A grasshopper lands on the creek path. A smaller one lands right beside it.
"A grown-up and a kid!" says Rocket. "They look the same, but one is tiny."
Raven leans in. "The small one has no wings," she says. "Look at its back."
Nova dims her lights so she will not startle them. "Good noticing," she says.
"Not every insect has a pupa stage. Can you guess what this young one is called?"
Grasshoppers, crickets, dragonflies and true bugs grow a different way.
Their life cycle has three stages: egg, nymph and adult.
A nymph hatches from the egg. It looks like a tiny adult without wings.
A nymph eats and grows. Its hard covering cannot stretch.
So the nymph sheds its covering and grows a bigger one. This is called molting.
A nymph molts several times. Each time it looks a little more like the adult.
After the last molt the insect has full wings. Now it is an adult.
There is no pupa stage. The change happens bit by bit instead of all at once.
| Life cycle | Stages | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| four stages | egg, larva, pupa, adult | butterflies, beetles, bees, flies |
| three stages | egg, nymph, adult | grasshoppers, crickets, dragonflies |
Both life cycles start with an egg and end with an adult that lays eggs.
Both have a growing stage. Both end with death after the adult has lived its life.
The paths are different. One has a pupa and one does not.
Scientists say life cycles are diverse. That means they come in many kinds.
Still, every one includes birth, growth, making young and death.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| A nymph has a pupa stage next. | ? |
| A nymph looks like a small adult without wings. | ? |
| Dragonflies have a three stage life cycle. | ? |
| Every insect life cycle includes an egg. | ? |
Different insects live in different places. This list shows the ten insects people record most near you.
The months column shows when people see each one most often.
These are the insects people record most in your region.
Look at the names. Say the long ones out loud for fun.
| # | Name | Science name | Seen most |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monarch Butterfly | Danaus plexippus | Jul to Sep |
| 2 | Honey Bee | Apis mellifera | Apr to Oct |
| 3 | Inland Floodwater Mosquito | Aedes vexans | Jun to Sep |
| 4 | Northern House Mosquito | Culex pipiens | Jun to Sep |
| 5 | Common Eastern Bumble Bee | Bombus impatiens | Jul to Sep |
| 6 | Asian Lady Beetle | Harmonia axyridis | Apr to Oct |
| 7 | Blue Dasher | Pachydiplax longipennis | Jun to Aug |
| 8 | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | Papilio glaucus | Jul to Aug |
| 9 | Eastern Pondhawk | Erythemis simplicicollis | Jun to Aug |
| 10 | Gulf Fritillary | Dione vanillae | Aug to Oct |
Whole United States. Names and months come from records people shared on GBIF.org. Your yard may have different neighbors.
Sharp eyes today! Tomorrow we find out why flowers need insects.