What's Living in Your Yard? Free Insect Surveys for Jericho Residents

Have you ever wondered what butterflies, bees, beetles, and other fascinating insects are visiting your yard?

If you have flowers blooming or other interesting habitats, I'd be happy to conduct a free yard insect survey for Jericho residents. During a one- to two-hour visit, I'll photograph the insects and other invertebrates I find using macro photography and upload the observations to iNaturalist, where you—and scientists around the world—can view the records anytime. These observations help document local biodiversity and contribute to ongoing research.

The Insect Survey "Yard Invite" Program is one of the many initiatives offered by the Vermont Entomology Academy. 

This year I'm especially interested in photographing butterflies in support of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies' Butterfly Atlas, and native bees as part of the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies program for native bees of regional concern in the NE*. 

*See the list of Food/Host plants that are of particular interest further below.

Of course, I'll also photograph beetles, flies, dragonflies, true bugs, and any other insects I encounter.

Here are a few examples:
Butterflies I've documented in Jericho:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=55393&taxon_id=47224&user_id=bugey[...]any

One of my favorite species is the Baltimore Checkerspot. They're surprisingly docile, not easily startled, and will sometimes land on a hand to sip salts from your skin.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=55393&taxon_id=58578&user_id=bugey[...]any

Learn about the butterfly species known from Vermont:
https://vtbugeyed.blogspot.com/2026/04/jericho-vermont-butterflies-species-not.html

If you'd like your yard (insect) surveyed, please send me:

• Your Jericho street address
• A day (or days) of the week that work for you
• A time when I can spend an hour or two exploring your yard
• There's no cost—just an opportunity to discover who's sharing your backyard and to add valuable observations to Vermont's growing record of biodiversity.

Bug watching (Inverting*) is the new birding!

* Inverting is the joy of observing invertebrates.
-Bugeyedbernie

A sampling of Past participants' comments: 

• A BIG THANK YOU. You've likely brought me back to iNaturalist for the long term.
• Thanks so much for this! I like the elegance of the Eastern Forktail.  I looked up more info, which confirmed my recollection that they're similar predators to dragonflies and are used a lot as flies for fly-fishing.  Glad to have them around our ponds. 
• These are so much fun to look at! One of the Eastern Forktails looks like it was looking right at you, Bernie! 
• I am so happy to hear that our diversity of plantings is having a positive effect. It’s what we hoped. Thanks for the confirmation. You’ll be welcome anytime.
• I’m amazed at the variety of species of bees in our meadow; mind-blowing! Come back anytime.
• Hi Bernie, these are so cool!  Thanks for sending me just a few of the exciting critters who share my little plot of land.

PS If any of these are blooming in your yard, please point them out to me during my visit to your yard. 

