FAR Research | Ladybird/Mumutawa Spotter

Estimated Time 30 minutes
Location Outdoors
Time of Year Summer , Spring & Autumn
Curriculum L1/2 , L3 & L4
Subject Science

Find ladybirds at different stages of their life cycle and performing different natural behaviours. Can you find different ladybird species too?

Learning Intentions

Students will be able to:

understand the life cycle of ladybirds and name the life stages
observe their behaviours
appreciate there are many species of ladybirds.

Spot ladybirds in a garden, waste area or on the farm

Use the spotter guide below to find and name the different life stages of a ladybird. To do this, find a garden, wasteland or unkept farm margin that has a variety of plants in flower, and where there are lots of aphids.
Carefully search high and low to find any eggs, larvae and adults.
Record what you find by ticking the boxes and recording your observations by writing about them, through drawings, or by taking photos.

Ladybird/Mumutawa Spotter pdf download (optimised for colour printing on A4, 2.1MB).

Hints and tips

For optimal picture details, first open the above high resolution pdf. Then, view it on-screen.
Print the spotter sheet on heavy weight paper for use in the field.
Hint: Laminate the sheet so students can tick the boxes with marker pens. Erase with methylated spirits for re-use.
Students can share what they have found by showing others or taking photos.
Records: Students record observations of: 1) where the ladybirds are found and 2) what they are doing.

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