Coccinella septempunctata

The 7 Spot Ladybird.  A chance find.  So after we were up Clickychick pointed out it was sunny and there was a shot she wanted with early morning sun.  So off we went.

CC always takes far longer to get the shot she wants than I do (perhaps that's why she gets better shots).  So I often end up wandering round taking shots of odd things which take my fancy.  Today I spotted (no pun intended) a 7 Spot Lady bird posing nicely on a fence post.

7 Spots are the commonest Ladybirds in Europe.  Well until the dreaded Harlequin Ladybird wipes them all out.  In the USA Harlequins (introduced in 1988) have taken over from the 7 spot as the most common Ladybird.