“Why Insects Matter: Giving Thanks to the Little Creatures That Keep Our Ecosystems Thriving”

 

Big Thanks to Little Creatures

Little creatures—so often invisible unless we slow down and truly look—offer us endless reasons to pay attention.

It begins with simple curiosity. We lean in, we observe, and soon the joy of noticing insects in their natural habitats expands our skills and deepens our sense of wonder. Their colors, patterns, behaviors, and ingenious lifestyles—each species so distinctly capable—never fail to awe us.

As we grow more confident and connected to these often-overlooked beings who keep our ecosystems humming, we naturally spread the love of inverting—of observing and celebrating invertebrates.

We learn that you don’t need to know any science to be amazed by insects.
But when you learn even a little, the amazement grows.

Pollination alone should inspire a land-care ethic in all of us.
But insects are quick to remind us: That’s not all we do.

They pollinate roughly 75% of global food crops.
They enable plant reproduction by carrying pollen flower to flower.
They feed countless animals—birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.
They break down the dead and decaying, returning nutrients to the soil.
They keep ecosystems in balance by naturally controlling potential pests.

Through these combined roles, insects create stability and resilience.
Healthy soil, clean water, thriving food webs, and rich biodiversity—all depend on their work.

And so, with gratitude and wonder,
we give thanks to the little creatures.

Insect Study Resources: Guides, Research, and Learning Tools from the Vermont Entomology Academy

The Vermont Entomology Academy is committed to making insect science accessible to learners of all backgrounds—from beginners discovering their first beetle to naturalists documenting new state records. To support that mission, we’ve curated a streamlined reference list of the most reliable field guides, research papers, articles, online courses, videos, and podcasts, organized by the major insect orders.

Whether you’re identifying backyard species, preparing for fieldwork, or deepening your understanding of insect ecology, this collection provides trusted resources across the full spectrum of entomology. Explore, learn, and follow your curiosity—one order at a time. 

You do not need to know the science of insects to be amazed by the insects. But we can be inspired even more when we learn a little about them.

