North American Insects and Spiders

North American Insects and Spiders
A catalog of over 7,000 high-resolution close-up pictures of live, wild insects and spiders with descriptions, taxonomy and natural history.
Our Tree Encyclopedia and Invasive Plants pages now include information and 1,200+ diagnostic images of documented specimens for over 300 species.

		Class Arachnida > Order Araneae: Spiders are the largest group of arachnids. These familiar predators live in nearly every ecosystem, in trees, on the ground, under rocks and in tall grasses -- even in deserts, caves, and on the water. They are easily recognized by their eight legs, and there are few creatures great or small that elicit such irrational fear in mankind. The vast majority of spiders are completely harmless and offer beneficial services, chief of which is keeping the burgeoning insect population in check. --Spiders Table of Contents--
		Order Lepidoptera: Butterflies and moths, revered for their magnificently colored wings and pleasing association with fair weather and flowers, are probably the most well-known and highly regarded of the insects. Lepidoptera, which includes both butterflies and moths, comprises at least 125,000 known species including 12,000 in America north of Mexico. These enchanting insects have 4 membranous wings covered with delicate pigmented or prismatic scales. Please visit our pages of Butterflies of the World, pictures of live tropical butterflies from across the globe, and the Skipper Butterflies, a whole family of small butterflies within Lepidoptera. -Table of contents-
		Order Hymenoptera: Bees, Wasps, and Ants belong to this large order, which also includes sawflies. There are over 17,000 known species in North America, 110,000 worldwide. Females of most species have a well-developed ovipositor, which in some bees, wasps, and ants is modified into a stinger. Most species are solitary, but some, such as the domestic honeybee, exhibit a complex social structure in which exist sterile female workers and fertile male and female "royalty." Many other species are parasites of beetles and other insect pests of agriculture. -Table of Contents-
		Order Coleoptera: Beetles are the dominant form of life on earth: one of every five living species is a beetle. Coleoptera is the largest order in the animal kingdom, containing a third of all insect species. There are about 300,000 known species worldwide, 30,000 of which live in North America. Ladybugs and lightning bugs and fireflies are all well-known misnamed insects; they are all beetles. Some beetles are scavengers, some predators and some are parasites; their frequently brightly colored or iridescent elytra (the tough, armor-like fore wings used to cover the soft flying wings) earn them the sobriquet "living jewels." -Beetles Table of Contents-

	Order Diptera: Flies are prevalent in virtually all habitats, with over 16,000 species in North America. Flies can be distinguished from all other insects in that they only have one pair of normal wings. Most flies have compound eyes and mouthparts adapted for piercing, lapping or sucking fluids. Flies are some of the most deadly carriers of disease; millions still die from mosquito-carried malaria every year; countless thousands fall victim to yellow fever, typhoid and dysentery, all caused by fly-born bacteria. On the other hand, flies are important pollinators, scavengers, and parasites of other harmful insects. --Table of Contents--
	Tree Encyclopedia Explore large-format pictures detailing mature trees, leaves, bark and fruit, read the vital statistics and natural history of many of our common trees. Our photographs of are of live, documented, professionally identified trees, shrubs and forbs. -Table of Contents-
	Invasives Our forests are threatened by nonnative insects that can kill large numbers of trees. Three recently introduced insects - emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, and sirex woodwasp - are wood-infesting species that can be transported via firewood. The yellow wildflowers lurking there in the roadside ditch - how lovely! But wait.. these are invasive plants that crowd out native species and wreak havoc with our ecosystems. Read about some of our most common demons: where they came from, where they live, how they dominate lesser, more fragile species, and, most important, what we can or can't do about them. -Table of contents-
	Order Hemiptera: True Bugs species number almost 5,000 in North America, and 40,000 worldwide. Almost all of them have a first pair of wings that fold flat over the back, and mouthparts formed into a beak, adapted for sucking plant juices. Between the wings, the modified back of the metathorax forms a distinctive triangular shield, called the scutellum. Most true bugs are terrestrial, but some are aquatic, and their legs have evolved into oar like structures. Many species have glands that exude odoriferous chemicals to repel predators. Some species are carnivorous, while some others are parasitic, while still others nectar at flowers like butterflies. All in all, a diverse, fascinating group of flying insects. -Table of Contents-