 Food/Host Plants that support Bees of Regional Concern

Plant	Common name	Bloom Time (VT)
Alternanthera floridana	Yellow Joyweed	N/a in VT
Amorpha canescens	Leadplant	June-Aug
Apocynum	Dogbane or Indian hemp	Late June-Aug
Asclepias tuberosa	Orange milkweed	Late June-Aug
Asteraceae	Daisy Family	Varies widely; May–October
Baptisia	Wild Indigo	Late May–June
Baptisia tinctoria	Yellow wild indigo	June–July
Bidens	Spanish Needles, Beggar-ticks	July–October
C. pumila	Allegheny chinquapin, or dwarf chestnut	June
Castanea dentata	American chestnut	Late June–July
Ceanothus americanus	New Jersey Tea	Late June–July
Cercis L	Redbuds	Late April–May
Chrysopsis	Golden Asters	August–September
Cichorium intybus	Chicory	July–September
Erigeron L	Fleabane	May–July
Fagopyrum esculentum	Buckwheat	July–August
Galearis rotundifolia	Round-leaf orchid	Late May–June
Helianthus	Sunflowers	July–September
Hibiscus	Hibiscus	July–September
Houstonia	Flowering Bluets	Late April–June
Hydrangea	Hydrangea	July–September
Ilex	Holly	May–June
Lactuca pulchella	Showy Blue Lettuce	July–September
Lindernia	Lindernia	July–September
Lupinus L	Lupines	Late May–June
Lyonia	Staggerbushes	May–June
Lyonia ligustrina	Maleberry or he-huckleberry	June–July
Lysimachia	Loosestrifes	June–August
Lysimachia ciliata	Fringed loosestrife	July–August
M. fistulosa	Wild Bergamot or Bee Balm	July–August
Melilotus officinalis	Yellow sweet clover	June–September
Monarda	Bee balm	July–August
Nepeta cataria	Catnip	June–September
Parnassia caroliniana	Carolina grass-of-Parnassus	August–September
Parnassia glauca	Fen grass of Parnassus	August–September
Parthenocissus	Virginia Creeper	Late May–June
Pentstemon	Beardtongues	Late May–June
Pontedaria cordata	Pickerelweed	July–September
Rhus glabra	Smooth sumac	June–July
Ribes missouriense	Missouri gooseberry or wild gooseberry	Late April–May
Rubus	Brambles (blackberries, raspberries)	May–June
Rudbeckia hirta	Black-eyed Susan	July–September
Sericocarpus linifolius	Narrow-leaved white-topped-aster	August–September
Solidago spp	Goldenrods	Late July–September
Symphyotrichum	American Asters	August–October
Symphyotrichum Nees	American Asters	August–October
Trifolium	Clovers	May–September
Uvularia,  U. sessilifolia	Sessile Bellwort	May
Vaccinium angustifolium	Lowbush blueberry	May–June
Vaccinium L.	Blueberry, Cranberry, Bilberry, and Lingonberry.	April–June (species dependent)
Viola sagittata	Arrowleaf violet or arrowhead violet	May–June
Willow	Willow	April–May

Plant	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct
Willow (Salix)	●	●
Redbud (Cercis)	●	●
Bluets (Houstonia)	●	●	●
Gooseberry (Ribes missouriense)	●	●
Bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia)		●
Arrowleaf violet (Viola sagittata)		●	●
Lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)		●	●
Other Vaccinium spp.	●	●	●
Fleabane (Erigeron)		●	●	●
Lupines (Lupinus)		●	●
Wild indigo (Baptisia)		●	●
Yellow wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria)			●	●
Round-leaf orchid (Galearis rotundifolia)		●	●
Beardtongues (Penstemon)		●	●
New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)			●	●
American chestnut (Castanea dentata)			●	●
Allegheny chinquapin (Castanea pumila)			●
Holly (Ilex)		●	●
Maleberry (Lyonia ligustrina)			●	●
Lyonia spp.		●	●
Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra)			●	●
Brambles (Rubus)		●	●
Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus)		●	●
Loosestrifes (Lysimachia)			●	●	●
Fringed loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata)				●	●
Bee balm (Monarda)				●	●
Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)				●	●
Catnip (Nepeta cataria)			●	●	●	●
Sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis)			●	●	●	●
Chicory (Cichorium intybus)				●	●	●
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum)				●	●
Sunflowers (Helianthus)				●	●	●
Hibiscus				●	●	●
Hydrangea				●	●	●
Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata)				●	●	●
Lindernia				●	●	●
Showy blue lettuce (Lactuca pulchella)				●	●	●
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)				●	●	●
Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)					●	●
American asters (Symphyotrichum)					●	●	●
Golden asters (Chrysopsis)					●	●
White-topped aster (Sericocarpus linifolius)					●	●
Spanish needles (Bidens)				●	●	●	●
Carolina grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia caroliniana)					●	●
Fen grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia glauca)					●	●

Native bee species that are of regional concern in the northeast 

From The Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (NEAFWA)

