( Tune: Jolly Old St. Nicholas)
Ladybirds have spots or stripes
They're yellow, red or green;
They love to live where there are weeds;
Around the world they're seen.
They're in the beetle family
And that is no surprise,
Though some folks call them "ladybugs"
Or even "ladyflies."
They lay their eggs upon a leaf;
Their larva is quite small
With little legs; the pupa stage
Hangs on a leaf or wall.
Their favorite food is aphid pests--
They eat a lot each day;
And from their legs a fluid comes
That drives their foes away.
Each beetle has six jointed legs
With which it walks or clings;
It also has two separate pairs
Of very special wings;
The first pair is quite hard and tough,
Protecting what's below:
Transparent wings that it can use
To fly where it should go.
About a hundred years ago
An awful insect pest
Was spoiling California's fruit--
The farmers had no rest--
Till someone had a great idea
And from Australia came
A beetle that would save the crop: The ladybird by name.
I whispered in its tiny ear
To not make any noise;
Because it was a ladybug
And that washroom was for boys!
Raindrops by Aileen Fisher
How brave a ladybug must be!
Each drop of rain is big as she.
Can you imagine what you'd do
If raindrops fell as big as you?
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