Top 20 Most Common Insects in Oroville

The pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) is an insect that is protected globally but is considered a species of special concern in the northern part of their range in Michigan. The name pipevine Swallowtail comes from the common plants that they are hosts of. They are also known as the blue swallowtail due to their brilliant, blue color.

Western honey bee（Apis mellifera） is the most common species of honeybee in the world. Among the first domesticated insects, its cultural and economic impact on humanity has been vast and far-reaching, providing honey, wax and its services as a pollinator. Western honey bee faces challenges worldwide, such as colony collapse disorder, and populations are thought to be decreasing.

The variegated meadowhawk is a small to medium-sized dragonfly with a slender abdomen, often reaching a length of 4.5 - 23 cm. The male is commonly dark brownish black with an abdomen of bright red, pink, and golden brown. The thorax may be marked with a pair of yellow dots on each side. The leading edges of the wings are marked with pinkish. The females are similar in color but not as brightly colored, with gray and yellow replacing the red of the male. Young variegated meadowhawks are much paler and mottled with pale green, pale yellow, golden brown, and orange.

It is recognized for the top of its wings being orange with big black spots (used mainly for camouflage). The browns and grays of the wing underside make it resemble a dead leaf when the wings are closed. Its wingspan varies from ​1.25–​2.75 in.

The convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens) is one of the most common lady beetles in North America, which is a great thing given that it is a common biological control agent of aphids. They lay a good chunk of eggs over a couple of months. If you have ever seen a small, black alligator-like insect, you may have seen one of its larva.

Their appearance is quite similar to that of the western tiger swallowtail, except they are a white-cream color or very pale yellow. Some pale swallowtails also have differing amounts of red-orange patches on the wings just above the tail. Tiger stripes and borders are thicker than those of western tiger swallowtails. The wingspan is typically 9 - 11 cm .Caterpillars are plump green with a single yellow band behind the thorax. They have two eye-shaped spots on the upper thorax, which may help frighten predators. Like most swallowtails, they have a red wishbone-shaped organ called the osmeterium, which pops out from behind the head and releases a foul odor to warn off predators. Caterpillars turn brown just before the fifth moult. The pupa is brown and looks like a piece of bark.

The lorquin's admiral has brown-black wings, each with a row of white spots across it. Its forewings have orange tips. The wingspan is 4.5 - 7 cm; females are generally larger than males. Larvae are usually yellow with a patch of white on the back.

Bombus melanopygus is a non-woven insect from the family of bees and bumblebees (Apidae). The scientific name of the species was first validly published in 1848 by Nylander.

It is a large, brightly colored and active butterfly, rarely seen at rest; its wingspan is 8 - 10 cm, and its wings are yellow with black stripes, and it has blue and orange spots near its tail. It has the "tails" on the hindwings that are often found in swallowtails. The eggs are deep green, shiny, and spherical. Young caterpillars resemble bird droppings, and as they molt, they eventually turn bright green, with a pair of large yellow eyespots with black and blue pupils. The caterpillars molt five times, eventually reaching a length up to 5 cm before pupating.

The painted lady is a migratory butterfly that spends part of the year in Northern Africa and then migrates to Europe during the warmer months. Although the adults feed on nectar from flowers, the larvae feed on the leaves of nettles and thistles.