Seven-spotted Ladybug
Coccinella septempunctata
31.1085, -97.4975
Field Notes
Description:
The adult seven-spotted lady beetle is relatively large (7-8 mm). The body is oval and dome-shaped, and it has a white or pale spot on either side of the head. The black spot pattern on the body is usually 1-4-2, with either red or orange forewings.
Habitat:
On Winter Honeysuckle in wildlife habitat yard on Belton Lake.
Notes:
Legend has it that crops in Europe during the Middle Ages were plagued by pests, so the farmers began praying to the Blessed Lady, the Virgin Mary. Soon, the farmers started seeing ladybugs in their fields, and the crops were miraculously saved from the pests. They associated their good fortune with the black and red beetles, and so began calling them lady beetles. In Germany, these insects go by the name Marienkafer, which means Mary beetles. The 7-spotted lady beetle is believed to be the first named for the Virgin Mary; the red color represents her cloak, and the black spots represent her sorrows.
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