Handbook of Nature-Study · Lesson XCIII · Topic 14: Mosquitoes, flies and beetles
93. The ladybird
Goal: Your child can describe the ladybird beetle and its very different-looking larva, and explain why gardeners are glad to see both.
You'll need
- Plants with aphids (where ladybirds hunt)
- A small clear jar (for a short look)
- A hand lens (magnifying glass)
- A nature notebook and a pencil (colored pencils if you have them)
What's in the book
Comstock's story of the ladybird, beginning with the old rhyme "Ladybird, Ladybird, fly away home": her energetic indecision, her spots, her hidden wings, and her warty larva that eats plant-lice. Then Lesson XCIII's leading thought, method and questions on the beetle and the larva.
The lesson, step by step
When and where
Spring through fall. Comstock's method: "These little beetles are very common in autumn," and their larvae "may be found on almost any plant infested with plant-lice."
Keep the big idea in mind
Comstock's "leading thought" is the one idea the lesson is meant to lead to. Read it to yourself now, and save it to share at the end, after your child has looked and answered:
The ladybird is a beetle. Its young are very different from the adult in appearance, and feed upon plant-lice.
The beetle
Let a ladybird walk onto your child's finger.
How large is the ladybird? What is its shape? Would two of them make a little globe if they were put flat sides together?
What color are the wing-covers? Are there any spots upon them? How many? Does the ladybird use its wing-covers when it flies?
Watch it fly: the hard covers lift and the thin wings unfold from underneath.
Playing possum
If you disturb the ladybird how does she "play possum?" Describe how she makes her toilet.
She may leave a yellow drop on your skin; it smells bad to birds and is harmless, but wash your hands afterward.
The larva
Look among aphids for a small, spiky, dark gray larva with orange spots, like a tiny alligator.
Describe the ladybird larva. Does it look like its mother? What is its form? Is it warty and velvety or shiny?
Describe the actions of the ladybird larva in attacking and eating the plant-lice.
The pupa
Watch a larva until it changes to a pupa. How does the pupa look? Can you see the shed skin? Where is it? To what is the pupa attached?
Look for small round humps stuck to leaves near the aphids.
Nature notebook
Draw the life story: a yellow egg cluster, the spiky larva, the pupa on a leaf, and the beetle with its spots counted exactly. Then answer Comstock's question in a sentence: "Why is the ladybird of great use to us?"
Tip
The number of spots does not tell a ladybird's age, as some children believe; different kinds have different numbers of spots. Many of the ladybirds that crowd into houses in fall today are a kind brought from Asia.