The Virgin Mary inspired the name of the ladybug.

Why do we refer to ladybugs as "ladies" when they are both male and female? They are named after a specific woman, the Virgin Mary, explains Merriam-Webster. The seven-spot ladybug is one of the most prevalent species in Europe, and its seven spots served as a reminder of the Virgin Mary's seven sorrows. The name Marienkäfer, or Mary's beetle, is even used for these insects in Germany.

Ladybugs come in a wide variety of hues.

Ladybugs appear in a variety of colours, from ashy grey to dull brown to metallic blue, though you've probably only ever seen red ones with black spots. Furthermore, their patterns are not just limited to spots and can include stripes, squiggles, and even no pattern at all. The amount of spots varies among the spotted ladybugs. The black ladybug only has two vivid red dots. However, there are 22 of them on the yellow twenty-two spot ladybug.

And some ladybugs are even more confusing. The harlequin ladybug can have none or up to 22 spots and come in a variety of colours, including black. yellow, red, and practically any combination of those.

Ladybugs use poisonous compounds to defend themselves.

The intensity of these poisons is correlated with the colour of the ladybug; the more vivid the ladybug, the more potent the poison. Don't worry; unless you consume a large number of them or are allergic to them, ladybugs won't cause you any harm. However, many ladybugs secrete toxins that make them repulsive to birds and other potential predators.

They produce additional eggs to give their young as snacks.

On a plant, ladybug mothers deposit clusters of eggs. Some of these won't hatch and are devoid of embryos. The newly hatched larvae will eat these.