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Insects can be Fun
by Victor Moss
As we move into summer we need to remember that there is more to insects than just the stinging, biting nuisance kinds. Many are very beautiful, beneficial of just interesting. All you have to do is just keep your eyes open both during the day and also at night. Types also change from spring to autumn.
Honeybees are one of the most beneficial insects known to man. They not only make the honey that we enjoy, they also are one of the farmer’s greatest helps since they pollinate a large portion of our food crops. They are currently undergoing troubled times with a large number of colonies nationwide being wiped out. Scientists and entomologists are trying to find out what all is causing this and determine what steps can be taken to stop this.
We notice some of the large butterflies we see during the day but there are a lot of smaller ones that are not as noticeable. The Swallowtail butterflies are some of the most noticeable. We have the Tiger Swallowtail, Zebra Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail, Giant Swallowtail and other less common types. The small yellow butterflies we see over fields are in the Sulphur Butterflies and the white ones are Cabbage Butterflies. There are a number of small blue butterflies smaller than one inch. These are the Blues and Hairstreaks and are very pretty if we just take time to look at them.
Moths are more generally more active at night than in the daytime. We have some of the largest, most colorful moths in the state in our area. The Luna Moth is a large, light green moth with tails on its hind wings and is most common in the spring. The Imperial Moth is mostly yellow with brownish markings. The Royal Walnut Moth is the adult of the Hickory Horned Devil caterpillar and is yellow, cinnamon, and brown in color. The Polyphemus Moth and the Cecropia Moth are less common but found in this area also.
We have quite a few of the Underwing Moth group. When they are resting they show only the front wings which are marked like tree bark to help the moth remain concealed from predators. The hind wings are typically marked with yellow, orange or reddish orange and may have wavy concentric lines on them. Another very pretty group of moths that are more common in late summer is the Tiger Moths. They are small and have wings of cream, pink, reddish or yellowish with a network of black lines on the wings.
There are a number of the Sphinx Moths that are common in our area and several of them are attracted to Petunia flowers. One of these has pretty pink spots on the sides of the abdomen and others have orange spots. The White Lined Sphinx Moth is marked with pink, white and tan.
Skippers are a group related to moths and butterflies that are mostly brown and yellowish. They are separated from butterflies and moths by their clubbed antennae. We have a large number of this group Moths of Missouri”. It is available in paperback and hardback and is an excellent help in identification.
After moths and butterflies, beetles are probably the most colorful and diverse group commonly seen. They inhabit almost all of the habitats of our area. We have a large number of Long-horned Beetles that are characterized by very long antennae and a slender overall body profile. These range from the large black and white Cottonwood Borer to Apple Borer and others. Some are brown marked with spots and some have almost no markings other than their brownish color. The Metallic Wood Boring Beetles have a blunt front that tapers to a pointed rear. As the name would suggest they are almost all metallic in color with green being the most common but bronze in some.
The Tiger Beetles are a group of fast flying, longer legged predacious beetles that appear to have bulbous eyes. They range from brilliant emerald green, to a golden brown with parchment colored scroll like markings on the sides of the wing covers.
We have Stag Beetles that are brown and have large pincer like jaws, a wide range of Scarab Beetles from the common brown June Beetles to the Golden-colored Spotted Pelidnota and several that are a bright green in color and one that looks like it is covered in green velvet.
I will now mention some of the other pretty insects that are fairly often seen. Velvet Ants are marked with alternating bands of reddish orange and black, and appear very fuzzy. They are actually a type of wingless wasp and should be handled with care as they do sting. There a some small wasps that are under 1/16 inch long that are a metallic green in color and these do not seem to sting when they fly around.
There is a species of hornet that was not native to our area and has been around about 5-7 years not. That is the Eurasian Hornet. It is almost 2” long and brown in color with yellow markings. The sting from these is very painful and the welt is often over 4-5 inches in diameter when the swelling is complete.
One small group that is very pretty is the lacebugs. They generally range from 1/16 to 1/8 inch in length and appear to be made of a very fine lace. One of them is found on the under side of Sycamore leaves. We have a large number of dragon flies and damsel flies in our area and many are bright blue or green. One of the damsel flies has all black wings and another type has a bright ruby spot on the front wings. Dragonflies are very useful since they consume a very large number of mosquitoes.
Grasshoppers can be a nuisance when they eat our crops and plants but some are very pretty. The hind legs of the Differential Grasshopper are yellow with black chevron marking like an Army sergeant’s stripes. Some species have colored wings with black, yellow or brownish underwings. Some species are a vey pretty green and one species is marked with bright orange and black.
Water striders are seen on ponds and other bodies of water. They glide over the top surface of the water and are able to do this because of the surface tension that keeps them up. You can experiment with this for yourself. Just fill a glass with water and use a fork or tweezers to float metal paper clips on the surface of the water. You can usually get about 10 clips to float on one glass of water is you are careful to place them with bumping the ones already floating.
These are just a few groups of insects that are easily seen. Overall, insects make up the most diverse and numerous class of animals in the world. They are found world wide and are found in almost all of the habitats. There are a number of good field guides to help with identification and the Peterson field guides also have a book just for beetles, one for moths and butterflies and one or general identification.
Your county extension office is also a resource to identify insects that you don’t know and can’t find. They are also very helpful with identification and tips for insect pests. |
