Field Guide

The adult dogwood spittlebug has distinctive black and yellow markings. It feeds on dogwoods, blueberries, and their relatives.

The white-crossed seed bug, or ragwort seed bug, has a prominent thin-lined pale X dividing zones of red and black. Look for it in places where ragworts are plentiful.

The small milkweed bug is one common type of seed bug. It is found on many more plants than just milkweeds.

Ebony bugs are definitely true bugs, but they look a lot like tiny, shiny black beetles. Their bodies are fat ovals. They’re almost always seen on flower clusters and immature seeds, often on members of the carrot or parsley family.

The large milkweed bug, with its bold black-and-orange pattern, is one of the most beautiful of the true bugs. Look for it on milkweeds, from midsummer through the first hard freeze.

The orange assassin bug, Pselliopus barberi, is about ½ inch long and is one of our most attractive non-butterfly insects. They overwinter in groups as adults under loose bark.

Plant bugs, or mirids, are a huge family of true bugs. They are often overlooked — except by gardeners and farmers. Most mirids eat plants, and some are agricultural pests. As a group, they’re an important food source for birds and other insectivores.

Hackberry psyllids are a genus of tiny, planthopper-like bugs. As larvae, they develop within the leaves, twigs, buds, or bark of hackberry trees. The trees form warty galls in response to their presence. In the fall, tiny adult hackberry psyllids cling to window screens.