Among the best-known and best-loved beetles, ladybirds are usually easy to recognise

The commonest are the 2-spot and larger 7-spot Ladybirds, which have the familiar red wing cases with black spots.  Other species come in black-with-yellow-spots and brown-with-white-spots.  The bright colours of Ladybirds warn predators that they taste nasty, which helps them to survive.  They can also exude a pungent fluid to scare off ants, birds and people.  About 50 different species are found in Britain, but some are tiny.

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During the winter adults hibernate in cracks, crevices and leaf litter and emerge in April to find a mate. Females lay eggs that hatch after about four days, depending of the temperature.  The blue-black larvae have creamy-yellow spots and look very different to adults.  They eat many aphids and are well known for their natural pest control.  When fully-grown, the larvae pupate and later emerge as adults.