North East ladybird Spot Archives

Exploring the scarcer ladybirds of Newcastle

A quick summary of a productive month spent exploring the scarcer ladybirds of Newcastle.

While out and about in search of ladybirds this last few weeks, I have been lucky enough to stumble across a number of scarce and unusual species in addition to the plentiful 7-Spots and Orange Ladybirds so many of us know and love. Several of which have been completely new for this incredibly amateur ladybird spotter. Here, I thought I’d share a few highlights from what has been a glorious few weeks spent finding and recording these colourful insects.

Starting, you guessed it, in local cemeteries and perhaps the highlight of the past few weeks, and it was exciting to find singles of Cream-streaked Ladybird (Harmonia quadripunctata) in both Jesmond Old Cemetery and Benton Cemetery. A fairly large, robust ladybird similar in appearance to the non-native Harlequin, a quick search of NBN would suggest this conifer specialist is yet to be recorded in South Northumberland (VC67), until now.

The first of these was beaten from Black Pine (Pinus nigra), while the second was found on a gravestone. There are surely many more of these large and impressive ladybirds out there to be discovered.

Cream-streaked Ladybird (*Harmonia quadripunctata*)

While searching for ladybirds as part of the North East Ladybird Spot, one species I had desperately wanted to find was the 18-Spot Ladybird (Myrrha octodecimguttata). Another conifer specialist sporting a distinctive mix of cream spots atop maroon wing cases, this is likely another under-recorded ladybird owing to its tendency to hide out within the dense foliage of conifers.

Visiting Jesmond Old Cemetery a fortnight back, it was therefore quite exciting to find not one but five of these insects nestled on a gravestone beneath the only pine in the cemetery. The same one, in fact, that also held the Cream-streaked above. These isolated trees really can come up trumps when it comes to specialist ladybirds!

18-Spot Ladybird (*Myrrha octodecimguttata*)

One species I seem to be encountering with increasing frequency in the North East is the Adonis’ Ladybird (Hippodamia variegata). A ladybird associated with sandy, open soils, this is a very small species that superficially resembles the common 7-Spot. Small size aside, it can be told apart by its more elongated body shape and the concentration of black spots towards the rear of the wing cases.

The first of the ladybirds shown below was beaten from Black Pine in Jesmond Old Cemetery, while the duo in the pot were found within Gorse at Havannah Nature Reserve.

After encountering Striped Ladybird (Myzia oblongoguttata) for the first time a few weeks back, it has been fantastic catch up with further individuals over recent weeks. During a trip to Havannah Nature Reserve with members of the natural history society, three of these beautiful insects were seen, while a visit to Gosforth Nature Reserve produced a surprise when the potted individual below was beaten from Gorse. Albeit near to its favoured Scots Pine.

Striped Ladybird featured in a recent video I produced for the North East Ladybird Spot. Please do take a look below, if you can look past my nervous, flailing hands…

Despite (apparently) being reasonable common, Larch Ladybird (Aphidecta obliterata) is a species I have struggled to catch up with this winter. To date, checking the trunks and branches of larch has drawn a blank, as have gravestones in conifer rich cemeteries. You can imagine my delight then when the ladybird shown below was beaten from the tip of a wind-blown Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) as Gosforth Nature Reserve.

Despite appearing somewhat drab, this small, brown ladybird with its distinctive black central line is actually rather pretty when viewed up close.

Back to Benton Cemetery now and while searching the ranks of Harlequin and Orange Ladybirds, it was a delight to encounter my first Eyed Ladybird (Anatis ocellata) of the year. Britain’s largest species, this ladybird sports distinctive white rings around its many black spots. A feature which, as its name suggests, gives the appearance of having eyes atop its wing cases. A conifer specialist, I can count on one hand the number of times I have encountered this species to date.

Finally, we come to a North East ladybird that I am beginning to think is not all too scarce at all, rather tricky to see and highly under-recorded. Hiding out in the stems of Bulrush (Typha latifolia) and other marginal plants in winter, the Water Ladybird (Anisosticta novemdecimpunctata) seems to be cropping up at more and more local sites as naturalists begin purposefully looking for it.

