ladybird
part of speech
noun (a ladybird, ladybirds); US «ladybug», also «lady beetle»
meaning for a pupil
A ladybird is a small round beetle, usually red or orange with black spots, that eats tiny insects like greenfly. tree →
sense in the lessons
In gardens and science lessons ladybirds are helpful insects because they eat aphids (greenfly) that damage plants. Their bright colours warn birds that they taste bad. They go through a life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, adult. In stories and rhymes («Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home») they are lucky and friendly. Phrases: «a seven-spot ladybird», «ladybird larvae».
examples
- A ladybird landed on my hand. tree →
- Ladybirds eat greenfly, so gardeners like them. tree →
- This ladybird has seven black spots. tree →
- Ladybird larvae look like tiny spiky crocodiles. tree →
- In the US, a ladybird is called a ladybug. tree →
- The ladybird's red colour warns birds to stay away. tree →
- Ladybirds sleep through winter in groups. tree →
- We watched a ladybird climb up a leaf. tree →
note
Countable. British, Irish, Australian and NZ English say «ladybird»; American English says «ladybug». Myth: the number of spots shows a ladybird's age — no, it shows its kind (species). A ladybird is a beetle, not a bug or a bird.
In the corpora
- Ladybirds eat aphids, and one ladybird can eat thousands of aphids in its life.
- Some ants guard aphids from ladybirds and stroke them for sweet honeydew, and some keep aphid eggs in the nest over winter.
- Farmers have other helpers too: ladybirds that eat aphids and barn owls that hunt mice.
- A ladybird's red and black are a warning: it tastes bitter and oozes yellow liquid from its knees when grabbed.
- Ladybirds eat greenfly and help gardens.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «ladybird» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.