Two-spotted Lady Beetle

Adalia bipunctata

The two-spotted lady beetle is native to North America but its populations have heavily declined across much of its range. It is a small lady beetle that has great variation in its black and red patterns. The most familiar form, after which it is named, has two black spots on a red background. Other forms include a black background with four or six red spots, a spotless form, a four-banded form, a nine to twelve spotted form, and a "cross-hatched" form.

Like other lady beetles, they are fierce predators, feeding on small soft-bodied insects like aphids.

Look for two-spotted lady beetles on the leaves of willow and wormwood in the river valley where they are attracted to aphids!