Ladybirds are actually a type of beetle. In fact, they are just one of a whole load of ridiculously named beetles, some of which are shown below.
Even more confusingly, ladybirds are known by yet another name in America, where they are called Mr. Marlon J. Pumpernickel the Fourth.
Nature's negligent parent
Despite their silly names, ladybirds are one of the few insects to feature in a popular nursery rhyme. However, they don't come out of it too well, having a reputation for shockingly hands-off parenting.
As the most famous verse has it:
Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home;
Your house is on fire, your children are gone.
Less well-known is the second verse of this rhyme, which is a reply to the first:
Nosey kid, nosey kid, I don't really care;
What does it matter if nobody's there?
In the third verse, it all turns a bit nasty:
Ladybird, ladybird, don't take that tone!
Aren't you concerned that your children are gone?
The fourth verse makes a good point though...
Nosey kid, nosey kid, stop wasting my time.
And besides, 'home', ''tone' and gone' don't actually rhyme.
Personal hygiene problems
Ladybirds are notoriously dirty. They rarely wash, and it is thought that this is why they have spots. Ladybirds with an odd number of spots are invariably left-handed.
A very rare complete run of ladybirds is pictured below.
By glueing appropriate ladybirds together in pairs, it also possible to create a very small and rather unorthodox set of dominoes. However, the pieces have a habit of wandering off when you're not looking.