Denver-Boulder Metro Area: Bugs

This guide contains spiders, bees, wasps, ants, beetles, dragonflies, grasshoppers, flies and other bugs that can be found in the Denver-Boulder Metro Area, including Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties.

Harmostes reflexulus ¹

Hyaline Grass Bug ²
Liorhyssus hyalinus

Red-shouldered Bug ³
Jadera haematoloma

Western Boxelder Bug ⁴
Boisea rubrolineata

Eastern Boxelder Bug ⁵
Boisea trivittata

Lupine Bug ⁶
Megalotomus quinquespinosus

Eight-spotted Skimmer ⁷
Libellula forensis

Widow Skimmer ⁸
Libellula luctuosa

Twelve-spotted Skimmer ⁹
Libellula pulchella

Four-spotted Skimmer ¹⁰
Libellula quadrimaculata

Flame Skimmer ¹¹
Libellula saturata

Calico Pennant ¹²
Celithemis elisa

Halloween Pennant ¹³
Celithemis eponina

Variegated Meadowhawk ¹⁴
Sympetrum corruptum

Black Meadowhawk ¹⁵
Sympetrum danae

Cherry-faced Meadowhawk ¹⁶
Sympetrum internum

White-faced Meadowhawk ¹⁵
Sympetrum obtrusum

Western Meadowhawk ¹⁷
Sympetrum occidentale

Striped Meadowhawk ¹⁸
Sympetrum pallipes

Band-winged Meadowhawk ¹⁶
Sympetrum semicinctum

Autumn Meadowhawk ¹⁵
Sympetrum vicinum

Wandering Glider ¹⁹
Pantala flavescens

Spot-winged Glider ²⁰
Pantala hymenaea

Black Saddlebags ²¹
Tramea lacerata

Red Saddlebags ²²
Tramea onusta

Western Pondhawk ²¹
Erythemis collocata

Eastern Pondhawk ²³
Erythemis simplicicollis

Dot-tailed Whiteface ²⁴
Leucorrhinia intacta

Belted Whiteface ¹⁶
Leucorrhinia proxima

Blue Dasher ²⁵
Pachydiplax longipennis

Eastern Amberwing ²²
Perithemis tenera

Roseate Skimmer ²⁶
Orthemis ferruginea

Common Whitetail ²⁷
Plathemis lydia

Desert Whitetail ²¹
Plathemis subornata

Plains Emerald ²¹
Somatochlora ensigera

Pale Snaketail ¹⁶
Ophiogomphus severus

Common Green Darner ¹⁵
Anax junius

Lance-tipped Darner ²⁸
Aeshna constricta

Variable Darner ¹⁵
Aeshna interrupta

Paddle-tailed Darner ¹⁵
Aeshna palmata

Shadow Darner ²⁹
Aeshna umbrosa

Blue-eyed Darner ²¹
Rhionaeschna multicolor

American Rubyspot ²¹
Hetaerina americana

Ebony Jewelwing ³⁰
Calopteryx maculata

Great Spreadwing ¹⁵
Archilestes grandis

Spotted Spreadwing ¹⁶
Lestes congener

Slender Spreadwing ¹²
Lestes rectangularis

Vivid Dancer ³¹
Argia vivida

Double-striped Bluet ³²
Enallagma basidens

Boreal Bluet ¹⁵
Enallagma boreale

Tule Bluet ²⁹
Enallagma carunculatum

Familiar Bluet ³³
Enallagma civile

Alkali Bluet ²¹
Enallagma clausum

Southern Damselfly ³⁴
Coenagrion mercuriale

Plains Forktail ³
Ischnura damula

Eastern Forktail ²⁹
Ischnura verticalis

Western Red Damsel ¹⁶
Amphiagrion abbreviatum

Common Earwig ³⁵
Forficula auricularia

Willow Pinecone Gall Midge ³⁶
Rabdophaga strobiloides

Margined Calligrapher ³⁷
Toxomerus marginatus

Orange-spined Drone Fly ³⁸
Eristalis nemorum

Common Drone Fly ³⁹
Eristalis tenax

Striped Bromeliad Fly ³²
Copestylum vittatum

Thick-legged Hoverfly ⁴⁰
Syritta pipiens

Spiny Tachinid Fly ⁴¹
Paradejeania rutilioides

Adejeania vexatrix ⁴²

Swift Feather-legged Fly ⁴³
Trichopoda pennipes

Common Greenbottle Fly ⁴⁴
Lucilia sericata

secondary screwworm ⁴⁵
Cochliomyia macellaria

Yellow Dung Fly ⁴⁰
Scathophaga stercoraria

House Fly ⁴⁰
Musca domestica

Stilt-legged Fly ⁴⁶
Rainieria antennaepes

Micropeza lineata ⁴⁷

Peacock Fly ⁴⁶
Callopistromyia annulipes

Picture-winged Fly ⁴⁸
Delphinia picta

Sunflower receptacle maggot ⁴⁹
Gymnocarena diffusa

Thistle Stem Gall Fly ⁵⁰
Urophora cardui

Sunflower Seed Maggot ⁵¹
Neotephritis finalis

Western Horse Fly ⁴⁴
Tabanus punctifer

Cyrtopogon ⁵²

Lampria bicolor ⁵³

Chrysanthrax cypris ⁵⁴

Greater Bee Fly ⁵⁵
Bombylius major

Slate Brown Dun ⁵⁶
Epeorus longimanus

Iron Blue Dun ⁵⁷
Baetis bicaudatus

Speckled Wing Dun ⁵⁸
Callibaetis ferrugineus hageni

Giant mayfly ⁵⁹
