Table of Contents
Ladybug Facts……….….page 2
Ladybug Larvae……..…...page 11
Ladybug Habitats …...page 3
Ladybug Pupa ………….....page 12
Ladybug Diet …………...page 4
Ladybug Adults ……......page 13
Ladybugs in Flight …..page 5
Ladybugs in Space ..….page 14
Ladybug Predators ….page 6
Ladybug Acrostic ……..page 15
Ladybug Protection …page 7
Ladybug I Poem ………...page 16
Ladybugs in Winter …page 8
Ladybug WOW Facts ..page 17
Ladybug Life Cycle . .page 9
Glossary ………………………page 18
Ladybug Eggs …………page 10
Index ……………………..……page 19
Illustrated by Mayrani
Ladybug Facts
Ladybugs are insects. They belong to the beetle
family. There are about 5,000 different kinds of
ladybugs in the world. Most ladybugs are red with black
spots, but they can also be orange, yellow, or black. They
may have stripes or no designs at all.
Illustrated by Brittney
Ladybug Habitats
Ladybugs live all over
the world. They live on
every continent except
Antarctica. Ladybugs can
be at home in many
different habitats. They
can live in cities or suburbs,
grasslands or gardens,
forests or fields, mountains
or marshes.
Illustrated by Macy
Ladybug Diet
Ladybugs are helpful to farmers. They eat aphids
which are tiny insects that devour and destroy crops.
Ladybugs have a voracious appetite and can eat over
5,000 aphids in a lifetime. They will also consume moth
eggs, pollen, and other small insects.
Illustrated by Camille
Ladybugs in Flight
A ladybug's wings are
hidden under the wing
covers. When they want to
fly away, they must hold up
the covers and unfold their
wings. Their wings must
move very fast before they
can take off. When the
ladybug lands, it must fold
its wings back under the
wing covers.
Illustrated by Reagan
Ladybug Predators
Ladybugs have predators or enemies that try to eat
them. Their main predator is a bird. Other attackers
are frogs, wasps, spiders, dragonflies, and praying
mantises. When a ladybug sees one of these creatures,
they know to watch out.
Illustrated by Ethan
Ladybug Protection
Ladybugs can fly away from
some predators, but they are not
fast flyers. They have two other
forms of protection. First,
ladybugs can play dead. When
they are frightened, they topple
over, lie on their backs, and roll
up their legs.
They can also defend
themselves by oozing a yucky,
evil-smelling liquid from their
legs. This disturbing stench
drives away enemies.
Illustrated by Lucas
Ladybugs in Winter
Ladybugs are busy during
the spring, summer, and fall.
But when the weather turns
cold, it is time for them to
hibernate. They search for a
place to hide from the cold
winter winds. They may
hibernate under leaves,
stones, or tree trunks or
even in barns or homes.
Thousands of ladybugs can be
found sleeping together until
warm weather returns.
Illustrated by Ameshia
Ladybug Life Cycle
Illustrated by Henry
Ladybug Eggs
A mother ladybug searches for a good
place to lay her eggs. She looks for a plant
that has aphids so her babies will have
food. She lays about 20 eggs on the
bottom of a leaf then flies away. The eggs
are orange and oval-shaped.
After about a week, the
eggs turn brown and hatch
the next day.
Illustrated by Jessica
Ladybug Larvae
The tiny creatures that
emerge from the eggs are called
larvae. They are bluish-gray
with yellow spots and have long,
thin bodies. They are covered
with spiky bristles. The larvae
are ravenous and immediately devour their egg shells.
Then, they hunt for aphids to eat. As they eat, they
grow and as they grow, they must shed their skins. This
is called molting. They will molt three times. After
three or four weeks, the larvae are completely grown.
Illustrated by D. J.
Ladybug Pupa
When the larvae are finished
growing, they attach themselves
to a leaf and hang upside down.
They molt for the last time.
The new skin turns into a hard
case called a pupa. The pupa
looks like bird poop. This keeps
it from being eaten. Inside the
pupa, the larva is going through
a spectacular change.
Illustrated by Salma
Ladybug Adults
After about a week, the pupa splits open and a new
creature crawls out. It is a ladybug! The new ladybug
must rest and stretch its wings. Then it's ready to
fly. A ladybug spends most of its time searching for
food and eating.
Illustrated by Jeremiah
Ladybugs in Space
In 1999, four ladybugs and a bunch of aphids traveled
to outer space on the space shuttle. Scientists named
the insects John, Paul, Ringo, and George. They were
trying to see if ladybugs could catch their food in space.
The ladybugs enjoyed their outer space picnic and ate all
the aphids. The astronauts decided that ladybugs do
great in outer space!
Illustrated by Brandon
Ladybug Acrostic
Ladybug I Poem
I am a lovely ladybug
I wonder if I will find enough aphids
I hear other ladybugs’ wings humming
I see my friends in the rose garden
I want to join them for a meal
I am a lovely ladybug
I pretend that I will live for hundreds of years
I feel old although I am only a few weeks old
I touch my eggs for the last time
I worry that my babies will not survive
I cry when I realize I will never meet my children
I am a lovely ladybug
I understand that birds want to eat me
I say “Stay away - I taste yucky”
I dream that I can fly faster than a bird
I try to play dead before my predators
I hope that bring luck to many people
I am a lovely ladybug
Illustrated by Briana
Ladybug WOW Facts
A lady ladybug will lay
around 2,000 eggs.
There are over 5,000
different species of
ladybugs.
The most common ladybug
in North America is the
seven-spotted ladybug.
One ladybug will eat
over 5,000 insects in
its lifetime.
Some people believe that
ladybugs bring good luck.
A ladybug in flight
beats its wings over 85
times per second.
Six states have a ladybug for its official state insect -
Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, & Tennessee.
Illustrated by Mrs. Hicks
Glossary
Aphid – A small insect that feed by sucking juice from
plants
Beetle – A group of insects with strong, biting jaws and
hard wing covers.
Insect – A creature that has 3 body parts and six legs.
Larva – The second stage of an insect’s life cycle.
Molt – To split and shed the skin to allow for new growth.
Predator – An animal that hunts and eats other animals.
Pupa – The hard case that forms around a larva before it
becomes an adult.
Illustrated by Litzy
Index
aphid – 4, 10, 14
larva – 9, 11,12
adult - 13
life cycle - 9
beetle - 2
molt - 11
diet - 4
predator – 6
eggs – 10, 11
protection – 7
farmers - 4, 15
pupa – 9, 12, 13
hibernate – 8
wings - 5
Illustrated by Dalton
Sources
Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away Home
Written by Judy Hawes
Illustrated by Ed Emberley
Ladybugs: Red, Fiery, and Bright
Written and Illustrated by Mia Posada
Starting Life Ladybug
Written by Claire Llewellyn
Illustrated by Simon Mendez
National Geographic Kids Ladybug Website
Enchanted Learning Ladybug Website
About the Authors and Illustrators
We are second graders at Forbush Elementary School in East Bend,
N.C. We have enjoyed researching and writing about ladybugs. We
are also excited about the ladybug habitat that our teacher bought.
We will use it to observe the stages of the ladybug life cycle and will
learn even more about these interesting insects.