Seen a ladybird lately?
They’re considered to be a sign of good luck. If you spot one, your wish will be granted, or if you are hoping for a proposal, a ladybird landing on your hand means you’ll be married within the year.
These are charismatic little bugs. With their striking bright red wing cases and symmetrical black dots, it’s no wonder they are held in more affection than most others on the planet.
In many languages, the ladybird is called “little cow”, and in Irish the insect is called “Bóín Dé”, or God’s little cow. This could be because their spots resemble the patterns on some cows, or because they were traditionally seen as a blessing from God for pest control.
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You see, ladybirds are not just gorgeous to look at, they perform some vital and beneficial work too. Most ladybirds are predators, with both adults and larvae feeding on aphids and other pests that damage plants and crops.
Harmless to humans, the ladybird is a voracious garden predator, munching through about 5,000 aphids in its year-long life. Aphids and such other pests damage plants and crops. It’s no wonder farmers and gardeners love ladybirds as they do such important work.
If your dahlias are being devoured by aphids right now and you see a ladybird, make a wish for more ladybirds.
By far the most well known of the species in Ireland is the seven-spot ladybird. However, there are 38 species that occur here, according to Ireland’s National Biodiversity Data Centre. Some of these are small and unspotted – so perhaps a bit less flamboyant than the ones we readily identify.
Quite a bit of data exists on the distribution and status of ladybirds in Northern Ireland thanks to research there, but our knowledge in the Republic is still a bit, well, spotty.
That’s about to change. The compilation of the national Ladybird Atlas 2025 is under way and with your help, the National Biodiversity Data Centre, in conjunction with the Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR) is aiming to map all the species here.
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By doing so, scientists hope to understand where all the ladybirds are, and where they are not. The map will provide a picture of the habitat different species of ladybird prefer too.
It’s really easy to help – if you see a ladybird, submit your sighting through Ireland’s Citizen Science Portal.
Here you’ll be asked to identify where you saw it – right down to the village or townland, whether it’s an adult or a larva, and how many you saw. You can upload a picture too – of the ladybird that is.
From Tralee to Thurles, Tallaght to New Twopothouse, citizen scientists have been busy sending in their sightings. People in Athenry, Athy and Ardee have been at it too. Some 1,040 seven-spotted ladybirds have been spotted so far this year.
Their reported sightings ramped up from about 95 in May to over 200 of them in June.
You might consider going a step farther by developing your ladybird identification skills and becoming a ladybird recorder for your area.
Right now, it is an important time for ladybirds – having mated in May, between June to July, females lay their fertilised eggs in bundles on leaves. When the larvae hatch, they feed on aphids until they emerge as fully grown ladybirds.
A ladybird can live in hedgerows, trees and grasslands, so you’ll do them a favour by mowing less or allowing a small section of your garden to stay wild. If you must weed, do it manually and don’t use pesticides and insecticides.
These chemicals can kill, harm, and disorientate insects or poison their food. If you buy plants at a garden centre, ask if they have been treated with chemicals. Even bee-friendly labelled plants may have been treated, harming ladybirds and other insects.
It would be a shame not to spot any more of them.
