7-Spot Ladybird

The 7-Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata) is one of our native British species and one of 8 types of ladybird and of 17 species of beetles recorded so far in Charlton Down Nature Area in Dorset. Its continued existence is threatened by competition from the larger invasive Harlequin ladybirds which are more frequently found in our locality.

Our native British species of all kinds of organisms are under threat from many sources. A world-leading study, State of Nature, finds no let-up in the decline of our wildlife, with one in six species at risk of being lost from Great Britain.

State of Nature, the most comprehensive report on UK wildlife, also shows that the species studied have, on average, declined by 19% in the UK since monitoring began in 1970.

However, this figure is much higher for some groups such as birds (43%), amphibians and reptiles (31%), fungi and lichen (28%) and terrestrial mammals (26%). Many species now face an uncertain future. There have also been declines in the distributions of more than half (54%) of our flowering plant species.

Useful Books and Links

https://www.nhbs.com/blog/the-nhbs-guide-to-uk-ladybird-beetle-identification

Guide to ladybirds of the British Isles, Field Studies Council Fold-out Guides, Majerus, Roy, Brown, Poland & Shields, 2006, OP102, ISBN 978-1-85153-297-1.

Ladybirds Atlas, Roy, Brown, Frost & Poland, SP3, 2011, ISBN 978-1-90669-820-1.

National Biodiversity Network – State of Nature 2023