Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright S.A. Marshall.

Although North America's almost 500 species of Coccinellidae include three species that attack plants and another three which eat fungal spores, most lady beetles are extraordinary consumers of aphids and related soft-bodied insects such as mealybugs. The familiar round little red or orange beetles that everyone recognises as lady beetles usually specialize on aphids, and are among the most beneficial of beetles.