Cream Spotted Lady Beetle Calvia quatuordecimguttata
The Cream-spotted Lady Beetle below also belongs to our most common species. Yet it is not often seen, for it lives high up in trees. Occasionally it inhabits lower shrubs and plants. The adults are seen almost all year round, for they overwinter. Best chances of seeing this species is in autumn, when it regularly falls down with leaves and is seen climbing back to trees. The spots are almost invariably arranged the same way. In total each shield has seven of them: one in the front, followed by three, usually almost in a stright line. Next are two dots and a single spot makes the number seven. The Cream Spotted Lady Beetle is quite variable when it comes to size though: small ones may be just 4 mm, big ones 6 mm. Both the adults and the larvae eat aphids and such.
The scientific name is also written as Calvia 14-guttata. In common English this species is also known as Polkadot Lady Beetle, Eighteen-spotted Lady Beetle and Cream-spot Ladybird.
