Life Cycle of a Ladybug

The ladybug is also known as the ladybird, and more correctly known as the ladybeetle. The insect goes through the four stages of metamorphosis, hatching from an egg to become a voracious larva, then forming a pupa from which the colorful ladybug emerges.
Scientific Name: Coccinella septempunctata
Characteristics: Ladybug eggs are attached to leaves of plants infested by aphids, which provide a ready food source for the hungry larva. After molting four times, it enters the pupa stage.
Size and Color: The larva stage of the ladybug is said to resemble an alligator with its long jaws. The bright red and black adult ladybug figure is 2 ½ inches wide, about the same as a large spoon.