Top 20 Most Common Insects in Peterborough

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.

The wingspan is 3 - 3.5 cm.

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.

With a wingspan of 2.5 - 3 cm, it is very similar in appearance to the small skipper Thymelicus sylvestris. They can be told apart by the undersides of the tips of their antennae: the essex skipper's antennae are black, whereas those of the small skipper are orange.

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.

Its upperside is a light blue in males and a dull grayish blue in females. The underside is gray with a single row of round spots of differing sizes depending upon the region. Wingspan is from 1.8 - 3 cm.

The widow skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) is a large insect that grows to be incredibly large with a bulbous head and body. As they age, they are known to grow whitish, much like our grandparents' hair. They live in the water until their final molt, where they reveal their wings, it is at this point it reveals why it has part of a group called the king skimmers.

The common wood nymph (Cercyonis pegala) is a brown butterfly that has eyespots located on it to assist in warding off predators, as they are pretty easily spooked by anything that looks like a giant face. Depending on the location, they may or may not come with the eyespots or additional yellow spots, giving them a good chunk of variance depending on growing environment.

The giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) is a beautiful butterfly with black and yellow patterns on its wings. The adult butterflies sip nectar, but the larvae are considered a pest. The larvae are nicknamed "orangedogs" because they can cause damage to sweet oranges and other young plants.

The autumn meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum) is a red dragonfly. It flies near marshes, lakes, and ponds, especially if there's a wooded area nearby. These bugs have compound eyes with highly developed eyesight. They will wait for smaller insects to fly by, and then they'll pursue the prey, with a near perfect catch rate.