Insects of North America: A Collection of Stunning Photos

A Collection of Stunning Insect & Spider Photos

There are over 91,000 different species of insects and other arthropods known to occur in North America, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). This number includes all kinds of bugs, such as beetles, butterflies, moths, ants, bees, wasps, flies, spiders, mosquitoes, and many others. However, it's important to note that new species are still being discovered and classified, so the total number of bug species in North America is likely to be even higher than 91,000.

Granted it would take a lifetime to take pictures of that many bugs. But, we will give it a shot. All the pictures are taken by Shutter Bison and are sorted by the common name for the insects.

Last updated: 3/9/24

COUNT: 90 - Stay tuned, more Insects are to come with each outing.

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A

Augochlora Green Metalic Bee Habitat: Meadows Range: North America
American Cockroach Habitat: Urban Areas Range: North America Note: Best version of a cockroach - dead

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B

​​Band-Eyed Drone Fly Habitat: Fields and Meadows Range: North America
​Band-winged Grasshopper Habitat: Fields and Meadows Range: North America
​Bark Scorpion Habitat: Desert / Semi Desert Range: Western United States
​Bee Fly Habitat: Meadows, Open Areas Range: North America
Bird Grasshopper Habitat: Meadow and Fields Range: North America
Black Ground Beetle Habitat: Wooded areas and sometimes fields Range: North America
Black and Yellow Garden Spider Habitat: Meadows and open areas Range: North America
Blow Fly Greenbottle Fly Bluebottle Fly Habitat: Urban Areas Range: Western United States to Mexico
Green-blue Long-legged Fly Habitat: Grassy Places, Schrubs, Near Water Range: North America
Bordered Plant Bug Habitat: Woods and Fields Range: Western United States
​Broad-necked Darkling Beetle Habitat: Desert / Semi Desert Range: Western United States
Brown Daddy Long-Legs Habitat: Fields and Forests Range: North America
Blow FlyGreenbottle FlyBluebottle FlyHabitat: Urban AreasRange: Western United States to Mexico

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C

​California Harvester Ants Habitat: Dry open Areas Range: West Coast of North America
California Leafcutting Bee Habitat: Semiarid Hillsides Range: California
Carpenter Bee Habitat: Forests and adjacent meadows Range: North America
​Checkered White Butterly Habitat: Open Areas Range: North America
Cloudless Sulphur Butterly Habitat: Tropical Forests Range: Southern North America
​Colorado Soldier Beetle Habitat: Fields, Prairies Range: mid-west
​Convergent Lady Bug Habitat: Forests and Meadows Range: North America

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D

Dainty Tiger Beetle Habitat: Sandy Areas Range: Eastern United States
​Desert Loxosceles Spider Habitat: Arid Areas Range: Western United States
Desert Tarantula Habitat: Desert Range: Western United States
Differentail Grasshopper Habitat: Grasslands and open woods Range: United States Note: These two dirty birds (sorry, they are not fond of birds) are a mating pair

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E

Earwig Habitat: Dark damp areas Range: North America
​Eastern Daddy Long-legs Habitat: Open areas Range: East of the Rockys
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterly Habitat: Open Areas and mixed forests Range: East of the Rocky Mountains
​​Elongated Long-jawed Orbweaver Habitat: Meadows, Marshes, near water Range: North America

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F

Flesh Fly Habitat: Everywhere Range: North America
Forest Wolf Spider Habitat: Woods Range: North America
Fork-tailed Bush Katydid Habitat: Woodlands and Forests Range: North America

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G

​Garden Snail Habitat: Gardens Range: North America
Garden Spider Habitat: Gardens Range: North America
​Giant Desert Centipede Habitat: Desert Range: Southwest to West United States
Giant Robber Fly Habitat: Pastures and open fields Range: Midwest
Golden Paper Wasp Habitat: Meadows and wooded areas Range: Western North America
Goldenrod Spider Flower Spider Crab Spider Habitat: Meadows and Fields Range: North America Note: Can change color to match the flower its hunting in
Green Apple Aphid Habitat: Anywhere theres plants Range: North America
Green Assassin Bug Habitat: Meadows and Wooded areas Range: North America Note: Photo is a Nymph (young) Assassin Bug
​Green Valley Grasshopper Habitat: Fields and Meadows Range: Western United States
​Grizzled Skipper Butterfly Habitat: Woodlands and Grasslands Range: North America
​Gulf Fritillary Butterfly Habitat: Woodlands, Grasslands, Fields Range: North America / South America