Vermont Entomology Recommended Resources 

	Family or Description	Link
All Insects
	Atlas of Life	VCE Wildlife Atlases *various
	Atlas of Life	VCE: The Vermont Atlas of Life ***
	Checklist	VCE: Checklist of Vermont Species
	Guides	Agriculture and Agri-Food Entomological Monographs
	Guides	BugFinder
	Guides	BugGuide. ***
	Guides	Canadian Journal of Arthropod Id
	Guides	Discover Life ***
	Guides	Insect Identification – Online Resources
	Guides	US and Canada Bug Identification Guides
	Guides to British insects.	Mike’s Insect keys.  Dichotomous keys are designed for use on screen.
	Photos	Insect Photo Collection on Flickr
	Species Profiles	Explore Species Profiles
	VT Insects	Est. 21.4k insect species in VT
Collembola
	Springtails	The Collembola of North America, North of the Rio Grande: A Taxonomic Analysis - 4 Volumes / grinnell-32544.pdf
Coleoptera: Beetles.
	Beetles	VCE: Tiger Beetles of Vermont
	Beetles	VCE: Vermont Lady Beetle Species Profiles
	Fireflies	13 species known in VT
	Fireflies	Field Guides and ID Keys
	Fireflies	Firefly Anatomy and Flash Patterns
	Fireflies	Firefly Photography Tips
	Fireflies	Firefly Photography Tips II
	Fireflies	Firefly Photography Tips III and IV
	Fireflies	Firefly Survey
	Fireflies	iNat link
	Fireflies	Preliminary List
	VT Beetles	Over 1k species in VT. One out of every four creatures on the planet is a beetle.
Diptera: Flies
	Craneflies	Crane flies of eastern North America
	Craneflies	The Craneflies (Diptera: Tipulidae) of Pennsylvania
	Symphyta / Sawflies	Electronic World Catalog of Symphyta - symphyta on iNaturalist
	Syrphidae	Bee flies (Bombyliidae)
	Syrphidae	Field/Photo ID for Flies
	Syrphidae	Key to the Syrphus of North America
	Tachinid Flies Family Tachinidae	Taxonomic and Host Catalogue of the Tachinidae of America North of Mexico
Diptera: Fly Genus detail
	Condylostylus	Complex Condylostylus sipho: Yellow femora and tibiae combined with marked wings are indicators for the sipho group, rather than in patibulatus, which also has marked wings, but which has all-black legs in both sexes. Sadly, so far, females are indistinguishable between species in this group. Very good side shots of the legs are best for identifying sipho males to species. - alisonnetta on iNaturalist
	Cylindromyia	There are 17 species of Cylindromyia in the Nearctic (http://www.nadsdiptera.org/Tach/Nearctic/CatNAmer/Genera/Cylindromyia.html). Cylindromyia bicolor is not one of them (it is a European species). The ID engine of iNaturalist is misleading people to put a species name on their Cylindromyia when they should not. - jhskevington, iNaturalist
	Merodontini	Common Merodontini of the Northeast by Even and Zachary Dankowicz. “Merodontini”: A tribe of hoverflies, also known as "bulb flies," within the family Syrphidae.
	Orthorrhapha:Family   Rhagionidae	This species has a white frons (seen in females only); crescents or complete bands on the first few abdominal segments; dark stigmata in the wings; and often near-white fore tibiae. There's also a table of information on them in the Fly Guides under Orthorrhapha. Table of information on Rhagio in the Fly Guides (search site using 'Rhagionidae', and look in the 'Notes' section). Alisonnetta iNaturalist
Hemiptera: True bugs
	VT True Bugs	True Bugs: At least 80 species in VT
Hymenoptera: Ants, bees, and wasps
	Andrena	Andrena key
	Atlas of Life	VCE: The Vermont Atlas of Life ***
	Bee Anatomy	Bee Anatomy
	Bees	Bee Photos. USGS Bee Lab
	Bees	Bee species by percentage Chart
	Bees	Bees of Maryland: A Field Guide
	Bees	Bees of NY and nesting information
	Bees	Beyond the Honeybee: Wild Bees on the Vermont Landscape
	Bees	How to make a habitat for ground nesting bees
	Bees	Pollen Specialist Bees of the Eastern United States
	Bees	State of Vermont's Wild Bees Conservation
	Bees	State of Vermont's Wild Bees: Current Knowledge
	Bees	State of Vermont’s Wild Bees 2022
	Bees	The Bees of North Carolina - An Identification Guide
	Bees	VCE: Masked Bees (Genus Hylaeus)
	Bees	VCE: The Bees of VT: Id by Species, Genera, Specialists by host plant or by habitat.
	Bees	VCE: Vermont Bee Species
	Bees	VCE: Vermont Wild Bee Guide
	Bees	351 known bee species in VT
	Bees	Bees of Canada
	Bees	VCE: Bees of VT Supplement Species Account (2025)
	Bees & Wasps	Identifying Bees and Wasps
	Bees and Plants	Pollen Specialist Native Bees: Native Plants Are Key To Their Survival - Heather Holm
	Bumble Bees	17 Bumble Bee Species known in Vermont (4 have are no longer seen in VT)
	Bumble Bees	Aberrant bee color patterns - iNaturalist project page
	Bumble Bees	Bumble Bee Anatomy
	Bumble Bees	Bumble Bee Field Guide
	Bumble Bees	Bumble Bee ID By Illustrations (click on images to enlarge)
	Bumble Bees	Bumble Bee Identification Guides Links
