Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle makes an appearance

This week’s insect, pictured at right, appears to be a Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle (Coccinella septapunctata).

My daughter spotted this ladybug as it hung from the end of a leaf on a small tree in our backyard. If memory serves me correctly, we shot this picture Saturday afternoon.

According to the “National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects & Spiders: North America,” this ladybug is closely related to the more common Nine-spotted Ladybug Beetle, which is found throughout North America, except for the Southwest.

First introduced into New Jersey a relatively short time ago, the Seven-spotted ladybug is typically found throughout most of the Northeast.

The field guide says that ladybugs are most commonly found in meadows, crop fields, gardens and marshes and that they are known to eat aphids, small soft insects and mites.

This is what the field guide has to say about their life cycle: Lemon-yellow egg clusters are attached to leaves near aphids. Larvae feed, then pupate without cocoons, attached to leaves. Adults overwinter in large groups and emerge May-September.

The insect pictured above was photographed last week, that is, in mid-March, so it seems that the local adult population has arrived a month and a half early in southwest Alabama.

According to one article I read online, the Seven-spotted ladybug is the most common type of ladybug in Europe. It was introduced into the U.S. as a biological control agent to reduce aphid (plant lice, blackflies, etc.) numbers.

Interestingly, the Seven-spotted ladybug is the official state insect of Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. Alabama’s official state insect is the Monarch Butterfly.

Before I wrap up today’s post, here’s an update on the insect item I posted on Tues., March 15. As you might remember, I had some difficulty identifying the insect with any degree of certainty, something that is all too common for entomological amateurs like myself. The insect didn’t match any of the photos in my field guide, so I had to make an educated guess. I thought the insect most resembled a Squash Bug or an Assassin Bug.

After that post appeared, Margie Peacock of Repton sent me a message saying that she believes that the insect is a Leaf Footed Bug. A little more research on my part showed that she was right on the money. Leaf Footed Bugs have hind legs with flattened, leaf-like expansions on their tibia, and a close examination of my photo last week clearly shows these expansions.

Now that we’re officially into spring, I look for life in the local insect world to pick up. Already this week, I’ve seen the first real signs of spider activity. Many of you may have noticed along the roads this week, in the early mornings, the many small spider webs in the trees and ditches. These webs catch dew in the early mornings and when the light hits them just right, you can’t miss seeing the scores of them that line the roads and the edge of the woods.