Ladybug swarm and how they reveal their wings to fly

This lady bug swarm video from the mountains above Boulder, Colorado got popular in 2010, but the kids hadn’t seen it until this weekend and loved just how colorful this particular swarm was.

Lady bugs or lady birds are beetles and can be found in the UK, Ireland, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, India, Malta, and in parts of Canada and the US. According to wikipedia, there are over 5,000 species of them, with more than 450 of those in the United States. As examples, check out these two galleries of their diversity: one from the UK and one of Coccinellidae in India.

There’s also details about their anatomy here. Take special note about how their colorful casings pull up to reveal soft dark wings underneath.