	Bumble Bees	Bumble Bee Life Cycle: Graphic Art
	Bumble Bees	Bumble Bees of Illinois
	Bumble Bees	Bumble Bees of the Eastern US
	Bumble Bees	Comparing Bombus impatiens, bimaculatus, & griseocollis by neylon on inaturalist
	Bumble Bees	Photos of Bumble Bees by Heather Helm
	Bumble Bees	Resources to Boost your Bumble Bee Identification Skills
	Bumble Bees	VCE: Bumble Bees (Genus Bombus)
	Bumble Bees	VCE: Bumble Bees of New England
	Bumble Bees	VCE: Bumble Bees of New England (illustrated guide)
	Bumble Bees	VCE: Field Guide to the Bumble Bees of VT
	Bumble Bees & Carpenter Bees	VCE: Bumble Bees and Carpenter Bees of Vermont (Rank)
	Ichneumonid Wasp	Ichneumon wasp identification
	Specialist Bees	Guide to Specialist Bees of Ohio and Floral Resources to Target
	Specialist Bees	Pollen Specialist Bees of the Eastern United States and associated plants
	Specialist Bees	VCE: Specialist Bees and associated plants
	Terms that describe a bee	Glossary of Terms
Bees - Genus detail
	A Genera Guide	VT Bee Genera (VCE)
	Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee	Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee Agapostemon virescens: ID to species of maleAgapostemon is usually quite difficult. Males are difficult to ID to species without a view of sternites. Consider revising species-level IDs to Subgenus Agapostemon if the diagnostic characters of species cannot be verified.
	C.calcarata	Spurred Carpenter Bee: The hind femur "spur" is dilated into a clear triangle shape.
	C.dupla	Doubled Carpenter Bee: The hind femur is "somewhat dilated toward the base”.
	Colletes	Cellophane Bees: S-shaped second recurrent vein in wings; slightly heart-shaped face.
	Dialictus	Metallic Sweat Bee: Many of these are morphologically monotonous and currently can't be ID'd by photos. Dialictus is a very hard group, even with specimens in hand under a microscope. We have ~100 species in this group in the eastern US, and few have distinct enough characters to ID from photos. That is why these often linger in the needs ID pool since a majority cannot be identified reliably from a photo. - - malisaspring and neylon on iNaturalist
	Halictus	Furrow Bees: Hair bands on both sides of the gaps between abdominal segments; males can be separated by antenna color.
	Hylaeus, Nomada	Masked bees and Nomad Bees: Male bees often have more extensive yellow markings than females, which can be helpful for certain genera like Masked Bees (Hylaeus) or Nomad Bees (Nomada).
	Lasioglossum	The bee genera most similar to Lasioglossum are Halictus and Agapostemon, which are also often called sweat bees. Lasioglossum can be distinguished from Halictusprimarily by the position of the hair bands on the abdomen: Lasioglossum has them at the base (inner edge) of each segment, while Halictus has them at the very end (outer edge) of each segment.
	Lasioglossum	To tell the Lasioglossum genus apart from others, look for basal (inner) hair bands on the abdomen, a strongly curved basal wing vein, and weak submarginal veins in the forewing. These features are different from closely related genera like Halictus, which have apical (outer) abdominal hair bands and thicker wing veins. Another key distinction is that Lasioglossum has short mouthparts, unlike many long-tongued bee families like the Apidae and Megachilidae.
	Lasioglossum and Agapostemon	Many bees, such as Lasioglossum and Agapostemon, are very difficult or impossible to ID from photos unless they are extremely close up and showing key characteristics that are generally difficult to photograph without having the bee in hand (e.g., the underside of its head, or the underside of its abdomen). So more often than not, these observations can only be ID'd to the subgenus level, unfortunately. - xianzx on iNaturalist. Some relevant keys to look at for determining which characteristics should be seen for species ID: See the Research papers section.
	Megachile	Leafcutter Bees: Females have abundant pollen hairs on the underside of the abdomen.
	Melissodes	Long-horned bees: Often have yellow on the face and long antennae; some have abdominal hair bands.
	Mining Bees	Difficulty in identification, even with a specimen; often confused with Halictus.
	Nomada	Some bees mimic other insects. For example, Nomad Bees (Nomada) can look more like wasps
	Osmia	Mason Bees: Pollen hairs are on the underside of the abdomen; most are metallic blue.
Lepidoptera: Butterflies and Moths
	Butterflies	31 common butterflies found in Vermont
	Butterflies	Butterflies & Moths of North America
	Butterflies	Butterfly Id
	Butterflies	Catalogue of the Butterflies of the United States and Canada” by Jonathan P. Pelham
	Butterflies	Identify a butterfly
	Butterflies	Identifying Butterflies by Color