The individuals spotted below were seen at Gosforth Nature Reserve, but others were also encountered at Havannah Nature Reserve and Rising Sun Country Park.

Water Ladybird (*Anisosticta novemdecimpunctata*)

And there we have it, a quick tour of some ladybird highlights from the last few weeks. I will be continuing the Ladybird Yearlist throughout 2022 which thanks to the additions of Larch and Eyed Ladybirds now stands at a reasonable 17 species. Truthfully, I am not sure how many more are out there to be discovered but I at least stand a chance of encountering 11-Spot and 24-Spot Ladybird before year’s end, while 14-Spot is all but guaranteed if I find the time to poke about some grassland.

Setting my sights a little higher, I will also be visiting suitable sites in search of the slightly more elusive 5-Spot Ladybird; while the predominately Southern 16-Spot Ladybird cannot be out of the question while walking in grassland come summer…

Winter ladybirds on conifers

Continuing this year’s Ladybird Year List and capturing records for the North East Ladybird Spot, the last few weekends have been spent admiring winter ladybirds conifers. Scots Pine, Larch, exotic Lodgepole and Black Pines, even the odd spruce.

Havannah Nature Reserve near Dinnington first and few visits to explore the site’s conifers turned up a good number of Pine Ladybirds (Exochomus qadripustulatus), with eight spotted on our first visit and six on our second. While the majority were found, rather fittingly, on pine, we also found a few overwintering on Gorse for the first time.

It was nice too to encounter the guttatopunctata form of 10-Spot Ladybird (Adalia decempunctata) hiding out in a branch tip.

Pine Ladybird (*Exochomus qadripustulatus*)

Confessing an ulterior motive for our trip to Havannah, a spot of tree-tapping focused on more mature conifers produced not one but two Striped Ladybirds (Myzia oblongoguttata), an entirely new species for me!

Somewhat of a goldilocks ladybird, this species has a close association with Scots Pine but is seldom found on younger trees. Supposedly, these striking little insects overwinter at ground level so what they were doing on exposed branches in February, I don’t know.

Fast forward a week and on our second visit to Havannah, we managed to find a total of three Striped Ladybirds, with one in particular (shown in the video below) clearly energised by the sunny conditions.

Whilst at Havannah, it would have been rude not to survey some of the Gorse on-site for ladybirds too and, after fifteen minutes, we were rewarded with the beauty below, an Adonis’ Ladybird (Hippodamia variegata).

I can count on one hand the number of times I have seen this fairly elusive species, finding them previously only at Newcastle Great Park and Silverlink. With a distinctive pattern of white and black on the pronotum and spots concentrated towards the rear of the wing cases, they are rather lovely.

A few more highlights from the last couple of weeks and a quick visit to Iris Brickfield Park in Heaton turned up another new species for me in the form of this Red Marsh Ladybird (Coccidula rufa). One of the tiny, inconspicuous ladybirds, this species has a close association with wetland habitats where is commonly encountered on reeds, rushes and similar plants. You can imagine my surprise then to knock this one out of a pine tree while searching for its larger cousins!

Also in Iris Brickfield Park, a few stands of Stinking Iris provided a nice opportunity to look for some overwintering grassland ladybirds. Shaking the plants over a net, I was pleased to find four 22-Spot Ladybirds (Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata), a species I have only ever encountered in summer, usually on the mildewy leaves of Hogweed or Knapweed. I do love these vibrant little ladybirds.

22-spot Ladybird (*Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata*)

Slightly further back in time now and a flying visit to Rising Sun Country Park in North Tyneside turned up my first Kidney-Spot Ladybird (Chilocorus renipustulatus) of the year sheltering in the upper branches of a wind-blown pine. Again, not a species I encounter very often at all!

