Lori Sase, age 10, of Irvine, Calif., for her question:

ARE ALL LADYBIRDS RED?

This little pea size beetle may be called a ladybird or a ladybug. It may be a male or female and different types come in different colors. The showiest types have jet black dots on their bright red wings. There may be one dot on each wing, two dots or more than nine. Some types have black wings ornamented with vivid red spots.

But not all ladybugs wear red. Some are yellow or orange and their spots may be black or dullish brown. Most ladybugs are useful in the garden for they devour aphids and other insects that feed on our favorite flowers and vegetables. But the black sheep of the family feeds on leaves of the plant. This wretched little beetle has wings of drab brown, decorated with lighter brown spots. Altogether there are more than 300 different ladybugs and most types wear different outfits.