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Insects & Arthropods of Colorado

The insects & arthropods most often spotted in Colorado, ranked by recent research-grade observations.

113,551
recent observations
50
species listed
50
insects & arthropods

Naturalists have logged 113,551 research-grade observations across the 50 most-recorded species in Colorado. The most frequently seen is the Western Honey Bee, with 7,575 recorded sightings.

Rarer finds confirmed in Colorado include Ambush Bug - uncommon enough that a sighting is worth logging.

Ambush Bug

Most-observed insects & arthropods in Colorado

Western Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
7,575 observations
Bold Jumping Spider
Phidippus audax
5,321 observations
Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui
4,678 observations
Convergent Lady Beetle
Hippodamia convergens
4,236 observations
Seven-spotted Lady Beetle
Coccinella septempunctata
4,152 observations
White-lined Sphinx
Hyles lineata
4,075 observations · iNaturalist
Hunt's Bumble Bee
Bombus huntii
3,721 observations · iNaturalist
Monarch
Danaus plexippus
3,278 observations
European Paper Wasp
Polistes dominula
3,067 observations
Two-tailed Swallowtail
Papilio multicaudata
2,929 observations · iNaturalist
Asian Lady Beetle
Harmonia axyridis
2,879 observations
Two-striped Grasshopper
Melanoplus bivittatus
2,820 observations · iNaturalist
Japanese Beetle
Popillia japonica
2,668 observations
European Mantis
Mantis religiosa
2,657 observations
Common Checkered-Skipper
Burnsius communis
2,464 observations · iNaturalist
Weidemeyer's Admiral
Limenitis weidemeyerii
2,330 observations
Small White
Pieris rapae
2,288 observations
Police Car Moth
Gnophaela vermiculata
2,256 observations · iNaturalist
Four-spotted Moth
Tyta luctuosa
2,099 observations · iNaturalist
Western Black Widow
Latrodectus hesperus
2,066 observations
Variegated Fritillary
Euptoieta claudia
2,007 observations
Eastern Boxelder Bug
Boisea trivittata
1,975 observations
Blue Fungus Beetle
Cypherotylus californicus
1,951 observations · iNaturalist
Brown-belted Bumble Bee
Bombus griseocollis
1,943 observations
Western Conifer Seed Bug
Leptoglossus occidentalis
1,831 observations · iNaturalist
Rocky Mountain Parnassian
Parnassius smintheus
1,776 observations · iNaturalist
Nevada Bumble Bee
Bombus nevadensis
1,735 observations
Mourning Cloak
Nymphalis antiopa
1,728 observations
Band-winged Meadowhawk
Sympetrum semicinctum
1,709 observations · iNaturalist
Variegated Meadowhawk
Sympetrum corruptum
1,653 observations · iNaturalist
Apache Jumping Spider
Phidippus apacheanus
1,621 observations · iNaturalist
Colorado Soldier Beetle
Chauliognathus basalis
1,614 observations · iNaturalist
Small Milkweed Bug
Lygaeus kalmii
1,612 observations
Golden Northern Bumble Bee
Bombus fervidus
1,602 observations
Widow Skimmer
Libellula luctuosa
1,596 observations
Western Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio rutulus
1,533 observations
Checkered White
Pontia protodice
1,494 observations · iNaturalist
Taxiles Skipper
Lon taxiles
1,474 observations · iNaturalist
American Bumble Bee
Bombus pensylvanicus
1,466 observations
Hoary Comma
Polygonia gracilis
1,372 observations
Differential Grasshopper
Melanoplus differentialis
1,362 observations
Greater Anglewing
Microcentrum rhombifolium
1,287 observations · iNaturalist
Red-femured Milkweed Borer
Tetraopes femoratus
1,274 observations · iNaturalist
Jagged Ambush Bug
Phymata americana
1,260 observations
Spotted Tussock Moth
Lophocampa maculata
1,234 observations
Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta
1,192 observations
White-spotted Sawyer
Monochamus scutellatus
1,187 observations
Gray Hairstreak
Strymon melinus
1,177 observations
Ornate Checkered Beetle
Trichodes ornatus
1,172 observations
Great Spreadwing
Archilestes grandis
1,155 observations · iNaturalist

Built from recent research-grade iNaturalist observations. Identifications are community-sourced and may occasionally be wrong, and the ranking reflects where people record and photograph wildlife, so a species seen often here is not necessarily rare elsewhere. Some plants and animals are only out in certain seasons. Treat this as a lively snapshot of what people are finding, not a formal checklist.

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