Ladybirds Shedding their Larval Skin

Some photos of ladybirds in the process of coming out of their final larval stage. During its growing period from larva to adult, the ladybird goes through 4 instars – instances where the skin is shed. Early instar larvae are small and hard to identify while late instar are bigger, distinctive looking creatures and easily identifiable with the naked eye. These pictures show the final stages of the last instar where the the larva becomes the ladybird.