All tagged Insect
Although many species of butterflies in North America are shy of humans and fly away if we get too close, the Hackberry Emperor butterfly often acts just the opposite. These small butterflies routinely fly in circles around a person and then boldly land right on their skin!
Stink bugs – who likes them? There are many species of stink bugs native to the United States, and the biggest problem with them is they emit a stinky odor when handled. Luckily, the populations of native species are kept in check by local natural predators.
Fall is almost over already and winter is approaching. But not long ago some of our most beautiful butterflies were still active. These are the Buckeye butterflies.
Beetles are among the most common insect species on Earth. In fact, there are over 400,000 species of beetles known today, and those are just the species we know about right now. More species are being discovered and named every year.
Hornets! Bald-Faced Hornets! When some people hear those words, their first thought is to run! But there is no need to fear bald-faced hornets in most cases.
Caterpillars are cool creatures. They hatch from tiny eggs and usually grow through multiple stages, or instars, before going through the amazing process of metamorphosis and turning into a beautiful butterfly or moth.
There are lots of beautiful butterflies flying around in North America – big ones, small ones, colorful ones – but one of the smallest is the Summer Azure butterfly. This beautiful, tiny butterfly has a wingspan of only about an inch and a half, and it flies very quickly and erratically through the countryside.
The Periodical Cicada is a fairly large insect that emerges en masse – or in huge numbers – in the eastern half of the United States in certain years. The adult insects of many of these species have black upper bodies with orange legs and orange underparts.
If you have milkweed plants in your garden for the benefit of monarch butterflies, good job! Monarchs need milkweed as a host plant where they can lay their eggs. Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed plants, including their close milkweed relatives.
When it comes to butterflies that are fast “on-the-wing”, skippers are near always near the top of the list. These speedsters tend to fly in an erratic, darting motion that can really make a person dizzy if you try to follow them.
Although some of our most recognizable butterflies are brightly colored, most moths tend to be a muted brown or gray color. One exception is the Southern Emerald moth. This interesting little moth is a fairly bright green color, and green is a color that is somewhat unexpected when talking about moths (or butterflies).
Anyone who digs around in the dirt or leaf litter – or who has lifted a rotting log to see what is under it – has probably seen one or more species of millipedes. Millipedes are those creepy, crawly, many-legged creatures that usually scurry away as soon as you uncover them.