Hexagenia limbata

Trico Spinner ⁶⁰
Tricorythodes explicatus

Pale Morning Dun
Ephemerella excrucians

Western Green Drake ⁶¹
Drunella grandis

Chinese Mantis ⁶²
Tenodera sinensis

European Mantis ⁶³
Mantis religiosa

Common Green Lacewings ⁶⁴
Chrysoperla

Common Silverfish ⁶⁵
Lepisma saccharina

Common Pill-bug ⁶⁶
Armadillidium vulgare

Edited by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

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Denver-Boulder Metro Area: Bugs

Harmostes reflexulus 1

Hyaline Grass Bug 2 Liorhyssus hyalinus

Red-shouldered Bug 3 Jadera haematoloma

Western Boxelder Bug 4 Boisea rubrolineata

Eastern Boxelder Bug 5 Boisea trivittata

Lupine Bug 6 Megalotomus quinquespinosus

Eight-spotted Skimmer 7 Libellula forensis

Widow Skimmer 8 Libellula luctuosa

Twelve-spotted Skimmer 9 Libellula pulchella

Four-spotted Skimmer 10 Libellula quadrimaculata

Flame Skimmer 11 Libellula saturata

Calico Pennant 12 Celithemis elisa

Halloween Pennant 13 Celithemis eponina

Variegated Meadowhawk 14 Sympetrum corruptum

Black Meadowhawk 15 Sympetrum danae

Cherry-faced Meadowhawk 16 Sympetrum internum

White-faced Meadowhawk 15 Sympetrum obtrusum

Western Meadowhawk 17 Sympetrum occidentale

Striped Meadowhawk 18 Sympetrum pallipes

Band-winged Meadowhawk 16 Sympetrum semicinctum

Autumn Meadowhawk 15 Sympetrum vicinum

Wandering Glider 19 Pantala flavescens

Spot-winged Glider 20 Pantala hymenaea

Black Saddlebags 21 Tramea lacerata

Red Saddlebags 22 Tramea onusta

Western Pondhawk 21 Erythemis collocata

Eastern Pondhawk 23 Erythemis simplicicollis

Dot-tailed Whiteface 24 Leucorrhinia intacta

Belted Whiteface 16 Leucorrhinia proxima

Blue Dasher 25 Pachydiplax longipennis

Eastern Amberwing 22 Perithemis tenera

Roseate Skimmer 26 Orthemis ferruginea

Common Whitetail 27 Plathemis lydia

Desert Whitetail 21 Plathemis subornata

Plains Emerald 21 Somatochlora ensigera

Pale Snaketail 16 Ophiogomphus severus

Common Green Darner 15 Anax junius

Lance-tipped Darner 28 Aeshna constricta

Variable Darner 15 Aeshna interrupta

Paddle-tailed Darner 15 Aeshna palmata

Shadow Darner 29 Aeshna umbrosa

Blue-eyed Darner 21 Rhionaeschna multicolor

American Rubyspot 21 Hetaerina americana

Ebony Jewelwing 30 Calopteryx maculata

Great Spreadwing 15 Archilestes grandis

Spotted Spreadwing 16 Lestes congener

Slender Spreadwing 12 Lestes rectangularis

Vivid Dancer 31 Argia vivida

Double-striped Bluet 32 Enallagma basidens

Boreal Bluet 15 Enallagma boreale

Tule Bluet 29 Enallagma carunculatum

Familiar Bluet 33 Enallagma civile

Alkali Bluet 21 Enallagma clausum

Southern Damselfly 34 Coenagrion mercuriale

Plains Forktail 3 Ischnura damula

Eastern Forktail 29 Ischnura verticalis

Western Red Damsel 16 Amphiagrion abbreviatum

Common Earwig 35 Forficula auricularia

Willow Pinecone Gall Midge 36 Rabdophaga strobiloides

Margined Calligrapher 37 Toxomerus marginatus

Orange-spined Drone Fly 38 Eristalis nemorum

Common Drone Fly 39 Eristalis tenax

Striped Bromeliad Fly 32 Copestylum vittatum

Thick-legged Hoverfly 40 Syritta pipiens

Spiny Tachinid Fly 41 Paradejeania rutilioides

Adejeania vexatrix 42

Swift Feather-legged Fly 43 Trichopoda pennipes

Common Greenbottle Fly 44 Lucilia sericata

secondary screwworm 45 Cochliomyia macellaria

Yellow Dung Fly 40 Scathophaga stercoraria

House Fly 40 Musca domestica

Stilt-legged Fly 46 Rainieria antennaepes

Micropeza lineata 47

Peacock Fly 46 Callopistromyia annulipes

Picture-winged Fly 48 Delphinia picta

Sunflower receptacle maggot 49 Gymnocarena diffusa

Thistle Stem Gall Fly 50 Urophora cardui

Sunflower Seed Maggot 51 Neotephritis finalis

Western Horse Fly 44 Tabanus punctifer