As I put my foot forward to get closer to yet another bush I was examining, something tiny and yellow-looking flitted up from the ground. I was intrigued, wondering what it could be, so followed its upward trajectory until it settled on a bramble branch in front of me. Well, hello, little Orange ladybird. How lovely to see you!

231021 orange ladybird

Twenty two

09 Wednesday Nov 2022

Posted by sconzani in autumn, insects, ladybird

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British ladybirds, Harlequin ladybirds, ladybirds

I know the weather’s been mild – we haven’t even had a frost here yet – but I still didn’t expect to see a bunch of ladybirds on nettles as I walked through a local park on Monday afternoon. Initially I thought there were just one or two but the little red dots just kept on appearing so I retraced my steps to where I’d seen the first one and counted. Twenty two! Sadly, they were all the invasive Harlequins but hopefully that means the native breeds are all tucked up somewhere safe for the winter.

221109 ladybirds

Spot the dots

13 Wednesday Apr 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird

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7-spot ladybird, British ladybirds, Coccinella septempunctata, Seven-spot ladybird

Isn’t it lovely to see ladybirds again? There were at least eight 7-spot ladybirds on these freshly sprouted Nettle plants, possibly more mini-beasties hiding under the leaves, but I wasn’t going to get stung looking for them.

220413 7spot ladybirds

Ladybirds galore

11 Thursday Nov 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird

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British ladybirds, harlequin ladybird, Harlequin ladybird larva, ladybird larva

I was really surprised during Tuesday’s walk to see so many ladybirds still about – not only adults but also a lot of larvae, and this one pair of adults that obviously thought it was springtime not late autumn.