Build Your Own Bug
Step One - Learn Find out what makes an insect an insect, and how to identify some of them! Use our fact cards, or do your own research at home! Step Two - Prepare Gather Supplies: • Blank Paper • Clipboard (or anything hard that you can use to write on) • Pencil • Any art supplies you prefer (optional) • Blanket/Beach Towel (optional)
Head outside to observe some bugs - look closely at their legs, wings, antenna, size, color, etc.
Step Three - Create Think about all of the parts of an insect - then create your own!
Draw your own, brand new 6-legged creature! You can include the adult & juvenile stages, and your insect’s habitat (where it lives and what it eats).
Step Four - Share Share your bugs with us! Post a picture to social media and tag us!
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Only use blue and/or white.
For more details check out our Brand Guidelines. CityVH @Vadnais_Heights Parts of an insect Insect Basics The information here will help you use the Fact Cards to identify different kinds of insects. If a critter has these characteristics, it’s probably an insect! Insect Life Cycle Scientists have described over a million species of insects, so these parts come in a huge An insect will go through different stages in its life called metamorphosis, meaning “many forms.” Some variety of shapes, sizes, and colors! species go through complete metamorphosis, and some go through incomplete metamorphosis.
Complete Metamorphosis Incomplete Metamorphosis Distinct stages; larva doesn’t look like adult Nymph has many similarities to adult Compound Eyes 3 Body Segments: Insect eyes have many lenses to see in all directions at once Head 2 Antennae Thorax An antenna helps the insect sense Abdomen things around it - and they can often help us identify them!
Diagrams from biologydictionary.net Taxonomy In biology, taxonomy is the science of naming, defining and classifying groups of biological organisms on the basis of shared characteristics. “Orders” are large groups of insects that share common features; orders can be divided into smaller groups called a “Family” and then the smaller “Genus.” Each distinct type of insect is called a “Species.” Our fact cards focus on insect orders, and provide example species.
Exoskeleton 2 Pairs of Wings ORDER FAMILY GENUS SPECIES Insect wings vary - “Exo” = outside a lot! Hymenoptera Apidae Bombus Bombus fervidus Most insects have 2 pairs, but notable Insects have a hard outer shell All bees, wasps, & ants Group of at least 5,700 bees Over 250 kinds of bumblebees Yellow Bumblebee exceptions are the ants (most have instead of bones none) and flies (only 1 pair). 6 Legs 8 legs? Probably a spider or an octopus. Too many legs to count? Things like millipedes and centipedes belong to a different group called Myriapoda (which means “many legs”) Note: scientists give organisms a scientific name and a common name. On these fact cards, we list the insect’s names as Common Name (Scientific name) Beetles (Order: Coleoptera) True Flies & Mosquitoes (Order: Diptera)
Black Firefly (Lucidota atra) Adult Identification House Fly (Musca domestica) Adult Identification Adult Stage Larval Stage Outer wings (“elytra”) are hardened or leathery Adult Stage Larval Stage Two Wings: “Di-” means Two, “Ptera” means Wing Inner wings are thin and used for flying Soft bodies Life Cycle Egg --> Larva --> Pupa --> Adult Life Cycle Egg --> Larva --> Pupa --> Adult Diet Varies by species - from pollinators of flowers to Diet decomposers who digest dead things, each beetle Variety of liquids: nectar, sap, honeydew, blood species has a preferred menu Photo credit: bugguide.net Photo Credit: Bugguide.net Photo credit: dirttime.ws Photo credit: collections.museumvictoria.com.au Fireflies (pictured above) aren’t flies at all - they’re beetles! All photos: BugGuide.net There are over 350,000 described species of Some flies, like the • There are over 50 species of mosquitoes in beetles in the world - as many as all of the plant Flower Fly pictured Minnesota species combined! It’s estimated that 40% of all here, mimick (look like) • Mosquitoes lay eggs in water, and about a insects are beetles. Red Milkweed Beetle Tiger Beetle June Beetle Ground Beetle bees to scare away week later adults emerge from the water.