	Order Lepidoptera: Moths. Unlike the butterflies, most moths are nocturnal and hold their wings roof like over the body, curled around the body, or.. held just like butterfly wings. Many moths and their caterpillars are a major agricultural pest in many parts of the world. Moths in the family Tineidae are commonly regarded as pests because their larvae eat fabrics, clothes and blankets made from natural fibers such as wool or silk. They are less likely to eat mixed materials containing artificial fibers. There is apochryphal evidence they are repelled by the scent of wood from juniper and cedar, by lavender, or by other natural oils. --Table of Contents--
	Dragonflies: Order Odonata: 300 million years and still going strong. These colorful, enchanting insects are revered second only to the butterflies in the popular psyche. Explore detailed close-up photographs of live, adult dragonflies photographed in the wild. We never capture or refrigerate or squash our subjects in a scanner. -Table of Contents-
	Order Odonata: Dragonflies and Damselflies date back 300 million years, to the Carboniferous Period of the Paleozoic Era. Today, there are about 450 North American species, and 5,000 in all. They have evolved in to highly efficient hunters; their freely moveable heads sport huge compound eyes -- in the case of the dragonfly, the eyes nearly cover the entire head - and their sharp biting mouthparts, coupled with their four powerful, independent wings make them extremely agile flyers capable of snatching prey in midair. The mating ritual involves some peculiar acrobatics called a mating "wheel." -Table of Contents-
	Order Homoptera: Cicadas, hoppers and their kin have beaklike mouthparts arising from far back beneath the head, adapted for sucking plant juices. Homopteran wings are uniformly membranous, and frequently transparent. All members of this order are plant feeders. Aphids are among the most injurious agricultural pests, they can reproduce without mating; theoretically, one female aphid can produce billions of offspring. Many exude a sweet secretion called honeydew, and ants are known to farm aphids for this purpose. Male cicadas produce the loudest sounds in the insect world, their buzzing sometimes exceeding 100 decibels. --Table of Contents--
	Order Dictyoptera: Mantids and cockroaches. Mantids have triangular heads with huge compound eyes, long, thin bodies, four thin legs, and prominent forelegs held in the characteristic prayerful pose. These forelegs are covered with spines, and can move faster than the eye can see to snatch prey. The strong mouthparts can cut through even heavily armored heads of insects, and these fearsome predators are voracious eaters. The female mantis sometimes even devours the male while mating. Both genders use their exquisite camouflage and ability to remain motionless to lie in wait an ambush unwary prey which sometimes includes small frogs, lizards, and even hummingbirds.

		Order Orthoptera: Grasshoppers and crickets have long, powerfully muscled hind legs that they use for jumping, large, flat-sided heads with big compound eyes and large chewing mouthparts. They have a saddle shaped pronotum and two pairs of wings, one of which (the pair used for flying) is kept folded under the leathery straight forewings, called tegmina. Grasshopper and cricket males are known for their musical sounds made when they rub together roughened portions of their wings or legs. Both families are serious agricultural pests; Grasshoppers can destroy crops over wide areas when their numbers increase and they descend on fields in huge swarms, devouring all foliage in their path. -Table of Contents-
		Class Arachnida > Order Ixodida Ticks are external blood-feeding parasites of birds, mammals and reptiles and are important vectors of Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and others viral and bacterial diseases. Learns to protect yourselves and your loved ones (doggies, especially). Visit the American dog tick or the Black-legged Deer Tick and the Lone Star Tick and Southern Tick Associated Rash Infection (STARI)
		Kingdom: Fungi includes some of the most important organisms, both in terms of their ecological and economic roles. By breaking down dead organic material, they continue the cycle of nutrients through ecosystems. In addition, most vascular plants could not grow without the symbiotic fungi, or mycorrhizae, that inhabit their roots and supply essential nutrients. Other fungi provide numerous drugs (such as penicillin and other antibiotics), foods like mushrooms, truffles and morels, and the bubbles in bread, champagne, and beer. Fungi also cause a number of plant and animal diseases: in humans, ringworm, athlete's foot. In plants: rusts, smuts, leaf, root, and stem rots. --Table of Contents--
		Invasive Plants of North America Oh, boy! Who knew!? The yellow wildflowers lurking there in the roadside ditch - how lovely! But wait.. these are invasive plants that crowd out native species and wreak havoc with our ecosystems. Read about some of our most common demons: where they came from, where they live, how they dominate lesser, more fragile species, and, most important, what we can or can't do about them. -Table of contents-

