Author: Hannah Whitlock

Egg to adult in about a month, through five instars and a chrysalis where the body is rebuilt from scratch. What happens at each stage and what to look for on the plant.

Honeybees, bumblebees, and solitary bees like mason and leafcutter bees, which make up most species. How they differ and which ones actually sting.

A one-inch endangered butterfly that eats only wild lupine and whose caterpillars are guarded by ants. Where it survives, why fire matters, and what recovery involves.

The most widespread butterfly in the world and the one gardeners least want. How to sex it, what the caterpillar does to brassicas, and the controls that actually work.

An orange butterfly means joy, creativity, and a change worth acting on, and many read it as a departed loved one. Where the reading comes from and which species you saw.

An orange ladybug means creativity, energy, and earned good fortune. What the folklore says, why most orange ones are introduced Asian lady beetles, and whether to let one stay.

A chalky white butterfly of Florida and the tropics with scalloped edges and small eyespots. Why it is not a peacock butterfly, and the lawn plant that brings it in.

A large yellow butterfly with four black stripes, but some females are entirely black. Why the dark form exists, what the caterpillars eat, and how to attract them.

A large black swallowtail with a blue-green sheen whose caterpillar mimics a snake. Host plants, why the adult is black, and how to tell it from similar species.

Depends on location: remove it from active spaces, leave it in undisturbed corners. What the real bite risk is and how to handle an encounter safely.