predators! Photo credit: bugguide.net • Mosquitoes are the primary food for Bats With so many species, it’s no surprise that A quick way to tell them apart is to count in Minnesota - one bat can eat 200 they come in all shapes, sizes and colors. their wings - flies only have 2, bees have 4. mosquitoes in one night! Photo Credit: BugGuide.net Just a few Found in MN are shown here: Weevil Carrion Beetle Ladybird Beetle Leaf Beetle
True Bugs (Order: Hemiptera) Bees, Wasps & Ants (Order: Hymenoptera)
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys) Adult Identification Golden Northern Bumble Bee (Bombus fervidus) Adult Identification Adult Stage Nymph Stage Specialized mouth parts for piercing into food and Adult Stage Larval Stage Abdomen typically has very narrow attachment to sucking out liquids thorax Usually Four transparent wings: 1st pair longer Life Cycle than hind wings, some don’t have wings (ants) Egg --> Nymph --> Adult Life Cycle Diet Egg --> Larva --> Pupa --> Adult Varies by species - some eat plants and some are predators of other insects or even small vertebrates Diet Adults typically eat nectar or pollen; Photo credit: bugguide.net Photo Credit: Bugguide.net Photo credit: bugguide.net Photo credit: beehivehero.com many wasps are predators of other insects
Insects of all orders are commonly referred to as bugs, but the Hemiptera are the real deal! True Bugs include: There are about 18,000 Hymenopteran species in North America cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and more. Bees are hard workers! They need to collect nectar from 2 million flowers for 1 pound of honey! Cicada Aphids Planthopper Leafhopper Shield Bug Splendid Metallic Green Bee Mud Dauber Wasp Carpenter Ant Photo Credit: BugGuide.net Photo Credit: growerexperts.com Photo Credit: BugGuide.net Photo Credit: wikimedia commons Photo Credit: BugGuide.net Photo credit for above photos: bugguide.net Butterflies & Moths (Order: Lepidoptera) Dragonflies & damselflies (Order: odonata)
Canadian Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio canadensis) Adult Identification Common Green Darner (Anax junius) Adult Identification Adult Stage Larval Stage 2 pairs of wings covered in scales Adult Stage Nymph Stage Large, compound eyes Proboscis - long, tongue-like mouth parts for 4 large, transparent wings gathering nectar from flowers Long , thin abdomen
Life Cycle Life Cycle Egg --> Larva --> Chrysalis/cocoon --> Adult Egg --> Nymph --> Adult
Diet Diet Photo credit: butterfliesandmoths.org Photo credit: butterflyidentification.com Adults and juveniles rely almost Adults and juveniles (nymphs) eat other insects exclusively on plants Photo credit: dirttime.ws Photo credit: collections.museumvictoria.com.au Butterflies VS Moths DRAGONFLIES VS DAMSELFLIES Butterflies can’t fly Hold wings together at rest Spread wings at rest There are 140 Hold wings straight out at rest Hold wings above back at rest when they’re cold - you Smooth, clubbed antennae Feathery Antennae species of dragonflies might find them soaking up Active during the day Active at night and damselflies in Hind wings different shape than Front & Hind Wings the same the sun to warm up before Minnesota, and an estimated front wings size/shape Form chrysalis they take off! Spin silk cocoon 5,500-6,500 species Compound eyes touch Compound eyes far apart Smooth Body Polyphemus moth “Fuzzy” body worldwide! Credit: butterfliesandmoths.org Damselfly Photo credit: BugGuide.Net
Grasshoppers & Crickets (Order: Orthoptera) Walkingsticks (Order: Phasmida)
Red-legged Grasshopper (Melanoplus femurrubrum) Adult Identification Northern Walkingstick (Diapheromera femorata) Adult Identification Adult Stage Nymph Stage Large hind legs for jumping Adult Stage Nymph Stage Long, thin bodies that are green- or brownish, Make sounds by rubbing wings against each and look like sticks. other or against their legs Long antenna 2 sets of wings, held over abdomen at rest Slow moving Life Cycle Life Cycle Egg --> Nymph --> Adult Egg --> Nymph --> Adult Diet Diet Photo credit: BugGuide.net Photo credit: BugGuide.net Weeds & grasses, sometimes garden/crop pests Photo credit: apps.extension.umn.edu Photo credit: BugGuide.net Leaves of hardwood trees and shrubs
Walkingsticks are hard to While orthoptera spot, but once you see one, you Grasshoppers hear with translates to won’t confuse it for any other their bellies! Their version of Walkingsticks can reach “straight wing,” the bug! Walkingsticks will even ears (tympanal organs) are up to 4 inches long! insects in this order sway in the breeze to mimick come in many shapes located on their abdomen the natural movement of the under the wings. and sizes! Katydid Cricket branches around them! Photo Credit: wimastergardener.org Photo Credit: bugguide.net Photo credit: britannica.com