Bombus sp.

A bumble bee takes off after working a purple coneflower. Urbana, Illinois, USA.

Cephalotes atratus

Portrait of a turtle ant, Cephalotes atratus

Fireflies

A 10 minute night exposure in a restored Illinois prairie reveals the signals of several different species of fireflies, each with a unique pattern. Homer Lake, Illinois, USA.

Photinus pyralis

A male big dipper firefly signals in an ascending line. Urbana, Illinois, USA

Eacles imperialis

An imperial moth caterpillar feeds on an oak leaf. Stengl Lost Pines Field Station, Texas, USA.

Brachygastra mellifica

Portrait of a Mexican Honey Wasp. San Antonio, Texas, USA

Magicicada cassini

Portrait of a periodical cicada, Magicicada cassini. Panther Creek State Conservation Area, Illinois, USA.

Telonomus sp.

An egg-parasitioid wasp (Scelionidae) lays her eggs into an egg of a Caligo owl butterfly. Cayó District, Belize.

Eciton rapax

The largest of the Neotropical army ants is Eciton rapax, an Amazonian species that preys on social insects. Jatun Sacha reserve, Ecuador.

Tenodera sinensis

Portrait of a female Chinese Mantis, an Asian species that has become common in North America following introduction for biological pest control. Urbana, Illinois, USA.

Megischus bicolor

Silhouetted against the dusk sky, a parasitic wasp lays her egg in the dead trunk of a redbud tree. Her target is probably wood-boring beetles. Urbana, Illinois, USA.

Apterobittacus apterus - wingless hangingfly

Courtship in hangingflies involves the male (bottom left) capturing a prey item and presenting it as a gift to the female. Hastings Reserve, Carmel Valley, California, USA.

Castes of the western honey bee, Apis mellifera

Worker (top), queen, and drone.

Atta cephalotes

A small leafcutter ant worker rides on a leaf to protect her larger sister against parasites. Ecuador.

Aphantochilus rogersi

This crab spider mimics the color, shape, size, and texture of the turtle ants it preys upon. Archidona, Napo, Ecuador.

Anoplognathus sp. - Christmas beetle

Australia's famous "Christmas beetles" are several species of large, brightly-colored scarabs that appear around porch lights in early summer. Yandoit, Victoria, Australia.

Synoeca cyanea

After a heavy rain, a Synoeca cyanea worker empties extra water from the colony's nest. Morretes, Paraná, Brazil

Odontomachus erythrocephalus

The bright colors of this tropical trap-jaw ant serve as a warning of her painful sting. Colombia.

Veromessor pergandei

Black harvester ant. California, USA.

Drosophila pseudoobscura

Eciton hamatum

A focus-stacked portrait of an Eciton hamatum army ant soldier. This New World tropical species is a specialist predator of other social insect species. Belize.

Death by fungus

Fungal fruiting bodies sprout from the body of a cricket on the rainforest floor. Belize.