I remember the first time I spotted a yellow ladybug.

I was outside enjoying a quiet afternoon, just watering my plants, when I saw something land on my arm. At first, I thought it was a regular ladybug, but this one was bright yellow. I’d never seen one like it before, and I couldn’t help but wonder: Is this some kind of rare ladybug? Or is it even a ladybug at all?

Naturally, I had to look it up. Turns out, yellow ladybugs are just one of many different colors ladybugs can be. I had no idea there were so many kinds! And, like the classic red ones, yellow ladybugs are often seen as a symbol of good luck. But what else do they mean? And why are they yellow in the first place? If you’ve ever come across one and wondered what’s going on, here’s the scoop.

First things first, yes, yellow ladybugs are absolutely real ladybugs. In fact, there are over 5,000 species of ladybugs in the world, and they come in different colors—red, orange, yellow, even black. We’re all most familiar with the classic red and black-spotted ones, but yellow ladybugs are just as much a part of the family.What’s interesting is that different colored ladybugs often have slightly different diets. Most red ladybugs love to eat aphids, which are small pests that destroy plants. But yellow ladybugs, like those in the Psyllobora family, tend to go for fungi like mildew. So, if you see a yellow one hanging around your garden, it’s probably helping out in its own unique way, just like the red ones.