Adrian Jones' photos with the keyword: ladybird

A very active 7-spot ladybird in my garden. It's a welcome visitor and will hopefully help keep the numbers of aphids down. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, April 2022.

I found several more ladybirds today that had played host to larvae of the parasitic wasp Dinocampus coccinellae, here a ladybird, that is still alive, sits on the cocoon of the wasp, the larva of which fed inside the ladybird until mature. The larva spins its cocoon under the unfortunate ladybird, the ladybird providing cover and shelter for the parasites coccon until the wasp hatches and the cycle begins once again. Natural light and uncropped.

Full frame uncropped image, taken in natural light.

Natural light. Full frame uncropped image.

Full frame uncropped image.

Full frame uncropped image. Taken at 5x magnification.

ladybird enjoying a snack. Full frame uncropped image.

A small Ladybird, Propylea 14-punctata found Shrewsbury, Shropshire.