Lady Beetle Color Variation

Did you guess which of the two beetles were lady beetles from Wednesday’s Bug of the Week?

If you guessed both, then you are a lady beetle pro!

The bottom photograph in Wednesday’s post is our common convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens, the type of lady beetle often sold in stores.

Lady beetles come in a number of colors besides orange with black spots, however, including this black with rusty-colored spots.

ashy-gray

This is a cutie called the ashy-gray lady beetle, Olla v-nigrum. Why is it called ashy-gray? Because the same species comes in another color morph that looks like this:

ladybug-3

Yes, not only are these both lady beetles, they are also both the same species!

Have you seen any lady beetles this month?

2 Comments

  1. bob

    do they bite?

  2. Roberta

    Lady bugs do have tiny jaws and are capable of a pinching bite. It isn’t dangerous because they don’t have any toxins nor stinger, but it can surprise someone who isn’t expecting it.

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