Insects

There are 29 entries matching this topic. They are listed below in alphabetical order.

Backswimmer: It is easy to see where backswimmers (Notonecta undulata) get their name. They spend most of their lives swimming on their backs. . . .
Cabbage White Butterfly: Cabbage white butterflies (Pieris rapae) get their name from the plants that they are typically found around – cabbage plants – and other members of the mustard family, including mustard, broccoli, and cauliflower. These are the host plants for cabbage butterfly caterpillars. . . .
Carpenter Ant: Ants are well known and recognized around the world. Carpenter ants (Camponotus ferrugineus) are relatively large (queens reach 3/4 inch long; workers, 1/4 - 1/2 inch long) and may be red, brown or black in coloring. . . .
Cicada: For insects that people see every summer, the name cicada is often unfamiliar to Ohioans. Many people call these insects locusts. . . .
Clouded Sulfur Butterfly: Found commonly throughout Ohio, the clouded sulfur butterfly (Colias philodice) is found in various habitats that include fields, lawns, alfalfa and clover fields, roadsides and meadows. . . .
Common Buckeye Butterfly: Common buckeye butterflies (Junonia coenia) prefer habitats of sunny, open areas with low vegetation and some bare ground. Their identification is rather easy. . . .
Common Green Darner Dragonfly: Common green darners (Anax junius) are large, strong flying dragonflies. Their average body size is three inches long. They have a long blue, swollen abdomen, green thorax, yellowish-green face and wings with yellow tinges on the upper edge. . . .
Diving Beetle: Diving beetles are usually black or brown and oval-shaped. Adults average one-sixteenth to two-inches long, with a piercing-sucking mouth type. Their hind legs are made for swimming. . . .
Dragonflies and Damselflies: Worldwide there are more than 5,000 species of Odonata, with 450 species in North America, and 162 recorded from Ohio. . . .
Ebony Jewelwing: Ebony jewelwings (Calopteryx maculata) are one of the most common and widespread of the damselflies. They can be identified in the air by their skipping flight pattern, their iridescent bodies, and their black wings. . . .
Elfin Skimmer: Also known as bluebells, elfin skimmers (Nannothemis bella) are in the family which contains the smallest of the dragonflies. They are so small, averaging three-quarters of an inch long, that they sometimes become trapped in sundew. . . .
Gypsy Moth: Destructive gypsy moths (Lymantria dispar) were accidentally introduced into the United States in the 1860s in Boston, Massachusetts. They have been spreading westward ever since. . . .
Honey Bee: Honey bees have dark brown bodies with dark bands toward the rear of their reddish-brown abdomens. They have a stinger but can only use it once to sting. . . .
House Fly: Common house flies (Musca domestica) need no identification. They are the most recognizable insects in the world. They have a grayish-black thorax, large red eyes and only one pair of transparent wings (most insects have two pairs). . . .
Japanese Beetle: It is safe to say that if you have roses in your yard, you have seen Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica). These metallic blue-green members of the scarab family of beetles are very destructive to garden plants and flowers. . . .
Ladybird Beetle: Everyone knows the ladybug, but do you know the ladybird beetle (Coccinellidae sp.)? This is the true name of this beautiful insect. . . .
Lilypad Clubtail: There are thirty species of clubtail dragonflies in Ohio. Most are river species, making the lilypad clubtail (Arigomphus furcifer) different than the others. . . .
Luna Moth: With thin, velvety, pale green wings spanning three to five inches, which taper down to form three inch long curving tails, luna moths (Actias luna) are some of the most beautiful moths in North America. . . .
Monarch Butterfly: Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) are one of the most recognizable butterflies in Ohio. They are found in every county in the state. . . .
Mosquito: There are about 2,700 species of mosquitoes in the world. Sixty of these live in Ohio. . . .
Praying Mantis: The praying mantis (Stagmomantis carolina; the Carolina mantis) is an odd- looking creature and a favorite of young insect collectors. Their name comes from the way the large front legs hold up the front of the body as if they are praying. . . .
Question Mark Butterfly: Question mark butterflies (Polygonia interrogationis) get their name from their wings. The forewings of question mark butterflies are hooked. The upperside of the 2.25 -3 inch wings are red-orange with black spots. . . .
Red Admiral Butterfly: The upperside of the wings of red admiral butterflies (Vanessa atalanta) are black with white spots near the apex. The forewings have a red median band, while the hindwings have a red band along the margins. The adult wingspan measures one and quarter to three inches. . . .
Seepage Dancer: Seepage dancers (Argia bipunctulata) belong in the family of pond damselflies. The beginning and end segments of the males’ abdomen are blue with black rings on the posterior (rear) side; the middle segments are black. . . .
Spring Azure Butterfly: The color of the spring azure (Celastrina ladon) changes seasonally. For the most part, however, the upperside of the wings of males are blue. Female wings have some black on the forewing's outer edge. . . .
Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly: The males of the tiger swallowtail butterfly (Papilla glaucus) are easy to identify. They are large and yellow with black tiger stripes. Females come in two different color forms. . . .
Viceroy Butterfly: Viceroy butterflies (Limenitis archippus) look almost identical to the monarch butterfly. The identifying difference is that viceroys have a black line across the hindwing and white dots in the black band along the edge. . . .
Walkingstick: There are no other insects that have such an appropriate name than walkingsticks (Diapheromera femorata). Their four-inch long (average) bodies, legs, antennae, and green or brown coloring allow them to look just like sticks. . . .
Yellowjacket Wasp: Yellowjacket wasps (Vespula sp.) are found throughout Ohio and all of North America. . . .