Bee Species	Food/host plants	Habitat	Flight Season	Threats
Andrena braccata	Solidago specialist (has been collected on other Asteraceae)	open deep sandy soils/dunes, meadows, pollinator plantings	August-October	Habitat loss from development, herbicides killing host plant
Andrena nida	Salix (Willow) specialist	hardwood forest,  wetlands, Wet areas with willow	Spring	Loss of host plant/draining of wetlands
Andrena rehni	Specialist on Castanea; Castanea dentata (American chestnut) and C. pumila (chinquapin)	Forest edges and openings where chinquapin can bloom along with American chestnut backcross orchards and plantings	May-July	Loss of chestnuts from chestnut blight
Andrena uvulariae	Bellwort (Uvularia) specialist, U. sessilifolia	Woodlands and forests with Uvularia populations (can be scattered), forest edges	Spring	invasive species
Epeoloides pilosulus	Host species collect pollen and oils from native Lysimachia; Lactuca pulchella (DL)	This species is found in prairies, fields, and wetlands	June-July	Loss of habitat due to development, agriculture, invasive species and utility corridors
Lasioglossum marinum	range of herbaceous plants; Bidens, Helianthus and Parthenocissus, Alternanthera floridana	Only in dunes and open sandy beaches adjacent to salt water including urban areas	April-October	Habitat loss, sea level rise
Macropis ciliata	Collect oils from Lysimachia. Specialist on Lysimachia, but nectars on Apocynum, Houstonia, Hydrangea, Rhus glabra, Melilotus officinalis, Ceanothus americanus	Open area with loosestrife usually wetlands or shrubby areas	May-August	Loss of habitat (host plant)
Macropis patellata	Lysimachia specialist (L. ciliata)	variety of wetland habitats with native Lysimachia	June-August	Loss of specialist host plant from development, climate change
Melissodes apicatus	Pickerelweed specialist (Pontedaria cordata)	Extensive Pontedaria cordata beds in freshwater tidal areas	March-July	Loss of pickerelweed beds
Melitta melittoides	Specialist on Lyonia (has only records for Lyonia ligustrina and not other species)	Scrub, transitional habitats, edges of wetlands where Lyonia occurs	May-September	Reduction of host plant
Osmia felti	Ribes missouriense (DL), Rubus, Vaccinium angustifolium, Viola sagittata, Sericocarpus linifolius,  (iNat)	Associated with sandy barrens	June-August	Habitat loss, Fire suppression, competition and pathogens from non-native bees
Protandrena aestivalis	Late season Asteraceae; Asteraceae: Astereae: Chrysopsis (Nutt.) Elliott, Erigeron L., Solidago L., Symphyotrichum Nees	Likely associated with sandy open fields. Summer Miner Bee has been observed near managed grasslands and floodplain forest habitat types, but has also been observed in shrublands	Late summer to fall
Andrena canadensis	Aster and Solidago	Sandy areas	August-September	Habitat and host plant loss
Andrena nigrae	Salix (willow) pollen specialist, might use other plants for nectar	old field, cropland, orchard, wetland, Wetlands and cultural landscapes with willow	May	Habitat/host plant loss
Andrena parnassiae	Parnassia caroliniana, Parnassia glauca, other Parnassia?	conifer forest, mixed forest, hardwood forest, wetlands, bogs/fens, seeps	August-October	Habitat loss, hydrological alteration that disrupts wetlands, climate change, invasion by exotic plants, water pollution, pathogens, insecticides, herbicides, off-road vehicles, mowing of roadside host plants
Andrena persimulata	Dogwood specialist, also collected on Viburnum, subgenus Swida	Wet Meadow/Shrub Swamp, forest, open habitat	May-July	Habitat loss and degradation, invasive plants and pathogens, pesticides, climate change
