Top 20 Most Common Insects in Ithaca

Ischnura verticalis can reach a body length of 2 - 3 cm. These small green, black and blue damselflies have a slender body with four wings folding over the back. The thorax of the males is black above, with pale green sides and green shoulder stripes. Eyes are dark above, greenish below. Abdomen is mainly black, with thin pale rings. The top of the abdomen (eighth and ninth abdominal segments) is blue, with black markings on sides. The males' abdomens shows tiny projections off the tip (hence the common name verticalis of this species). Females are usually grayish-blue, with greyish markings on the abdomen. In the immature female thorax is bright orange with black dorsal and shoulder stripes. The abdomen is black above and orange below. Eyes are dark above, orange below. The pterostigma is white to light brown. The females may be less commonly yellow-green like the male.

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.

The hickory tussock moth caterpillars look cute. Its body is completely covered by long and soft hair, which is mainly white with a thick black line along the middle of the back, and four longer black hair bundles at either end. You had better not to touch them, because these little ones may cause itchy rashes (contact dermatitis). By the way, this species is widely distributed in the eastern half of North America.

Euphydryas phaeton is a butterfly from the family Nymphalidae. Since 1973, the species is listed as State Insect of the State of Maryland on the list of state insects in the United States States. Although formally unfounded, it is believed that Euphydryas phaeton was chosen for its coloration, as both the arms of the State of Maryland and the largest city in this state, Baltimore, and the family crest of George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore the colors black and yellow orange or golden yellow. The species is often referred to in English as "Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly".

Common whitetail skimmer has black bands on its translucent wings which make it easy to identify. The common whitetail skimmer is found throughout North America and serves a vital ecological purpose. The dragonfly’s compound eyes provide it with a 360-degree field of vision, allowing it to spot prey like spiders and other nuisance insects.

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 virginia ctenucha (Ctenucha virginica) is a beautiful moth that is known for its black-blue metallic wings and the orange head, making it stick out when compared to other moths. Their caterpillar forms are fuzzy yellow and black. Despite their name, they are not exclusive to Virginia. They are known to travel as far north as the middle of Canada.

The red milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus) makes a shrill squeaking sound when threatened, especially if picked up by a human. It lays its eggs on milkweed plants, and its larvae tunnel into the plant's stem or burrow in the soil below. The red and black colors of adults stand out next to the milkweed, warning predators that these bugs are not tasty.

The bald-Faced Hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) creates large, social colonies inside of basketball-sized nests. In some situations, inter-nest struggles can occur. This can be due to differing genetic interests. Workers will be unable to mate, and it is theorized that the workers may engage in matricide in the worst-case scenarios.

Both sexes have dark brown and yellowish-orange markings as adults. Ventrally, both sexes have a large straw-coloured patch in the middle of the hindwing. This patch helps distinguish it from other Polites. Males are lighter than females, and they have a stigma (round or oval mark) on the forewing. Like other skippers, the ends of the antennae have tiny hooks. The wingspan ranges from 19 to 27 mm.