
Coccinellidae (ladybird beetles) in the order Coleoptera (beetles)
The V-marked lady beetle, one of our many native lady beetles, is very attractive. The pattern and coloration can vary greatly among individuals, but most in this species have a V on the back. They eat a variety of soft-bodied insects, including the larvae of leaf beetles. One of their principal foods are leaf beetles that feed on the leaves of willows.
Learn more about this and other lady beetles (ladybugs) on their group page.
Invertebrates are animals without backbones, including earthworms, slugs, snails, and arthropods. Arthropods—invertebrates with “jointed legs” — are a group of invertebrates that includes crayfish, shrimp, millipedes, centipedes, mites, spiders, and insects. There may be as many as 10 million species of insects alive on earth today, and they probably constitute more than 90 percent all animal species.