Anthophora walshii	yellow wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria), orange milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) and goldenrods (Solidago spp.), and more	open coastal habitats on sandy soil where yellow wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria) is relatively abundant. Habitats include sandplain grasslands and similar anthropogenic habitats such as utility rights-of-way and fire breaks.	July-September	habitat loss, fire suppression, introduced pathogens, aerial insecticide spraying, non-target herbicide application, excessive deer browse of host plants, and off-road vehicles
Colletes banksi	Ilex (holly) specialist	areas of shrubby Ilex; sandy or wetland	April-July	Loss of host plant; rare species and much is unknown
Colletes solidaginis	Solidago (goldenrod) specialist	Open landscapes containing Solidago populations, possibly restricted to sandy areas, coastal areas	July-September	Habitat and host plant loss
Dianthidium simile	Symphyotrichum, Solidago	Sandy areas, lakeshores, coastal	July-September	Habitat and host plant loss
Dufourea monardae	Monarda (bee balm) specialist; sometimes others, M. fistulosa, Cichorium intybus, Amorpha canescens,  Nepeta cataria, Fagopyrum esculentum	Shrublands, Wet Meadow/Shrub Swamp, Mixed Northern Hardwoods, Floodplain Forest/Freshwater Marsh, Old Field/Managed Grasslands	July and August	Loss of host plant, habitat loss and degradation, invasive plants, pathogens, pesticides, climate change
Epeolus canadensis	Rudbeckia hirta (DL)	Forest edges, meadows, disturbed sandy areas	Summer	unknown, but regionally rare
Habropoda laboriosa	Cercis L., Lupinus L., Vaccinium L.	deep well-drained sandy soils where Vaccinium blooms	March-May	Habitat loss, reduction in blueberries from forestry production
Hylaeus saniculae	Generalist: Aralia hispida,  Amorpha fruticosa, Cicuta maculata, Crataegus crus-galli, Cryptotaenia canadensis, Eulophus americanus, Heracleum lanatum, Polygonum scandens, Sanicula canadensis, Sanicula marilandica, Taenldia integerrima and Thaspium trifoliatum (DL)	open areas	June-August	Unknown but the species is very rare
Lasioglossum georgeickworti	Baptisia, Lindernia, not totally clear	Coastal beach, maritime dune and grassland, some interior sand	all seasons	Erosion of coastal dunes.
Macropis nuda	Lysimachia ciliata specialist; also other Lysimachia Apocynum,  Lactuca pulchella	Intact wetland habitat where native loosestrifes occur is critical foraging habitat for this species. M. nuda is known from prairie fens, wet-mesic prairies, ephemeral wetlands, ditches, and along waterways	June-September	Climate change, land use change, invasive plant species, pesticides
Melitta americana	Vaccinium specialist	Cranberry bogs and other boggy habitats; nests in sandy/loose soils, sandhill	April-July	Important pollinators of cranberry/blueberry so vulnerable to pesticides
Nomada electa	Host is Solidago specialist	Same as Andrena braccata, potentially deep sandy soils	August-October	Threats to host species
Osmia lignaria	Wide range of herbaceous and woody plants; Cercis, Fragaria, Geranium, Lupinus, Malus, Prunus, Rubus, Salix, Vicia and Viola (DL)	This species is found in many habitat types, including orchards and gardens, is a generalist floral visitor. Woodlands, edges, gardens, and nearby open areas	March-June	Pesticides, fungicides, pathogens, climate change, introduced species
Osmia proxima	Round-leaf orchid (Galearis rotundifolia) and Houstonia, Pentstemon, Rubus and Trifolium.	unknown? Mixed forest?	May-September
Perdita novaeangliae	Lyonia	Brushy areas with Lyonia shrubs, wet areas	Early summer	Loss of host plant
Ptilothrix bombiformis	Hibiscus specialist; also morning glory (Ipomoea)	Freshwater wetland edges with native Hibiscus growing as well as plantings of Hibiscus species in suburban and urban areas	June-August	Altering hydrology and wetland forage plants