Top 20 Most Common Insects in East Gwillimbury

The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is the most recognizable butterfly in North America. It is best known for its appearance, but should be better known for the fact that it has a 3000-mile migration that takes the butterfly 4 generations to complete. Their diet is also a natural deterrent for predators, as they eat milkweed, a poison that induces vomiting.

Cabbage white (Pieris rapae) derives its common name from its habits as a caterpillar, which is a ferocious pest for cabbage, kale and broccoli farmers. In North America, it is one of the first butterflies to emerge in spring, heralding the beginning of the season.

The pearl crescent (Phyciodes tharos) is an orange butterfly that lives in open areas that are generally moist and sunny. These butterflies are attracted to puddles, and the males will often fight with other male butterflies that land near the same puddle. However, females are not as aggressive and prefer to stay in groups.

The scientific name is Colias philodice, also known as the clouded Sulphur. It is very commonly seen in North America with pale yellow wings, which have solid black borders on the upper surface and a doubled hindwing spot trimmed in brownish red. Interestingly, the wing color of the clouded Sulphur varies in a seasonal manner from white to yellow and the spots on the wings also change as well, being more pronounced during the cool months in spring and fall.

The gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) spends nearly its entire life on the same host tree, stripping leaves off of it. However, they will occasionally fly as a colony from one host tree to another. They are commonly recognized by their fuzzy larvae, which have dark bodies with red and blue spots. The adults are usually a pale brown color though.

The state insect of Montana, mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) owes its name to a visual comparison with a girl who, disliking mourning, allows a few inches of color to show from under her mourning garb. Among the longest-lived butterflies, individuals may persist for as long as eleven to twelve months. It is a powerful flier, with vagrants often found many miles from the usual migration paths.

Red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) is a visually striking species of butterfly. Unusually territorial, males will compete for choice areas, and females will only mate with males that maintain their own territories. This butterfly is known for being particularly patient with human interactions, even to the point of perching on clothing or flesh.

Often confused for the ladybug, multicolored asian ladybeetle (Harmonia axyridis) is a separate species that, unlike the ladybug, is a household pest. It is considered particularly annoying for its habit of returning to places from which it is removed. One of the most variable species in the world, there are many different colors and patterns multicolored asian ladybeetle may display, making identification potentially difficult.

The red-Spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) is a beautiful butterfly that shows off a metallic-blue color. They are also known as White Admirals due to the brilliant, white band that is seen on them. Males are incredibly aggressive in defending areas that have high female traffic. They will regularly patrol these areas to ensure other males do not take over claimed territories.

The moths are very different in size and reach a wing span of 27 to 40 mm. They have very variable wing tops, from pale yellowish and ocher yellow to brownish. Mostly on the forewing underside near the tip of a small, brightly knurled eye spot is formed, which often shines on the top. At the leading edge there are sometimes further smaller eye spots. On the darker colored light, dark brown or gray rear wing underside as well usually several white or brightly gerandete black Augenflecken are to be seen with silver point, which can also be missing. Unmistakable feature of the species is there a white irregular and interrupted bandage, which already begins at the front edge of the hind wings. The egg is large, ovate and very finely meshed. It is initially pale yellowish green and later marbled reddish brown. The hairless caterpillar is about 25 millimeters long and has small, yellowish point warts and is tapered backwards. It is light green in Europe with a narrow, dark midline and a narrow upper white-yellow and dark upper bound and a lower broader, pale yellow and sharply delineated line. In North America, it varies from green to olive green to brown and has alternately bright and dark vertical stripes. At the end of the abdomen they carry two small pink lobes, which mark the caterpillars of the eye-butterflies (Satyrinae). The head is green or tan. The pupa is green in Europe and North America with light longitudinal lines and in California green to brown.