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= Ladybugs =

What most people know as the "ladybug" is actually not the scientific name. In fact, this little critter is a type of beetle known as the lady beetle. It is said that sometime in the Middle Ages, farmers, Catholic in particular, were struggling with insects eating their crops. The lady beetle began eating away these pests and the farmers were very grateful. They thought of this as a miracle from God and named the beetle after the mother of Jesus, Mary, who is also known as "Our Lady." This is how the ladybug got its’ name.

The **scientific classification** of ladybugs is this: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthopoda (Invertebrates) Class: Insecta (Insects) Order: Coleoptera (Beetles) Family: Coccinellidae (Lady beetles) The Genus and Species will then vary after this.

There are around 5,000 different species of ladybugs but four of the most common are:

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 * Seven-spotted Ladybug-** These ladybugs are round and dome shaped. The come from Europe and are the first type we see when spring rolls around.
 * Convergent Ladybug-** These ladybugs are oval-shaped. They are found commonly in the pacific coastal area. One special thing about these ladybugs is that they are raised and sold to help farmers protected their crops from pests.
 * Asian Ladybeetle-** These ladybugs are usually larger and are multicolored. They are known from their 5 black spots that are close together which form to make a shape like the letter M. They originated in Asia but are also found in the United States.
 * C-Mac ladybug-** This ladybug has an oblong shape and is pink with black spots. They are one of the fastest ladybugs because of their small size. The provide excellent protection for a gardeners plants