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.

Taxonomy
« Back To Winged and Once-winged Insects Subclass Pterygota
- Dragonflies and Damselflies Order Odonata
  - 36 Dragonflies Suborder Anisoptera
  - 15 Damselflies Suborder Zygoptera

Eight-spotted Skimmer ¹
Libellula forensis

Widow Skimmer ²
Libellula luctuosa

Twelve-spotted Skimmer ³
Libellula pulchella

Four-spotted Skimmer ⁴
Libellula quadrimaculata

Flame Skimmer ⁵
Libellula saturata

Calico Pennant ⁶
Celithemis elisa

Halloween Pennant ⁷
Celithemis eponina

Variegated Meadowhawk ⁸
Sympetrum corruptum

Black Meadowhawk ⁹
Sympetrum danae

Cherry-faced Meadowhawk ¹⁰
Sympetrum internum

White-faced Meadowhawk ⁹
Sympetrum obtrusum

Western Meadowhawk ¹¹
Sympetrum occidentale

Striped Meadowhawk ¹²
Sympetrum pallipes

Band-winged Meadowhawk ¹⁰
Sympetrum semicinctum

Autumn Meadowhawk ⁹
Sympetrum vicinum

Wandering Glider ¹³
Pantala flavescens

Spot-winged Glider ¹⁴
Pantala hymenaea

Black Saddlebags ¹⁵
Tramea lacerata

Red Saddlebags ¹⁶
Tramea onusta

Western Pondhawk ¹⁵
Erythemis collocata

Eastern Pondhawk ¹⁷
Erythemis simplicicollis

Dot-tailed Whiteface ¹⁸
Leucorrhinia intacta

Belted Whiteface ¹⁰
Leucorrhinia proxima

Blue Dasher ¹⁹
Pachydiplax longipennis

Eastern Amberwing ¹⁶
Perithemis tenera

Roseate Skimmer ²⁰
Orthemis ferruginea

Common Whitetail ²¹
Plathemis lydia

Desert Whitetail ¹⁵
Plathemis subornata

Plains Emerald ¹⁵
Somatochlora ensigera

Pale Snaketail ¹⁰
Ophiogomphus severus

Common Green Darner ⁹
Anax junius

Lance-tipped Darner ²²
Aeshna constricta

Variable Darner ⁹
Aeshna interrupta

Paddle-tailed Darner ⁹
Aeshna palmata

Shadow Darner ²³
Aeshna umbrosa

Blue-eyed Darner ¹⁵
Rhionaeschna multicolor

American Rubyspot ¹⁵
Hetaerina americana

Ebony Jewelwing ²⁴
Calopteryx maculata

Great Spreadwing ⁹
Archilestes grandis

Spotted Spreadwing ¹⁰
Lestes congener

Slender Spreadwing ⁶
Lestes rectangularis

Vivid Dancer ²⁵
Argia vivida

Double-striped Bluet ²⁶
Enallagma basidens

Boreal Bluet ⁹
Enallagma boreale

Tule Bluet ²³
Enallagma carunculatum

Familiar Bluet ²⁷
Enallagma civile

Alkali Bluet ¹⁵
Enallagma clausum

Southern Damselfly ²⁸
Coenagrion mercuriale

Plains Forktail ²⁹
Ischnura damula

Eastern Forktail ²³
Ischnura verticalis

Western Red Damsel ¹⁰
Amphiagrion abbreviatum

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

Photo Credits

1. (c) Eugene Zelenko, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
2. (c) John Wright, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
3. (c) Vicki DeLoach, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
4. (c) Susan Elliott, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Susan Elliott
5. (c) Franco Folini, some rights reserved (CC BY)
6. (c) Diana-Terry Hibbitts, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Diana-Terry Hibbitts
7. (c) Ken Slade, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
8. (c) Steve Berardi, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
9. (c) Jim Johnson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Jim Johnson
10. (c) J. N. Stuart, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
11. (c) R.J. Adams, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by R.J. Adams
12. (c) Andrew Reding, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
13. (c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Ken-ichi Ueda
14. (c) Eric Isley, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Eric Isley
15. (c) Greg Lasley, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Greg Lasley
16. (c) TexasEagle, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
17. (c) aarmstrong, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
18. (c) Jeff Skrentny, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jeff Skrentny
19. (c) Dave Spier, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Dave Spier
20. (c) Cory Campora, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
21. (c) Jimmy Smith, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
22. (c) Joe Bartok, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Joe Bartok
23. (c) Dan Mullen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
24. (c) Victor Fazio, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
25. (c) Kakalotli, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Kakalotli
26. (c) Steven Mlodinow, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Steven Mlodinow
27. (c) 116916927065934112165, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by 116916927065934112165
28. (c) Paul Cools, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Paul Cools
29. (c) Jerry Oldenettel, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)

Denver-Boulder Metro Area: Bugs

Eight-spotted Skimmer 1 Libellula forensis

Widow Skimmer 2 Libellula luctuosa

Twelve-spotted Skimmer 3 Libellula pulchella

Four-spotted Skimmer 4 Libellula quadrimaculata

Flame Skimmer 5 Libellula saturata

Calico Pennant 6 Celithemis elisa

Halloween Pennant 7 Celithemis eponina

Variegated Meadowhawk 8 Sympetrum corruptum

Black Meadowhawk 9 Sympetrum danae

Cherry-faced Meadowhawk 10 Sympetrum internum

White-faced Meadowhawk 9 Sympetrum obtrusum

Western Meadowhawk 11 Sympetrum occidentale

Striped Meadowhawk 12 Sympetrum pallipes

Band-winged Meadowhawk 10 Sympetrum semicinctum

Autumn Meadowhawk 9 Sympetrum vicinum

Wandering Glider 13 Pantala flavescens

Spot-winged Glider 14 Pantala hymenaea

Black Saddlebags 15 Tramea lacerata

Red Saddlebags 16 Tramea onusta

Western Pondhawk 15 Erythemis collocata

Eastern Pondhawk 17 Erythemis simplicicollis

Dot-tailed Whiteface 18 Leucorrhinia intacta

Belted Whiteface 10 Leucorrhinia proxima

Blue Dasher 19 Pachydiplax longipennis

Eastern Amberwing 16 Perithemis tenera

Roseate Skimmer 20 Orthemis ferruginea

Common Whitetail 21 Plathemis lydia

Desert Whitetail 15 Plathemis subornata

Plains Emerald 15 Somatochlora ensigera

Pale Snaketail 10 Ophiogomphus severus

Common Green Darner 9 Anax junius

Lance-tipped Darner 22 Aeshna constricta

Variable Darner 9 Aeshna interrupta

Paddle-tailed Darner 9 Aeshna palmata

Shadow Darner 23 Aeshna umbrosa

Blue-eyed Darner 15 Rhionaeschna multicolor

American Rubyspot 15 Hetaerina americana

Ebony Jewelwing 24 Calopteryx maculata

Great Spreadwing 9 Archilestes grandis

Spotted Spreadwing 10 Lestes congener

Slender Spreadwing 6 Lestes rectangularis

Vivid Dancer 25 Argia vivida

Double-striped Bluet 26 Enallagma basidens

Boreal Bluet 9 Enallagma boreale

Tule Bluet 23 Enallagma carunculatum

Familiar Bluet 27 Enallagma civile

Alkali Bluet 15 Enallagma clausum

Southern Damselfly 28 Coenagrion mercuriale

Plains Forktail 29 Ischnura damula

Eastern Forktail 23 Ischnura verticalis

Western Red Damsel 10 Amphiagrion abbreviatum