Above image found at: http://www.public-domain-image.com/animals/insects/ladybug/slides/ladybugs-insects.html

Here is one great idea to incorporate in your summer plans.  This was a full-page feature in the June 28, 2012 White Oak Independent newspaper.  It is called “The Lost Ladybug Project”, and here is how you can be involved.  According to the feature, some of the species of ladybugs are disappearing in North America. The three species that are declining in number are the nine-spotted ladybug, the traverse ladybug, and the two-spotted ladybug.  Entomologist need our help to look for and document the siting of any of these ladybugs.  If you locate one of these species, note the date, time, location, and habitat. Take a picture, if possible.  Then send the information to http://www.lostladybug.org.  Or send a printed picture with the information to: Lost Ladybug Project, Cornell University, Department of Entomology, 4117 Conrstock Hall, Ithaca, NY  14853.

Dig Deeper:  What is a ladybug?  How did it get its name?  What benefit does their color have?  How are they different from mosquitoes? What is an entomologist?  How many species are there in North America?  Why is the traverse ladybug named that?