Climate-change-indicator
Guides
Plecia nearctica
lovebug, honeymoon fly, double-headed bug
Plecia nearctica, commonly known as the lovebug or honeymoon fly, is a march fly (family Bibionidae) native to parts of Central America and the southeastern United States. The species is renowned for its mass synchronous emergences of adults, which form conspicuous mating swarms along highways and roads. Males and females remain coupled in copula for 2–3 days, often flying while attached. Adults do not feed and rely entirely on fat reserves accumulated during larval development. The species has expanded its range northward since its original description from Louisiana and Mississippi in 1940.
Polites sabuleti
Sandhill Skipper, Saltgrass Skipper
Polites sabuleti is a small grassland skipper butterfly in the family Hesperiidae, native to western North America from southern British Columbia to Baja California and east to the Rocky Mountains. It has been introduced to Hawaii. The species is notable for its association with weedy grasses including Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), and has experienced significant population declines in parts of its range, particularly in California's Sierra Valley.
Polites sonora
Sonoran skipper, western long dash
Polites sonora is a small skipper butterfly in the family Hesperiidae found along the Pacific coast of North America. It has a wingspan of 25–27 mm and exhibits one generation annually in Canada, flying from mid-July to mid-August. Research indicates this species overwinters as eggs, with snowpack providing insulating protection that positively influences adult emergence success. Climate change poses significant threats through warming winters and reduced snow cover.
Vanessa annabella
West Coast Lady
The West Coast Lady is one of three North American "painted lady" butterflies, endemic to western North America. Long-term monitoring by UC Davis researcher Art Shapiro since 1972 documents this species as in conspicuous decline across its California range, with populations dwindling even in urban and weedy habitats where it was once abundant. The species is known to overwinter as adults in mild climates, emerging on warm winter days to nectar.
Vanessa atalanta
Red Admiral, Red Admirable
A medium-sized migratory butterfly with distinctive black wings marked by orange-red bands and white spots. It is among the most widely distributed butterflies globally, found across temperate regions of North America, Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the Caribbean. The species exhibits complex migratory behavior, with populations moving northward in spring and southward in autumn to track seasonal host plant availability. Males are strongly territorial, establishing and defending perching sites in sunny woodland openings to secure mating opportunities.
Wyeomyia
Wyeomyia is a genus of neotropical mosquitoes comprising approximately 140 species, first described by Frederick Vincent Theobald in 1901. The genus is taxonomically challenging due to high species diversity and incomplete delineation. Adults are diurnal and primarily forest-dwelling, with larvae developing in phytotelmata—water held by plants such as bromeliads, aroids, and pitcher plants. Most species feed on blood and will bite humans, though they are not confirmed vectors of human disease.