Do you know why ladybugs have spots? Some people believe that ladybug spots can tell you the future. In some countries, people believe that, if a ladybug lands on you, the spots can tell you how many children you will have someday.

Some farmers even used to believe that ladybug spots would tell you about their harvest. If the ladybug had seven spots or less, it would be a great harvest.

Many ladybugs in North America are red and have seven black spots. Ladybugs do not just have black spots, though. Ladybugs from other places around the world can be many different colors, such as bright red, white, yellow, orange, and even black. Black ladybugs can have red or orange spots. Common ladybugs can have between two and seven spots. However, ladybugs even have stripes or no spots at all!

You may think ladybugs are born with spots, but that's not the case. There are many stages of a ladybug's life. The ladybug starts its life off as an egg. Then it hatches out of its egg as a larva. Larvae are born with gray and black bodies. They have legs and a bright face. They grow bigger each day and become a pupa. Next, they become ladybugs. Finally, female ladybugs have eggs of their own.

Why do you think ladybugs have spots? Can a ladybug's spots help them to survive in the wild? Ladybugs are not poisonous, but they taste bitter. If a bird ate a ladybug, the bird would get sick but not die. A ladybug's colors serve as a warning to predators.

When the bird sees the red, orange, yellow, and black colors of the ladybug, the bird thinks, “Ewwww! Disgusting! Stay away!" The bird remembers that if they eat a ladybug, they will get sick.

The idea that ladybugs can tell you how many kids you will have someday is just a myth. And the spots can't make predictions of a good harvest or the future.

A ladybug's spots and colors are important to their survival. The red, black, orange, and yellow colors can warn predators to stay away. Although ladybug's spots do not help humans, they do fascinate us in many ways.

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