Ladybug (or Ladybird)
Ladybug (or Ladybird)
Popular name of the colorful red-spotted beetle of the family Coccinellidae of the order Coleoptera. It is the subject of many folklore superstitions. It brings children, warns of danger, forecasts length of life by the number of its spots, or warns of death. In British and European folklore, the ladybird was captured by a young woman and bidden to fly "north, south, or east, or west" in the direction in which her lover lived. Whichever way the insect flew, there dwelled her future husband. A well-known children's rhyme is: "Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home, your house is on fire, and your children all roam."
ladybug
la·dy·bug / ˈlādēˌbəg/ • n. a small beetle (family Coccinellidae), typically red or yellow with black spots. Both the adults and larvae are important predators of aphids.