This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Arts & Entertainment

Ladybugs!

Ladybugs - Ladybugs - Everywhere

Did you know that there are about 6,000 species of ladybugs that exist around the world, including 450 in North America?

The ladybug is the state insect of New York, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee. It is also the "official national mascot" for Alpha Sigma Alpha, a national sorority in the United States.

Ladybugs or ladybirds as they are also called, lay eggs that hatch in three to four days from clutches numbering from a few to several dozen. Ladybugs live a year or two.

Find out what's happening in Grotonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The ladybird was immortalized in the still-popular children's rhyme "Ladybug, Ladybug"

Ladybird, ladybird, flyaway home
Your house is on fire and your children are gone
All except one, and that's Little Anne
For she has crept under the warming pan.

Find out what's happening in Grotonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Information from wikipedia.com

Making a ladybug

Picture 1 - Supplies

Start with two small paper plates, some red and black paint markers or crayons and a brad.

Begin by painting one plate red and 3/4 of the other plate red. Add black dots for the eyes on the white part of the plate.

Picture  2 - Painted ladybug

When everything is dry cut the fully painted paper plate in half

Picture 3 - Wings

Now punch a hole in one corner of each of the wings and behind the eyes on the head and attach the brad through the two wings and through the head so that the wings move back and forth.

Picture 4 - Granddaughter with finished ladybug

This is not recomended for a small child to play with! The picture of my granddaughter is purely for entertainment value.

Ladybug cupcakes

Ladybug cupcakes are great for a child’s picnic, birthday party or garden party. They are easy to make and fun for everyone in the family to put together. (And they do not crawl away!)

Start with a cupcake of your choice.

You will also need:

  • icing
  • red food coloring
  • blue, black or purple food coloring
  • chocolate chips 
  • licorice shoelaces

Picture  5 - Cupcakes

Make a batch of icing and tint most of it red. Cover ¾ of your cupcake with red icing. (You can also buy white icing and use red food color to tint it red).

Picture 6 - Red icing

Cover the last ¼ with white icing and let set for about 5 minutes.

Picture 7 - White icing

Add mini chocolate chips for eyes

Picture 8 - eyes

Take six chocolate chips and make dots on the ladybugs red back and shoestring licorice as antennas.

Picture 9 - Antenna and spots

Fill a plastic sandwich bag with black-tinted icing, which you can make by adding blue, black or purple food coloring to the red icing you already have. Take black icing and make a Y on the red portion of the ladybug's back then follow the outline between the white and the red with the black-tinted icing and you will have a cute lady bug

Picture 10 - Finished ladybug

Picture 11 - Plate of ladybugs

 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?