Ladybird Ladybird Fly Away Home....

Ladybirds or Ladybugs (in the U.S.) is this week's insect challenge. These are the ever-popular good guys of the insect world, family Coccinellidae for the entomologically-minded, and aren't really bugs but beetles. There are apparently over 5,000 species, with different numbers of spots (or even stripes), and their basic colour can vary from scarlet red, to orange or yellow. Show us one or more ladybirds outside in their natural environment, chomping through aphids or just enjoying the sunshine on a leaf.... Macro shots welcome, but please, no shots inside, under studio lights. Refer to http://bugguide.net/node/view/340377/bgpage?from=0 for more information about these little beetles. SIZE DOES MATTER! See below.