Webspinners (J.R.)

Webspinners are not a very common insect. They are very small and slender. The male webspinners have a flattened body and the females are cylindrical in shape. Female Webspinners fead on dead leaves and the males feed on other insects.

The Honey Bee (PW)

The Honey Bee

The Honey bee may be a small insect that looks useless, but, it does many things for humans. It pollinates flowers which in turn gives us oxygen.
There are many different species of bees which have adapted to their environments. All honey bees have stingers, and for one simple reason. They need to protect their queen and their hive.

The European honey bee can be found in many different places and has adapted by changing colors to blend into the environment.
The dwarf honey bee is very small, so it build nests. Its stingers can't actually hurt humans but, it doesn't need stingers as much because it is always by other bees.

The giant honey bee is fierce. Because people take its honey it has a large stinger. These bees are the type of bee that can hurt and can even kill people in large groups.

The honey bee can be dangerous, and harmless, but they do give back to us humans, therefore, they are one of the most important insects that there is.

Monarch Butterfly (E.S.)

Ever seen on of those orange and black butterflies? Well, that's a Monarch Butterfly. It's the mostly known butterfly in North America, and it's famous for its unbelievable migration, it migrates all the way to Mexico in the fall! Why it migrates is because of the same reason lots of animals do!-because it's getting cold! [brrrrrrrrrr.]

It's scientific name is Danaus plexippus. The reason why it has it's bright color is to warn predators of its bad taste.

The egg is only found on species of Milkweed, which is also known as the host plant. It leaves cone-shaped, ivory-colored eggs on the host plant. It's Nectar plants are Milkweed, Asters, Red Clover, Zinnia, Cosmos, Lantana, Pentas, and Daisies. It's cocoon is green, smooth, dotted with gold, and crowned with a gold circle. As a caterpillar it is white with yellow and black stripes and it is about two inches. It's average wingspan is 4-6 inches.

lady bug (((KW)))

Lady Bug

Description:Long with orange-red wings. And different amounts of black dots. Heres a really good site that will tell you more.
Habitat: They live in lots of gardens all over the US, they also live in field, and on plants.
Reproduction: They lay 15-30 eggs.
Food: They usually eat plant lice, and other pests.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Coccinellidae
Genus: Hippodamia

more about them lady bugs!

emporer dragon fly (O.B.)

I know what your thinking whats so great about a dragonfly. i never knew that either until i researched on how they eat, what habitats they live in and quick facts. i am sure i can tell you about an emporer dragonfly.

they are very cool and have compound eyes. they can see really good and can see ultra violet. they lay their eggs in water so predaters do not get the eggs. they live in moist places use the wings independantely.

Tussoc Moth (J.P.)

Tussoc Moth makes an excellent impression of a dead leaf fallen from a tree. Young tussock moth caterpillars are blackish with long body hairs. They sprout brightly colored tufts of hair as they grow larger. A mature larva is 1.2 to 1.4 inches long, with a gray to brown body and shiny black head. Two long tufts of black hairs project forward from the head, and a similar tuft projects backward from the rear of the body. Dense, light brown patches of hairs and red spots occur on the first four and the last abdominal segments. There is an orange stripe on each side. The larval hairs are irritating to some people and livestock and may cause a serious rash. The hairs are not normally considered poisonous.

The cocoon is brownish gray and covered with hairs from the body of the larva. Cocoons usually are attached to foliage but may be found on tree trunks, rocks or other objects.

The adult moth is .5 to .8 inch long. The female, usually found in the vicinity of her pupal cocoon, has rudimentary wings and cannot fly. Females normally are grayish with the tip of the abdomen much darker. They have small thread-like antennae.

Adult males are gray-brown to blackish moths with feathery antennae and a wing spread of approximately 1.2 inches. The forewings are rusty brown and the hind wings grayish brown.

The egg mass, laid on the female pupal cocoon, contains about 300 white spherical eggs in several layers, all covered with a frothy substance intermixed with body hairs from the larvae. There is one generation per year. The adults appear from late July to early September. The insects overwinter in the egg stage. Eggs hatch in late May or early June after new foliage has appeared.(Colorado state university)

giant leaf insect (S.K.)

The giant leaf bug is awesome! It camoflages by looking like a LEAF! How kool is that. The ridge along the back of the bug looks like the rib on the middle of a leaf. The brown flat legs look like a twisted dead leaf. Also it's almost imposible to tell it's difference from a real leaf. It has holes in it's body that look like a decaying leaf.

they DON'T reproduce sexually. Thats crazy!

Spiky Puss Caterpillar (T.D.)