Kidney-spot Ladybird (*Chilocorus renipustulatus*)

Finally, at all of the sites listed above, by far the most numerous ladybird species was (as ever) the 7-Spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata). Little needs said about this one…

Finds over the past few weeks have taken the ladybird year list to a total of thirteen species. Not bad for late February in North East England! Whilst there are certainly a few more ‘easy’ species to be found as we move into spring – 14-Spot, 24-Spot and the inconspicuous Rhyzobius litura – I am very much hoping to catch up with a few more elusive species too. Larch Ladybird should be found, with a little luck, as should Eyed and 11-Spot Ladybirds, at the very least…

The North East Ladybird ‘Year List’ begins

With the Natural History Society of Northumbria’s fantastic North East Ladybird Spot launching this week, most of this weekend has been spent searching for these colourful insects at various sites across Tyneside. A January pastime I would never have considered a few short years ago that now, knowing where to look, is becoming somewhat of an obsession.

Orange Ladybirds (Halyzia sedecimguttata) have proven incredibly numerous this winter and, while visiting Preston Cemetery in Tynemouth, I was surprised to stumble quite literally hundreds of these insects dotted across the site’s many aged gravestones. The majority being found in wooded areas where headstones are located in the shade of broadleaf trees.

While I can count on one hand the number of times I have spotted this species in Summer, Winter really does seem like the prime time to look for these striking critters before they return to the treetops come Spring.

While Orange Ladybirds were numerous this weekend, Harlequin Ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis) were even more so, with huge numbers found in the city at Jesmond, Wallsend and Heaton. Few were to be seen at Tynemouth, oddly enough, but a handful were observed secreted amid the ranks of the plentiful Orange Ladybirds in what can only be described as a complete reversal of my observations in Newcastle. Here, these large invaders outnumber everything else ten to one.

Never present in great numbers and always somewhat of a pain to find, it was pleasantly surprising to find Cream-Spot Ladybirds (Calvia quatuordecimguttata) at a few local sites this weekend. Singles were found at Tynemouth and Wallsend, though the greatest numbers by far were seen in Jesmond Old Cemetery. A trusty site for a great range of ladybirds!

I do find it slightly odd how the numbers of each species of ladybird vary between sites with no obvious difference in habitat…

Cream-spot Ladybird (*Calvia quatuordecimguttata*)

2-Spot Ladybirds (Adalia bipunctata) seem to vary in number daily, though where they are vanishing to in the depths of winter I am not too sure. Whereas last week ten or so could be found in Jesmond Old Cemetery, this week, only a single ladybird could be seen. Similarly, none were located at all at any of the other sites visited. This species is suffering a notable decline in the UK thanks in a large part to the arrival of the Harlequin and it seems that here too, they are growing scarcer.

Ever reliable, Jesmond also yielded a number of lovely Pine Ladybirds (Exochomus quadripustulatus), mostly sound asleep on gravestones. Small, black and fairly inconspicuous, I suspect I walked past a great many of these before spotting the one pictured below.

Another species that has proven to be anything but reliable this winter is the 10-Spot Ladybird (Adalia decempunctata), with only a single individual spotted during this weekend’s meanderings, once again in Jesmond.

A dreadful photo of a 10-Spot Ladybird (*Adalia decempunctata*)

Believe it or not, it took until the end of March 2021 to encounter my first 7-Spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) of the year. Thankfully, this year, a glance at some immature Sitka Spruce and tatty Gorse at Gosforth Nature Reserve helped spare me the embarrassment this time around, with six found tucked up at the end of branches.

Finally, we come to the undisputed highlight of the weekend and a chance encounter with a Water Ladybird (Anistosticta novemdecimpunctata) at the same site, this one found nestled within the decaying stem of a Bulrush. A real favourite of mine, I expected to wait until at least May before happening across this species which remains scarce, or at least under-recorded, in my corner of the country.

Inspired by those sharing their finds under #LadybirdYearList on Twitter, this year I’ll be attempting to see as many of these fabulous insects as possible across the North East. While we are not exactly spoiled for choice up here, lacking many of the inconspicuous ladybirds found in the South and a good few of the larger species too, I suspect 12-15 might be possible with a little effort.

Last year provided my first encounter with Eyed, Kidney-Spot and 24-Spot Ladybirds and this year, hopefully, I may catch up with Striped, Larch or Hieroglyphic – species I am yet to see anywhere in the UK.

