As students consider why native/non-native ladybugs have (or have not) been found on your campus this month, it would be a good time to analyze your data to try to discover what it might tell you about your schoolyard in order to continue to consider the changes you can make to your school grounds (see December extension support). 

Are your students finding any ladybugs?  If so, where are they finding them?  Discussing these questions this month will help your students explore the overarching questions, but can also help them understand how different ladybug species overwinter. Have students examine their predictions related to the first overarching question about species variance and revise based on what they have learned about overwintering. As predictions evolve, it is helpful to keep a visible record of student thinking so that they can reflect on how their understanding has changed.

1. Species variance: Do you see differences in the types and number of ladybugs of each type that you find throughout the school year within your local area?
2. Geographic variance: Do you see the same patterns across locations throughout North Carolina?

Mr. Jones would like students’ questions to drive his instruction. Students have begun asking: “Why are we finding ladybugs inside now?” and “Why are we finding ladybugs in groups?” To acknowledge these student-generated questions while still addressing his planned focus on overwintering, Mr. Jones decides to document and organize them under a broader question: “How and why does ladybug behavior change throughout the year?” 

To begin addressing the first question about increased indoor ladybug sightings, Mr. Jones guides students to look at their data collection sheets and maps. They have recently noted indoor observations of ladybugs. Ask students what they notice about the recorded outdoor temperatures for these sightings. Students discover that once the temperatures dropped outdoors, they started finding more ladybugs indoors. When students express concern over whether the ladybugs will survive, Mr. Jones reminds students of a classroom discussion earlier in the year when students discussed the needs of a ladybug, which prompts students to ask about food and water sources when ladybugs come indoors. Mr. Jones acknowledges that it can be difficult for ladybugs to meet their needs for food and water while indoors, which is why students have also discovered dead ladybugs. He then shares that when ladybugs are dormant (e.g., when gathered outdoors together in a crevice of a log), they can survive without food because they live off of their energy reserves until their food (like aphids) reappear with warmer temperatures. Mr. Jones informs students that ladybugs do require some moisture during the overwintering period. 

Now that the class recognizes that ladybugs are coming indoors to overwinter and escape the cold temperatures and harsh winter weather, Mr. Jones asks students to consider where ladybugs could shelter outdoors. Students express uncertainty and have difficulty generating locations, so Mr. Jones decides that students will go outdoors to identify outdoor areas ladybugs may overwinter during the next class period. In preparation, they discuss what students should wear to be prepared for outdoor exploration the following day, given that it will be cold.

Refer back to the science content support in October for more information regarding the use of the field guide, which lists the ladybugs as native or exotic (non-native) in North Carolina (see picture below). 

Native species: species that normally live and thrive in a given region.

Non-native species: species that do not naturally occur in an area and are introduced accidentally or purposefully. 

You may see the terms “non-native” and “exotic” used interchangeably and these are viewed as neutral terms by those in the field. In contrast, the term “invasive,” carries a negative connotation. There are conflicting views as to whether non-native species should be considered invasive.

For more information regarding the introduction of ladybug species in the United States, refer to the brochure from the Lost Ladybug website.

During the warmer, drier months, ladybugs will be most prevalent, however once the weather cools and potentially becomes wetter, they will be looking for remote places to stay warm, including under rocks or logs and inside homes or buildings. While attempting to stave off the cold, ladybugs will become dormant, slowing down their body’s needs in a process called overwintering. They will live off of the fat in their bodies, move very slowly or hardly at all, and gather in groups to stay warm. Once the weather warms again, they will begin to move around much more, feed, and again, be much more prevalent outside. More information about ladybugs in the winter can be found in the Teacher Content Resources.

• Example: A student explanation making connections between the temperature of ladybug searches and observed ladybugs may focus on the number of ladybugs observed at two nonconsecutive temperature ranges (30-40 degrees Fahrenheit and 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit) in the explanation even though the student considered data in other temperature ranges when making a claim. The teacher could ask the student why the ranges used were selected and how the ranges represented the idea the student was trying to communicate in the explanation. 

How can I help my students construct explanations?

Some possible strategies include: 

• Encourage students to revisit the investigation question multiple times to think about what it is asking. 
• Have students think through possible responses to the question that would make sense. 
• Redirect students to their data and ask students how the data provide evidence to respond to the question. 
• Have students check their responses using their data and consider how reasonable their explanation is and whether there could be any alternate explanations.

Abstracting Data from School Grounds Map:

September (28,14) near tree

September (28,18) near tree

September (4,3) bushes near trailer

September (8,4) bushes near trailer

October (22,18) near tree

October (6, 28) near tree

October (28, 15) near tree

October (27, 15) near tree

October (28, 14) near tree

November (35, 9) near tree

November (30, 23) in tall grass near sidewalk

November (28, 14) near tree

December (22,17) near tree

January-none

The nine-spotted ladybug (or C9) was one of the most common ladybugs found across the United States and Canada until the late 1980s. Since then, the population of C9 and several other native species has rapidly declined, while others (natives and non-natives) have thrived. The Lost Ladybug website has several sources that refer to the story of C9 (and other native species in decline): story of the 9-spotted ladybug, Dylan & Jaime and the LLP, and Threatened and Endangered Insect Abstracts.

It may be challenging to locate ladybugs outdoors during the winter months. Consider the following tips for looking for ladybugs and navigating winter weather as a class. 

• Remind students to dress appropriately for the weather (e.g., coats, layered clothing, hats/scarfs/gloves, boots)
• If your students do not have appropriate clothing, consider asking for donations from your PTA or a local community organization, or visit a thrift shop to keep some items in your classroom for use as needed. 
• Often during the winter in North Carolina, some days are milder than others, and they are forecast several days in advance. Consider scheduling your ladybug outings on these days. 
• Look carefully under logs, rocks, or fallen leaves to search for ladybugs in the cooler weather. 
• Ladybugs of some species like to overwinter indoors. Take a “hike” inside your school building looking at windows, doorways, the floor, and ceiling light fixtures in different locations. Ask your colleagues to alert you if ladybugs are spotted in their classrooms.

Ladybugs are impacted by human behavior, and human behavior is impacted by the media. Therefore, an extension opportunity for your students would be to review positive and negative advertisements/blogs/posts/articles that contrast publicly available information about ladybugs. Then, ask students to share what is different about each, where the information is sourced, who the audiences are, and the different perceptions it might lead people to have about ladybugs. Student responses could be used in their final presentations in the culminating activities.