This animal is found in the untied states including Texas, Maryland, Florida, Missouri and Mexico. They eat on leaves of elm, oak, plum, rose, wildcherry, holly and sycamore trees. Also in Mexico they call this little creature a minature dog because it is all furry and looks just like a miniature dog just way smaller. Everyone would think that this Spiky Puss Caterpillar is so sweet and that it's harmless, and the first thing people would do if they saw one is most likely KEEP IT AS A PET!!! Around here no one has ever saw one of these here before so they would definatly want it. Well........these actually do HARM they are very poisning. So watch out!!!!!!! IF YOU EVER DO SEE ONE!!!!!!

fire ants ( K.R.)

the fire ant has many interesting thing about it but i think one of the most interesting things about them is how they protect themself. the fire ants protect themself with their stingers. they see their prey and start stinging it. they stings hurt a lot alone but the entire or most of the colony start bitting them and it can get people seriously injured. i think they are amazing animal alone but i also think that it is so cool that they

Webspinners (J.R.)

Webspinners are small and slender and usually pale brown or yellow.

Fire Ants (J.C.)

Fire Ants
Fire Ants are serious pests. They were first found in Queensland, Australia. The give a painful sting when they feel they are being attacked. They use venom to paralyze prey or enemy's. If a human is stung by one of these ants a blister will appear by the injection site. Some of the sypmtons are nausea and vomiting and swelling up at the injection site.


More Bout Them Fire Ants

More bout Fire Ants
Fire Ants are yellow, black, and sometimes redish. There homes have no exits and no way to get in the just dig a hollow hole in the ground. Sometimes fire ants make undergroud colonies in places where there are other colonies.

Eastern tailed blue butterfly (B.P.)

Eastern Tailed Blue Butterflies
Eastern tailed blue is a common butterfly of Eastern North America. Males are generally blue on upper part of wings. Females are lighter blue to brown or charcoal in color, but there is also some purple and pink in both male and female.
On the bottom of the butterfly, the color is from bluish-white to tan. There are 2 or 3 black to orange spots on the back of the hind wings and a trailing off the intermost of the spots.

They feed on various legumes and are known to secrete a substance which is flavored by an ant species. The ant in turn protects larva of the butterfly from other predators.

The butterfly is common across eastern North america and is found as far south as Central America. Often found in sunny, open habitat, the butterfly prefers clover, alfalfa, and seeds of various legumes.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family Lycaenidae
Genus: Everes
Species: E. comyntas

More about the Eastern Tailed Blue Butterflies!

KATYDID! (A.D.)

KATYDID!

Katydid are also known to be called long-legged grasshoppers. They are strongly related to crickets more than grasshoppers. Some katydid are two to three times the length of crickets. The katydid have special sensory receptors that allow them to find their way around places in the dark, mostly when they are active. "The distinctive singing and vibrations of the male katydid to attract the female can often be heard at night in gardens. Some katydids also mimic the appearance of leaves among which they live."-(Insects volume 23). Their scientific name is Tettigoniidae which sounds nothing like katydid. Katydids have known to be 5,000 different species of them, about 250 in the US. Katydids look almost exactly like leaves, that's why they live in grassy, forest areas, to blend in to the environment and not to become prey to the other animals. They have long legs to hop and move around from tree branch to tree branch.


click here for more katydid information!

LOOK AT THIS PICTURE!!!

The Moon Moth (a.k.a. Luna Moth) (S.W.)

This Moon Moth is named after Luna, the Roman goddess of the moon, is one of the most spectacular-looking moths, with sweeping tails and feathery antennae. Unfortunately, it is threatened by the use of pesticides. Its habitat is in leafy forests and it mostly lives in Eastern United States and Southern Canada. It changes its colors from yellowish green to pale bluish green, depending on the location and season. The sexes of Moon Moth are similar, but the male has more strongly feathered antennae. When the male is looking for a mate the antennae can sense the female from five miles away. The larva feeds mainly on Sweet Gum , hickory, walnut, birch, and oak, but the male larva's don’t feed. When you see the cocoon it looks like a piece of paper in a ball form but it is very tough. :) .

March Fly (B.S.)

The March Fly a.k.a the "Lovebug"




Body length 10mm

March Flies are from small to large in size. They have large eyes with reflective iridescent color. Their wings always have the 'Y' shaped veins at the tip. Usually there are the dense short hairs on their body.

All male March Flies feed on nectar. Some species of female feed on blood, they target on horse, cattle and humans.

March Fly larvae of most species live in fresh water, damp soil or rotting plants. The larvae are carnivorous, preying on insects and snails.