Ladybirds in Newcastle

Keen to further explore Newcastle’s ladybirds as part of the North East Ladybird Spot, last weekend I set off for two local sites that I seldom visit. The first, Newcastle’s Great Park, a new suburb of the city located four miles from the city centre, and the second, the well-known Havannah Nature Reserve near Dinnington.

Arriving at the Great Park, I soon set off for the series of small, well-vegetated pools situated close to the sprawling housing estate. With the margins here chock-full of Bulrush, Common Reed and an assortment of sedges, it looked like a great spot to finally catch up with one of the North East’s scarcer conspicuous ladybirds: the Water Ladybird. Sweeping the margins here, it wasn’t long before I encountered my first – the insect in question now beige in colour, as opposed to red, as is the norm later in the year.

During an hour-long search of the pools, a further six Water Ladybirds were found, though each was difficult to find and spotting them absent aid of a net would have been a challenge, to say the least.

Opting for a poke about some nearby grassy areas, it was nice to find a variety of other ladybirds tucked away in various hidden corners. 7-spot Ladybirds were of course the most numerous, followed closely by the smaller 14-spot Ladybird. Several non-native Harlequin Ladybirds were also encountered disguised within the fading blooms of Wild Parsnip. On route home, a duo of 22-Spot Ladybirds were also good to see.

Whereas Water Ladybirds had been an ‘expected’ find at the Great Park, on this occasion, they found themselves eclipsed somewhat by another interesting discovery. Exploring the grassland close to the aforementioned pools, the rather small ladybird below was also noticed. Resembling at first a miniature 7-Spot Ladybird, it took a short while to identify this as Adonis’ Ladybird, a scarce species up North that seems especially fond of wasteland sites. A new species for me, no less!

Fast forward a day and on Sunday, Matt and I set off for Havannah Nature Reserve keen to build on the previous day’s bumper haul of ladybirds. We were not disappointed…

Starting out with a search of some of the lusher areas on site, it didn’t take long to find both of the small yellow ladybirds commonly associated with grassland. A single 22-Spot Ladybird was soon found, followed by a number of 14-Spots. 7-Spot Ladybird was encountered here too, this time sheltering among the browning seedheads of Common Knapweed.

It was only upon reaching the heathland area of the reserve when things picked up drastically. Here, the small conifers colonising the heath were crawling with ladybirds. Indeed, we counted over seventy individuals during an hour-long search and the diversity on show here was wonderful.

It didn’t take Matt long to find our first 2-Spot Ladybird of the day, while both 7-Spot and Harlequin Ladybirds were numerous. All noticeably tucked away among cones and buds in an effort to escape the weather. More interesting still was the presence of a good number of Pine Ladybirds, a species I haven’t recorded locally since April this year. Small, black and boasting a characteristic flange around the base of each elytron, it was great to see these in any sort of quantity.

A single 10-Spot Ladybird was also encountered here, though this was quickly forgotten as we caught sight of a rather chunky ladybird moving speedily up the trunk of a mature pine. Potting this for closer inspection, it was revealed to be Eyed Ladybird, our largest species of ladybird and a real beauty if that. A species strongly associated with pine and known to specialise in pine aphids, it was little surprise we encountered this striking species here.

Whilst the wetland habitats at Havannah are far more limited than those of the previous site, the good-sized pond here and the riparian vegetation surrounding it looked good for Water Ladybird. Perhaps slightly emboldened by our previous encounter, we soon set about searching and though it took far longer, were rewarded with a single Water Ladybird scooped on this occasion from Gypsywort.

This has been a year of firsts on the ladybird front. Perhaps I am simply paying closer attention, though whatever the reason, the species listed above join Kidney-Spot and 11-Spot Ladybirds, as well as the tiny Rhyzobius litura, to make 2021 a fantastic year thus far.

Time looks to be running out this year but I’ll definitely be setting my sights on other species likely to be encountered in the nearby area. Foremost among these, the eye-catching Striped Ladybird, though Larch and Hieroglyphic wouldn’t go amiss either.

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