An ant colony may be small in number or reach into the hundreds, thousands, or even millions of inhabitants. Larger colonies have many queens whose chief responsibility is to lay eggs. Most colony members are workers. Like the queen(s), all worker ants are female. They build the nest, forage for food, take care of the young, and fight predators. Males, whose only job is to mate with young ant queens, live in the colony nest only at certain times. After mating, a male soon dies.

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The Eastern Black Swallowtail has wingspan of between 2 3/4-3 1/2 inches. It is found in open meadows. Its caterpillar is pale green with black bands and eats foliage of the carrot family, celery, and parsley. The butterfly is usually seen on clover and cultivated flowers.

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Mass Audubon Butterfly Atlas

Bumble bees can be found in clearings in forests, roadsides, and open areas. The larva eat honey and the adult drinks nectar and eats honey. The Queen overwinters until early spring, In the spring, each she selects a nest site and lines the cavity with dry grass or moss and then collects pollen and nectar to produce a stored food called "bee bread." Her first brood of offspring, (5 to 20), will all be workers (daughters) who take over the colony responsibilities of nest enlargement, food gathering and storage, and feeding and caring for the larvae. Small workers develop first. with warmer weather, larger adults develop. Only young mated females overwinter. The nest is used only one year. The rest of the colony, including the old queen dies. Unlike the honey bee, the bumble bee can sting many times.

The Cabbage White butterfly is found in fields and gardens. Its caterpillar is green with yellow stripes and eats mustard greens. The male has one black spot on each awing and the female has two black spots on each wing. The larvae of the Cabbage White Butterfly likes to eat cabbage and broccoli.

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Mass Audubon Butterfly Atlas

Most people think these creatures are spiders, but they aren't. If you look closely, you will see that spiders have two body parts, while daddy-long-legs have only one. When they walk, daddy-long-legs use their second pair of legs to feel their way, just like some insects use their antennae. There are numerous species of daddy-long-legs. These animals cannot bite. They live in woods and fields.

Dragonflies have large compound eyes that nearly cover the head, four powerful wings that move independently, and they can fly forward and backward. They use their long legs to hold insects captured in flight. They lay their eggs in or near water. The young are called naiads. They capture insects, tadpoles, and even small fish. When fully grown, the naiad climbs out of the water, sheds its skin, and is released. Adults eat large numbers of mosquitoes There are over 5,000 species worldwide.

The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail has a wingspan of 4-5 1/8 inches. It is found in mixed and deciduous forests, as well as open areas. The caterpillar is green with black and orange eye spots and eats foliage of wild cherry, birch, poplar, and ash.

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Mass Audubon Butterfly Atlas

Fireflies are beetles that are found in fields and open woods. They flash a yellow-green light every 2-3 seconds when courting. The eggs, larvae, and pupae are luminous. Most firefly larvae are found in rotting wood or other forest litter or on the edges of streams and ponds at night. The larvae eat earthworms, snails, and slugs. It is believed that adult fireflies feed on nectar.

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Grasshopper

Grasshoppers have large compound eyes, large chewing mouthparts, and antennae. The hind legs are broad. Males are known for the musical sounds made when they rub their wings or legs together. This noise serves as a warning to establish their territory, or to invite courtship. They eat vegetation and dead insects. They lay eggs in soil, which overwinter, and hatch in early spring.

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Japanese Beetles are found in open woods and meadows. They are attracted to the color yellow. Adults eat leaf tissues and ripening fruit. They lay 1-4 long yellow-white eggs in the soil. The larvae feeds on roots, especially those of grasses and overwinters.

The Japanese Beetle was introduced accidentally in 1916 from Japan on iris roots.

Lady Bugs are found in woods, meadows, and gardens. They eat aphids and other small insects. Females may lay up to 500 eggs attached to leaves and twigs.

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The wingspan of a Monarch Butterfly is 3 1/2 - 4 inches. It is found in meadows, roadsides, and sandy areas wherever milkweeds grow. Its black white and yellow banded caterpillar feeds on milkweed foliage, flower buds, and milky juice. The change from eggs to butterfly takes about 4 weeks and there are many generations a year. Millions migrate to Mexico every autumn. In early spring and summer, returning females travel north in relays laying eggs along the way.

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Mass Audubon Butterfly Atlas

Mosquitoes are slender delicate flies that are easily recognized by their long proboscis. The male has very feathery antennae and the female has sparsely hairy antennae. They are best known for their biting habits because the female must have blood supply before she can lay eggs. Males do not bite and generally feed on plant juice. Mosquito larvae are called wrigglers and live in stagnant ponds and lakes. Larvae feed on microscopic aquatic plants.

Yellow Jackets live in meadows and usually nest in the ground or at ground level. In spring, the mated female constructs a small nest and daily brings pre-chewed food to larvae until the first brood matures. The females serve as workers, extending the nest and tending young. In late summer, males develop from unfertilized eggs and mate. The adults love nectar. When cold weather begins, all die except mated females, which overwinter among litter and in soil.

They are very aggressive and will sting repeatedly at the slightest disturbance.