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.
All tagged Insect
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Stinging Bald-Faced Hornet
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.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Native Forest Tent Caterpillar
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.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Tiny Summer Azure Butterfly
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.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Periodical Cicada
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.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Large Milkweed Bug
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.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Silver-Spotted Skipper Butterfly
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.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Southern Emerald Moth
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).
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: Those Creepy Millipedes
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.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The White-Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar
Everyone knows that caterpillars turn into butterflies, but many people don’t think about the fact that some caterpillars turn into moths, too. One really cool-looking caterpillar that turns into a moth is the White-Marked Tussock Moth caterpillar.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: Another Invader – The Spotted Lanternfly
Invasive species have become all too common in recent years, and things don’t appear to be getting any better. There are invasive fish, invasive plants and far too many invasive insects. One of those foreign insects that have appeared in the USA within the past decade is the Spotted Lanternfly.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Colorful Candy-Striped Leafhopper
The warm days of summer are here, and that means our flower and vegetable gardens are already in full bloom. One of the most colorful residents of our backyard gardens is not a flower, though, it is the tiny candy-striped leafhopper.