	Butterflies	Sharon Wander’s Grass Skippers Tops Guide
	Butterflies	Wisconsin Butterflies
	Moths	Mothing 101
	Moths	Underwing Moths (Catocala) & Larvae A companion guide for iNaturalists bob_borth on iNaturalist
	VT Butterflies	At least 120 Butterfly species in VT
	VT Moths	2,051 species of moths are known from Vermont!
Odonata: Dragonflies and Damselflies
	Dragonflies	Vermont Damselfly and Dragonfly Atlas
	VT Dragonflies	101 Dragonflies and 45 Damselflies known in VT
Orthoptera: GrassGrasshoppers, Crickets and bush-crickets
	Bush-crickets	Common Bush-crickets. British focus
	Orthoptera	Orthoptera of Iowa
	VT grasshoppers	At least 91 species in VT
Misc Taxonomic Orders
Plants for insects
	Plants	Pollinator Gardens – going beyond the plant lists to create robust habitat.
Field Guide Book
	Ants	A Field Guide to the Ants of New England
	Appalachian Brown vs Eyed Brown	Appalachian Brown vs Eyed Brown:Habitat: Is it within a wet woodland with sedges? (Appalachia). Is it confined to sedges in an open sunny field/marsh? (Eurydice). Both occur in edge habitat. Appy's are more likely to wander out of their habitat. Intermediate individuals may be difficult, if not impossible, to ID. Field marks vary; a combination of all characteristics should be considered. Color can be key to the species ID — best when seen in life vs photos/specimens. - hobiecat on iNaturalist
	Aquatic insects	Turning Stones - Discovering the Life of Water
	Bees	Bees of the Eastern United States Vol 1 and 2 by Theodore B. Mitchell
	Bees	Common Bees of Eastern North America
	Bees	The Bees in Your Backyard
	Bees	The Solitary Bees
	Beetles	Guide to Beetles
	Beetles	Peterson Field Guides: Beetles
	Bumble Bees	Bumble Bees of North America: An Identification Guide
	Bumble Bees	Ohio State Univ. Links to resources
	Butterflies	A pocket guide to Butterflies and Moths
	Butterflies	A Swift Guide to Butterflies of North America: Second Edition
	Butterflies	Butterflies of Maine and the Canadian Maritime Provinces
	Butterflies	Butterflies of the East Coast: An Observer's Guide
	Butterflies	Butterflies through Binoculars: The EastA Field Guide to the Butterflies of Eastern North America
	Butterflies	Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America
	Butterflies	Peterson Field Guide To Moths Of Northeastern North America
	Caterpillars	Caterpillars of Eastern North America: A Guide to Identification and Natural History
	Damselflies	Damselflies of the Northeast: A Guide to the Species of Eastern Canada & the Northeastern United States
	Dragonflies & damselflies	A field guide to the dragonflies and damselflies of Massachusetts
	Dragonflies & damselflies	Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East
	Dragonflies & damselflies	Field Guide to The Dragonflies and Damselflies of Algonquin Provincial Park and the Surrounding Area
	Fireflies	Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada
	Fireflies	Flash Patterns of common fireflies
	Flies	Field Guide to the Flower Flies of Northeastern North America
	Insects	Garden Insects
	Insects	How to know the Immature Insects
	Insects	Insects of New England and New York
	Insects	Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America
	Insects	What Insects Do, and Why
	Lady Beetles	Are you a nine-spotted ladybug?
	Lady Beetles	The Lady Beetles of Maine
	Tiger Beetles	A Field Guide to the Tiger Beetles of the United States and Canada
	Wasps	The Social Wasps of North America
Other Insect Books
	Animals	An Immense World
	Ants (novel)	Anthill by E.O. Wilson
	Bees	Dancing with Bees - a Journey back to Nature
	Bees	The Mind Of A Bee
	Beetles (fiction)	Beetle Boy
	Bumble Bees	A Sting in the Tale
	Bumble Bees	Bumble Bee Economics
	Flies	The secret life of FLIES
	Insects	Extraordinary Insects
	Insects	Sex on Six Legs
	Insects	The Thermal Warriors - Strategies of Insect Survival
	Nature	Braiding Sweetgrass
	Wasps	Wasps - The Astonishing Diversity of a Misunderstood Insect
Online Video Learning
	Bees	My Garden of a Thousand Bees. Nature PBS
	Bees	The Unequal Cellophane Bee - Colletes inaequalis
	Bees	US National Native Bee Monitoring RCN
	Bees	Vermont's Wild Bees: Past, Present, and Future 10-5-23: Spence Hardy
	Bumble Bees	Bumblebee Short Course For Community Scientists
	Bumble Bees	Heather Holm, Bumble Bee Banquet: Selecting Native Plants for Bumble Bees
	Bumble Bees	In the Life of the Bumble Bee Queen (and the cuckoo too).
	Bumble Bees	Keynote Speaker: Dr. Hollis Woodard, “The Ontogeny of Sociality in Bumble Bee Queens”
	Bumble Bees	VCE: Bumble Bee Natural History and Conservation in Vermont
	iNat download	How to download iNaturalist data onto your desktop (to a CSV.)
	iNaturalist (value)	How Your iNaturalist Data Makes a Difference for Biodiversity
