There are over 100 species of ladybugs in Japan. The ones we often see are about 5 mm in size. One of the biggest is Aiolocaria hexaspilota which is over 1 cm in size.

Many ladybugs feed on aphids, but this big ladybug has a habit of feeding on leaf beetle larvae. It is usually found only on trees of willows and walnuts on the side of rivers.

This ladybug can rarely be seen on the willows on the banks of the Yodo River, which flows down from Lake Biwa to Osaka. It is almost impossible to observe during the warm and their active period.

To meet one, it’s best to go and see them overwintering in the pits of a large tree trunks. The row of cherry blossom trees on the Yawata embankment (Sewaritei) may be a good place to observe. However, the ratio is about 1 to 1000 other ladybugs.