The seven-spotted lady beetle is the classic storybook ladybug: a shiny, domed beetle about 0.3 inch long with orange to red wing covers carrying seven black spots in a one, four, two pattern. A small pale spot sits on each side of the head.
It is not native. It comes from Eurasia, where it is said to be the most common lady beetle in Europe, and it was released in North America several times to control aphids. A population took hold in New Jersey in the early 1970s, and it has since spread widely.
Both the adults and the dark, alligator-shaped larvae hunt aphids. A female can lay hundreds of eggs, sometimes more than a thousand, placing small clusters close to aphid colonies, and a new generation can develop from egg to adult in as little as two to three weeks. Adults spend the winter tucked into sheltered spots near where they fed and come out in spring to hunt again.
Because it is such an effective predator, it has displaced some native lady beetles in parts of its new range. It is most abundant in mid to late summer. Look for it wherever aphids crowd onto plants in sunny places.
How to identify it
A fairly large, oval, domed lady beetle about 0.3 inch long with orange to red wing covers marked by seven black spots in a 1-4-2 pattern, and a pale spot on each side of the head. Larvae are dark and alligator-shaped with three pairs of legs.
Look-alikes
Several other lady beetles are red or orange with black spots. Count the spots and check for the pale patch on each side of the head to confirm this one.
Habitat
Anywhere aphids gather on plants, including fields, gardens and other sunny, open places, most abundant in mid to late summer.
Sightings in the forest
133 research-grade sightings in Mt. Hood National Forest on iNaturalist, most recently on October 11, 2026. See them on iNaturalist →