Eggs
Mother ladybugs lay ten to fifteen eggs on the underside
of a leaf. They look like tiny, elongated, yellow jelly
beans. |
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Larva
Larvae crawl out of their eggs and begin to look for
food. Mother bugs make sure there are lots of aphids or
mites nearby because the larvae will eat a lot of them
before they become adults. They look like tiny
alligators--and they bite! |
Bigger Larva
After a few days, the little larvae begin to grow, and
soon they shed their skins. This is called "moulting"
and it happens several times. If you look closely you
can see old skins clinging to leaves or to the grass in
your ladybug jar. |
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Pupa
In about two weeks, the bigger larvae begin to look a
little different, something like a lobster without legs
and claws. They attach themselves to a leaf and hardly
move at all. They are doing something extraordinary
under their skins. |
Imago or Adult
In another few days the ladybug splits its pupa and
emerges looking very different. For the first few hours
it's pale and soft. Its shell quickly hardens. Its color
becomes a bright color. Now it looks just like its
mother—a perfect adult ladybug. What seems like amazing
magic is one wonderful way the natural world works:
ladybug metamorphosis. |
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