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Official Insect of the Commonwealth - Ladybug

The Ladybug is the Official State Insect of five states; New York, Ohio, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Tennessee. The Lady Bug is the Official State "Bug" of Delaware. The Lady Beetle as it's called in scientific circles comes in many colors, including white, yellow, pink, orange, red or black and generally has spots.

Ladybugs are considered to be beneficial insects, because of their voracious appetite for garden aphids.

The Ladybug, as official Insect of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, came to fruition due to the efforts of a second grade class in Franklin. It started in Ms. Pamela Johnson's class at the Kennedy School. In a discussion about Massachusetts' symbols, one student asked about an official bug. When it was discovered that there wasn't an official bug for the Commonwealth, Ms. Johnson and her class went to work. Get the whole story here.

New York: New York is the only state that specifies the scientific name in their designation of the Ladybug as the Official State Insect. They name the Nine-Spotted Lady Beetle (Coccinela novemnotata) as the Official State Insect. A rendition of this Ladybug is displayed on this page.

Massachusetts: The most common Ladybug seen in Massachusetts is the two-spotted Lady Beetle (Adalia bipunctata). It's most easily recognized by the two distinct spots on its back. This Lady Beetle's head is black. Though Massachusetts law does not specify a scientific name, this is the accepted representative of the Ladybug family in Massachusetts.