March Flies, Horse Flies - Family Tabanidae

BUTTERFLIES (N.S.)

One of the biggest buterflies in the world came from the Papilonidea species. Its wing span measured up to 11 inches. This butterfly came from one of the many species, there are 550. They enjoy cool temperatures and swampy grounds for homes.

Bumble Bee [[BMW]]

What they look like
The bumble bees scientific name is apidea. Bumble bees are are really hairy. They carry pollen on their hairy legs, from flower to flower they carry the pollen. They aren't really friendly and they do sting. They can sting as many times as they want unlike a honeybee, who stings, but dies the first time they use their stinger. Only if bumble bees are annoyed or provoked they will harm you, with a sting.
Bumble bees are pretty big bees, bigger than than most bees are. They are really hairy, as i said before, and are stripped with yellow and black on their second segment, also known as the abdomen. The way you can tell the difference between which bees are which, bumble bees have more hair than others. Unlike the Carpenter bees who barely have any hair and are really shiny.

About bumble bees and adaptions
Bumble bees are three segments. Here are some of the body parts. The first segment is known as the head, it has the attena and the eyes on it. The second part is known as the thorax and has the wings and legs. The third part is called the abdomen it has the reproductive organs and the stinger.

During the summer and spring bumble bees collect pollen and turn it into honey. They pollinate many crops, one of them being strawberries. Most people think that they eat the honey for food but they usually eat nectar and sometimes, but rarely eat the honey.

Ants (E.R.)

Ants are closely realated to wasps and bees. Most ants live together in big colonies near their young. They are usally found in all terrestrial habitats where they are often dominate. There are about 15,000 ants in the whole world and about 600 in the U.S.A.

Ants size can be from 0.04 inches to 1.4 inches long. The ants strong jaws help cut leaves to eat as well as other plants too. Adult ants feed on nectar, honeydew, and fungus. The younger ants, which are called larvae eat food from other insects or seeds.

Some ants in tropical areas (like Africa and Austrailia) build nests by "sewing" together groups of large leaves. They sew the leaves together using strands of silk produced by the larva's salivary glands. Ants also cut leaves into smaller pieces near their nest to fertilize fungal gardens with their excreta.

Tiger Beetle(C.K.)

You can remember what a Tiger Beetle looks like by its very strong fore wings. Those wings are called elytra. The fore wings cover the softer wings used for flying. When the Tiger Beetle is realxed, the fore wings regularly meet in a straight line in the middle of the back. When they are larvae they don't look like adults, they completely change into a different form.

These beetles are the most easiest to recognize. They are very hard to catch. They are extremely active and alert. They run very fast unlike any other beetles. They can take flight in less than a second. All Tiger Beetles are the same size. The ways they are recognized are by their switft actions, large pointy jaw, antennae that rises from the top of its head, long skinny legs that hold the body sort of high off, narrow thorax and broad. Their colors are green, violet, or orange to grayish black. Their size ranges from 10-20 millimeters long.

The Tiger Beetle got its name from ambushing and devouring insects and small animals. The larvae are predators like the adults. They pop out of the ground and eat insects. Tiger Beetles are feroucious predators. They kill insects with their razor sharp jaws. The larvae are sun loving species. The adults burrow in the ground.

It crouches and stalks prey. When a small insect passes by it will attack and eat it at the spot. The way they resemble a tiger is because of its ferocity and stealth. It has been pushed out of its normal habitat like other animals in China and India. Tiger Beetles are on the threatened list for endangered animals. They spend nearly two years in the ground as larvae. Tiger Beetles have less places to live in to survive. The baby's job is feeding. Mating and egg laying begin after the adults come out of the ground. A female can lay up to 3 or 4 eggs with males are trying to mate with her at the same time.

Doodlebug (M.M.)

The Doodlebug is formally known as the Ant Lion, and the Ant Lion is formally known as Myreleontidae.

Myrmex means ant and Leon means lion in greek.

The Doodlebug is in the Neuroptera order, whitch means "net wings". Every Insect in the Neuroptera has four wings.

The Ant Lion is named as such because of how it looks as larva [baby].

• big head
• spiny jaws
• small legs
• and soft, fragile body[coverd in bristles]
  -as seen in picture above-
  

The Ant Lion is truely the "lion" of the ants. Its a .
During the larvae stage they sometimes are hidden under little pieces of wood and wait to come out and attack any insect that passes buy. Or if they are in sandy areas they make a cone like trap in the sand for other bugs to slip into. This is how the Ant Lion got it's nickname "Doddlebug"

-because of the cone like pattern in the sand they make, as seen to the right-