Top 20 Most Common Insects in Indiana

The Colias eurytheme, also known as the orange sulphur butterfly, is widely distributed in North America. It is easily found and recognized in the fields and gardens owing to its special characteristics. If you look carefully at it, you will see obvious orange color on the top of the wings and solid black borders, as well as a black spot on each forewing.

The silver-spotted skipper (Epargyreus clarus) constructs a series of nests throughout its development that depends on its growth stage. Its caterpillar form is considered a major homebody, as they rarely leave the spot they call home. When they are adults, males perch on high branches in order to claim and defend favorable territory. Unusually, silver-spotted skipper adults never visit yellow flowers.

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.

The common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens) is one of the most important pollinator bees in North America. A decline in the bee population will lead to financial hardships for farmers and reduced food yield. Their efficiency in pollination and foraging comes from their ability to drop "traplines." These lines guide other bees to the correct path for food while informing them of depleted locations.

Ochlerotatus triseriatus, also known by the synonym Aedes triseriatus, is a member of the true fly order (Diptera: Culicidae). It is called the eastern tree hole mosquito due to its predilection towards breeding in stagnant water that is found in natural holding containers such as tree holes. It is native to the eastern United States and southern Canada and favors hardwood habitats. It has been found as far south as the Florida Keys, as far west as Idaho and Utah, and as far north as Quebec and Ontario. This species has not yet been found in Europe, but it has the potential to spread through international trade. In 2004, it was found in a shipment of tires travelling from Louisiana to France, but it was identified and targeted with insecticides that truncated its spread. It is a known vector of La Crosse encephalitis and canine heartworm disease. In the laboratory, it has been found to vector several other viruses including yellow fever, eastern encephalitis, Venezuelan encephalitis, and western encephalitis. Because of its potential for international spread and its proclivity for transmitting disease, monitoring the distribution of this species is essential.

The eastern pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) has much in common with American fishermen, they love living near the sides of ponds. They are a beautiful insect that is easy to distinguish when it comes to different genders. Females are bright green with bands around the abdomen and the males are bright blue with a green face.

Adults have a distinctive bronze-colored, lyre-shaped pattern on the scutum, and larvae have a linear arrangement of branched frontal setae and a strongly spiculated anal saddle.

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 common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) has distinguishable target-shaped spots on its dark wings, along with patches of orange and white. It produces multiple generations each year as it migrates to sunny landscapes. When it flies, it moves rapidly in an irregular pattern, often low to the ground.

The name Pachydiplax longipennis implies that the blue dasher has long wings due to the "longipennis" section literally translating to it. But this would be misleading, as the insect does not have particularly long wings. Instead, they stick out with vibrant blue colors. The dasher part of their name may be in reference to their voracious diet, as they can eat up to 10 percent of their body weight daily.