Brandeis University - Holometabolous Insects: Beetles, Moths, Flies, Wasps, & others

Flora and fauna of the Brandeis campus and Sachar Woods:
For more, visit Biodiversity at Brandeis

Use the filters at the left to learn more about these species for your curiosity or to help identify your own observations. At the bottom, you can sort different species taxonomically. You can also distinguish between cultivated species, which are found at Brandeis University because they have been planted, and those wild-growing species which may either be native or introduced; 'unknown' indicates that a species is wild-growing but may or may not be native. Some species are, as indicated, often found in human dwellings, and those marked weedy have a special affinity for areas highly disturbed and maintained by human activity. The plants are sorted by form: non-vascular, fern, grass/sedge, herbaceous, vine, non-woody shrub, woody shrub, and tree. The flowering plants are further sorted by leaf type, leaf arrangement, and flower color, for those species for which such information would be relevant.

While hopefully this guide may be quite comprehensive, we've only skimmed the surface of the local biodiversity. If you find something not in this guide, post it to iNaturalist, or contact edanko!

The observations that make up this guide were gathered largely by edanko, but also by investigating others' publically shared records (see this spreadsheet).

Observed specimens were identified using a combination of books, web resources, and communication with knowledgeable individuals, to whom many thanks are due.

For more information, contact iNat user edanko. less ↑