	iNaturalist on a mobile device	Naturalist: uploading observations with mobile devices. Fewer functions than a desktop application. (How to video)
	iNaturalist on Desktop	iNaturalist: uploading observations using desktops and laptops (How-to video)
	iNaturalist use Tips	VCE: Lunchtime Learning Videos by Julia Pupko. Tips for using iNaturalist to it's fullest. (List of videos)
	iNaturalist: Making IDs	Identifying on iNaturalist: How you can help! Using the Identity page starts at 18:43.
	Insects	Bugs that Rule the World Nature PBS (requires PBS Subscription)
	Insects (Film)	Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (2009). “Carefully look at nature, including insects. It’s actually a way of life.”
	Phenology	Phenology in Focus: Exploring Plant Cycles with iNaturalist
	Specialist Bees	Bryan Danforth: Host-plant Specialist Bees – Biology, Biodiversity, Conserving Them in Your Backyard
Research Papers
	BB’s and Flooding	Unveiling the submerged secrets: bumblebee queens' resilience to flooding
	Bees	An Annotated Checklist of the Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of Vermont with Conservation Status and Natural History Notes
	Bees - Phenological trends	Ecological traits explain long-term phenological trends in solitary bees
	Bees & Blueberries	UVM Graduate Research Feature: Leslie Spencer and Wild Pollinators
	Bees at play	Do bumble bees play?
	Bees behavior	Charles Henry Turner and the cognitive behavior of bees
	Bees, nesting	Nest observations reveal hygienic nest architecture and behavior in an Arctic bumble bee species
	Bumble Bees	Simple and farmer-friendly bumblebee conservation: Straw bales as nest sites in agricultural landscapes
	Climate Change: BB’s	Warming summer temperatures are rapidly restructuring North American bumble bee communities
	Foraging range	Foraging ranges of solitary bees
	iNaturalist	PDF: Community involvement in natural history: a growing opportunity for entomology and science
	Insect pollinators	Insect pollinators: The time is now for identifying species of greatest conservation need - Hardy, McFarland et al
	Lasioglossum & Agapostemon	Some relevant keys to look at for determining which characteristics should be seen for species ID: A review of the Augochloropsis (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) and keys to the shiny green Halictinae of the midwestern United States, AND Taxonomy of Agapostemon angelicus and the A. texanus species complex (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) in the United States AND Revision of the metallic Lasioglossum (Dialictus) of eastern North America (Hymenoptera: Halictidae: Halictini) - xianzx on iNaturalist
	VT Atlas of Life	10th Anniversary Vermont Atlas of Life Report (2023)
Podcasts
	Bees	Vermont's bee populations are failing. Here's what you can do to help
	Bumble Bees	Episode 19: What’s all the buzz about bumblebees? with Michael Whitehead
Articles
	Bees	Bees are sentient’: inside the stunning brains of nature’s hardest workers
	Bees	Bees may feel pain
	Bees	If bumblebees can play, does it mean they have feelings? This study suggests yes
	Bees	New Bees Discovered in Vermont with Worldwide Teamwork
	Bees	New Vermont ‘Bee Team’ to Tackle Pollinator Threats
	Bees	Nine new-to-Vermont bee species discovered - Hardy, Asher et al
	Bees	Parasitized bees are self-medicating in the wild, study finds
	Bees	Seeing the Forest for the Bees
	Bees	Wild Bee Conservation
	Bumble Bees	Conserving Bumblebees. Guidelines for creating and conserving habitat.
	Bumble Bees	Strategy To Protect State And Federally Recognized Bumble Bee Species Of Conservation Concern
	Bumble Bees	Washington State Becomes First To Adopt A Statewide Strategy To Protect Bumble Bees
	E-butterfly	e-Butterfly help center
	iNaturalist (setting your license choice)	What are licenses? How can I update the licenses on my content?
	iNaturalist forum	iNat Forum Various themes or topics
	iNaturalist use Tips	How to use iNaturalist's search URLs (IN DEPTH)
	iNaturalist use Tips	Tech Tip Tuesday. series of short articles. From little tricks that help you record better data to suggestions on how to make your observations easier to identify.
	Odonata	Odonata Central User Guide
	Odonata	Odonata Central: How to use the Odonata website.
Newsletters
	Insects	Vermont Entomology Society Newsletters
iNaturalist Projects
	Bees	Aberrant bee color patterns
	Bees	Predation of Bees
	Bees	Vermont Wild Bee Survey
	Insects	Insects of Vermont
	Lady Beetles	Vermont Lady Beetle Atlas
	Mating bees	Mating Bees
	Mimics	Bee and Wasp Mimics
	Nesting bees	Nesting bees
	Odonata	Odonata: Dragonflies and Damselflies
	Plant/Pollinator	Pollinator Interactions on Plants (PIP) of the NE US
	VT Stats by city	Vermont Biodiversity by city or town