A4 print of Ladybird by Bethan Art. 
 
I managed to make it to thirty years old before learning why a ladybird is called a ladybird. The ‘lady’ refers to Our Lady – Mary the mother of Jesus Christ, who was often portrayed wearing a red cloak in religious paintings.
 
There has been a long transatlantic disagreement over whether Coccinella septempunctata should be commonly known as ladybirds or ladybugs. But both are technically incorrect. They are definitely not birds, but they aren’t bugs either. Ladybirds are beetles, distinguished from bugs by a hardened set of wings which form a shell to protect the fragile flying wings folded underneath.