	Order Opiliones: Daddy Long Legs or harvestmen are often erroneously designated as spiders; they are not. About 1900 species of harvestmen are distributed over the world in forests, fields and other land habitats. They can and do walk on water. We have 60 or more species in North America and the adults of all but one of these die with the coming of winter. They mate in late summer and autumn. The seven-jointed legs are unique - if we had legs in proportion, they would be 40 feet long. The small turret on the top of the head has a tiny eye on either side, capable of detecting motion from several feet away. These oddball creatures are some of the most abundant on our forest floor, and they climb about all over hell in low foliage.
	Order Mecoptera: Scorpionflies and their kin include about 85 species in North America, 400 worldwide. The common name refers to the female's genitalia, conspicuously curled upwards over the abdomen, much like a scorpion's stinger. Mecopterans do not sting or bite. Adults are weak flyers, spending most of their time in low vegetation, hunting small soft-bodied insects or scavenging on fruit, dead insects and even bird droppings. Mecopterans have changed little from fossils 250 million years old, and many entomologists consider now extinct members of this order to be the ancestors of modern-day flies, fleas, butterflies, and moths.
	Order Neuroptera: Lacewings Members of this order have many veins and cross veins in their four transparent wings. Neuroptera means "nerve wing." There are only 338 species in North America. The order includes lacewings, antlions, mantidflies, and spongillaflies. Lacewings are poor flyers found mostly in low vegetation. They have large, copper-colored compound eyes and long, thin antennae. They have mouthparts adapted for chewing, but I've never seen adults feeding. Their larvae are commonly called aphidlions.
	Order Trichoptera: Caddisflies resemble moths, but have very fine hairs on their wings instead of scales, and lack the coiled proboscis of moths. The Greek order name means "hairy wing." Most adults are nocturnal and hide in vegetation during the day. The aquatic larvae of some species are free swimming predators, some spin silken nets to trap vegetable matter in fast-moving water, and still others construct portable shelters out of sand grains, bits of shell, or even plant fragments. These larva are called casemakers, and each genus has a distinctive style and construction method. Trout and other fishermen value the casemaker as bait for sport fish.
	Order Ephemeroptera: Mayflies. Ephemeroptera: Greek Ephemeros - short-lived, pteron - wing, referring to the short life span of adults; they survive only a few hours or at most a few days. They eat nothing, nor do they crawl or walk. They only fly and mate within dancing swarms, usually in late afternoon or evening. Mayflies do not bite or sting or feed on homes, or furnishings or food. (Their abundant presence is an indicator of clean water and a healthy environment.) The chief importance lies in their value as food for fish, dragonfly nymphs and birds. Anglers imitate the adults in dry flies, referred to as "spinners" or "duns," and pattern wet flies after the nymphs (Naiads).
	Subphylum: Crustacea > Class: Malacostraca > Order: Isopoda - Pillbugs, sow bugs and woodlice are neither insects nor arachnids, but crustaceans, members of the same class as shrimps, lobsters and crabs. We include them here because they are some of the most abundant "bugs" in our forests and field. Anyone who has ever turned over a log or rock is familiar with these primitive critters. They are omnivores and scavengers, feeding upon decaying vegetable matter, fungi and animal remains. They form an important link in the food chain by recycling dead and decaying material.
	Flowers, Wildflowers and Prairie Plants Please visit our pages on flowers, wildflowers and trees of the prairie and Oak Savannah. There are many species of flowers of interest to butterfly gardeners, prairie restorers and urban and suburban gardeners. -Table of Contents-
	Earwigs: Order Dermaptera High on the top-ten list of disgusting things are the earwigs, primitive critters in the Order Dermaptera. Learn how to control these little buggers, and why they really don't do any harm (and they certainly don't burrow into your brain through your ears). Eew.
Bedbugs	OMG. Bedbugs? In this day and age? Oh yeah, they are making a big comeback in North America. Learn what you need to know to protect yourself, on the road (New York City hotels have become suspect) and in your home. These disgusting little critters want you for their next blood meal. Find out why those little portable steam cleaners are a big waste of money and why directing clouds of "steam" around your house is not such a good idea. Myths exploded. With pictures.
	Garden Slugs: Phylum: Mollusca / Class: Gastropoda Learn slug anatomy through our awesome close-up photos. Read how to use natural methods to control these slimy pest critters, and what plants can resist their depredations. Can beer really kill these guys?