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Tag Archives: British ladybirds

Red spots

18 Thursday Mar 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird, spring

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

A tiny spot of red caught my eye, and then, close by, another – my first ladybirds of the year, both Seven-spot ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata).

210318 ladybird (1)

If you’re lucky, you may have had these little beauties hibernating in your garden shed but, in this case, these two are countryside dwellers so have probably spent the winter inside a plant stem, or perhaps tucked securely within the dense branches of ivy, or maybe in a deep crack in tree bark. A few sunny days and warmer overnight temperatures will have triggered their emergence from hibernation, and produced another spring treat for me to enjoy!

210318 ladybird (2)

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185/366 Grounded

03 Friday Jul 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, ladybird, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

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

This is a bit of a sad story. During yesterday’s walk, I spotted this Seven-spot ladybird sitting on a leaf alongside the path.

200703 7spot ladybird (1)

It was acting a bit strangely: opening its elytra (wing cases), raising its abdomen, shutting its elytra, over and over again. It took me a minute to realise that it only seemed to have one full-size wing; the other appeared stunted or perhaps it had been damaged and was no longer able to be extended.

200703 7spot ladybird (2)

I presume the ladybird was trying to remedy the problem through its movements but they didn’t seem to have any effect, and I fear this ladybird may be forever grounded.

200703 7spot ladybird (3)

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286/365 Bright spots

13 Sunday Oct 2019

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

British ladybirds, ladybird, ladybirds

191013 ladybirds (1)

It was such a pleasure to see these ladybirds, bright spots of vibrant colour on a particularly dull wet day.

191013 ladybirds (2)
191013 ladybirds (3)

 

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A blast of orange

11 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

British ladybirds, Halyzia 16-guttata, Halyzia secedimguttata, ladybird, ladybird larva, ladybug, Orange ladybird

170711 Orange Ladybird (1)

When I’m out and about on my wanders, it’s usually a preponderance of Harlequin ladybirds that I see but this day was different. Instead of Harlequins, there seemed to be beautiful little Orange ladybirds (Halyzia 16-guttata) wherever I looked. And there weren’t just adult ladybirds – almost every leaf I turned over had their larvae as well. And this was across two different parks, not just in one location.

170711 Orange ladybird nymph (1)
170711 Orange ladybird nymph (2)

We are constantly warned that the invasive Harlequins, first recorded in Britain in October 2004, are a serious threat to Britain’s native ladybirds, and surveys have shown that most native ladybirds are in serious decline, partly due to the Harlequin but also due to habitat loss. Perhaps the Orange ladybird is fighting back. It has apparently adapted to living on different tree species, first the sycamore and more recently the ash, so this may be aiding its apparent increase in abundance. I certainly hope so!

170711 Orange Ladybird (2)
170711 Orange Ladybird (3)
170711 Orange Ladybird (4)
170711 Orange Ladybird (5)

Don’t forget that we can’t know what’s happening with British ladybirds (or, indeed, any other living species) unless sightings are recorded. You can record yours through your local biodiversity records centre or directly with the UK Ladybird Survey website here.

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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