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H

Honey Bee Habitat: Meadows and Wooded Areas Range: North America
House Centipede Habitat: Urban Areas Range: North America
House Cricket Habitat: Urban Areas Range: North America
​Hover Fly Habitat: Meadows and Fields Range: North America

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I

Ironclad Beetle Habitat: Deserts Range: Southwest More Details

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J

Jerusalem Cricket Potato Bug Habitat: Hillsides and slopes Range: Western United States

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K

Katydid Nymph Habitat: Woodlands and Forests Range: North America

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L

Large Bee Fly Habitat: Fields and Meadows Range: North America
​Lorquin's Admiral Butterfly Habitat: Forest Edges, Canyons, Streamsides Range: Western North America

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M

Marsh Slug Habitat: Streams, swamps, Ponds, Marshes Range: North America
Metaphid Jumping Spider Habitat: Meadows and woods Range: North America
​Monarch Butterfly Habitat: Meadows and Fields Range: North America Note: Migrate to Mexico every autumn

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N-P

Olive-green Swamp Grasshopper Habitat: Wetlands Range: Eastern / Southern United States
​Painted Grasshopper Habitat: Desert Grasslands Range: Texas up to Colorado
Painted Lady Butterfly Habitat: Meadows and Fields Range: North America
​Pallid-winged Grasshopper Habitat: Everywhere Range: North America
Paper Wasp Habitat: Meadows and Fields Range: North America
Polybiine Paper Wasp Habitat: Meadows and Fields Range: Western United States
​Praying Mantis Habitat: Meadows and Fields Range: North America

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Q-R

Red Jumping Spider Habitat: Meadows and woods Range: West Coast of North America
​Red Saddlebag Dragonfly Habitat: Near slow-moving water Range: North America
Red Skimmer Dragonfly Habitat: Near water Range: North America
​Robber Fly Habitat: Pastures and open fields Range: East of the Rocky Mountains
​Ruby Spot Damselfly Habitat: Near water Range: North America

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S

​Sandhills Hornet Habitat: Near Sandy areas Range: North America
Scarab-hunter Wasp Habitat: Meadows and Forest edges Range: Western United States
​Silver Argiope Habitat: Dry Humid Environments Range: North America
​Silvery-blue Butterfly Habitat: Open Woods Range: North America
​Spur-throated Grasshopper Habitat: Open Areas Range: North America

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T

Tarantula Hawk Habitat: Rolling hills and open plains Range: California and Mexico More Details
Ten-lined June Bug Habitat: Forests and woods Range: Western and Southwestern United States
Thistledown Velvet Ant Habitat: Arid and Semi-arid areas Range: Western United States Note: guarding egg sack
​Thread-waisted Wasp Habitat: Open Areas Range: North America
​Two-striped Grasshopper Habitat: Grasslands Range: North America

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U-Z

​Variable Checkerspot Butterfly Habitat: Sagebrush flats, chaparral, desert hills, high prairie Range: North America
​Wandering Spider Habitat: Woods Range: Southwest / Western North America
​Water Strider Habitat: Surface of Ponds, Slow Streams Range: North America
​​Western Spotted Orbweaver Habitat: Tall grass, Woods, Gardens Range: North America
​Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterly Habitat: Open Areas and mixed forests Range: Western North America
White-lined Sphinx Habitat: Meadows and Grasslands Range: North America
Yellow Bee Fly Habitat: Meadows and Grasslands Range: North America
​Yellow Jacket Wasp Habitat: Meadows and Edges of forested areas Range: North America
Yellow Skipper Butterfly Habitat: Meadows and Grasslands Range: North America

Stay tuned, more Insects are to come with each outing.

The photographs contained in this website may not be reproduced without the express consent of Shutter Bison.