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Official State Bugs

This page offers a list of only those insect symbols that were officially adopted as state bugs.

The Insect categories option below offers lists by specific official designation. The Insects specifically list shows only those insects that were officially designated as official insects. The butterflies specifically list shows only those that were designated as official butterflies. The Bugs specifically list shows only those that were designated as official bugs.

Official bugs listed by adoption year. (List by state or year)
State Name Designated as YearList by adoption year
Delaware Ladybug Official State bug 1974
New Jersey Honey bee New Jersey State bug 1974
Alabama [ None ]    
Alaska [ None ]    
Arizona [ None ]    
Arkansas [ None ]    
California [ None ]    
Colorado [ None ]    
Connecticut [ None ]    
Florida [ None ]    
Georgia [ None ]    
Hawaii [ None ]    
Idaho [ None ]    
Illinois [ None ]    
Indiana [ None ]    
Iowa [ None ]    
Kansas [ None ]    
Kentucky [ None ]    
Louisiana [ None ]    
Maine [ None ]    
Maryland [ None ]    
Massachusetts [ None ]    
Michigan [ None ]    
Minnesota [ None ]    
Mississippi [ None ]    
Missouri [ None ]    
Montana [ None ]    
Nebraska [ None ]    
Nevada [ None ]    
New Hampshire [ None ]    
New Mexico [ None ]    
New York [ None ]    
North Carolina [ None ]    
North Dakota [ None ]    
Ohio [ None ]    
Oklahoma [ None ]    
Oregon [ None ]    
Pennsylvania [ None ]    
Rhode Island [ None ]    
South Carolina [ None ]    
South Dakota [ None ]    
Tennessee [ None ]    
Texas [ None ]    
Utah [ None ]    
Vermont [ None ]    
Virginia [ None ]    
Washington [ None ]    
West Virginia [ None ]    
Wisconsin [ None ]    
Wyoming [ None ]    
Simon & Schuster Children's Guide to Insects and Spiders
Children's Guide to
Insects and Spiders

Jinny Johnson

Simon & Schuster Children's Guide to Insects and Spiders , by Jinny Johnson. 64 pages. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (May 1, 1997) Reading level: Ages 4-8.

A detailed introduction to spiders and insects contains information about every major group of arachnids and insects, hundreds of thought-provoking facts, and full-color pictures and photographs."

Insect
Insect
Laurence Mound

Insect, by Laurence Mound. 72 pages. Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc. (June 25, 2007) Reading level: Ages 8+.

Full-color photos. "Sure to attract browsers and students researching assignments, Insect explores the anatomy, behavior, and ecology of those creatures, with a heavy emphasis on popular species. Each double-page spread consists of concise, yet lively and readable text and numerous excellent-quality captioned photos, drawings, and diagrams." --School Library Journal

For Love of Insects
For love
of Insects

Thomas Eisner

For Love of Insects, by Thomas Eisner. 464 pages. Publisher: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press (October 31, 2005)

Imagine beetles ejecting defensive sprays as hot as boiling water; female moths holding their mates for ransom; caterpillars disguising themselves as flowers by fastening petals to their bodies; termites emitting a viscous glue to rally fellow soldiers--and you will have entered an insect world once beyond imagining, a world observed and described down to its tiniest astonishing detail by Thomas Eisner. The story of a lifetime of such minute explorations, For Love of Insects celebrates the small creatures that have emerged triumphant on the planet, the beneficiaries of extraordinary evolutionary inventiveness and unparalleled reproductive capacity.

Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity
Insects
Stephen A. Marshall

Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity, by Stephen A. Marshall. 736 pages. Publisher: Firefly Books; Updated edition (June 2006)

With a Photographic Guide to Insects of Eastern North America

Meticulously researched and illustrated with color photographs, Insects is a landmark reference book that is ideal for any naturalist or entomologist. To enhance exact identification of insects, the photographs in this encyclopedic reference were taken in the field -- and are not pinned specimens.

Insects enables readers to identify most insects quickly and accurately. The more than 50 pages of picture keys lead to the appropriate chapter and specific photos to confirm identification. The keys are surprisingly comprehensive and easy for non-specialists to use.

Garden Insects of North America
Garden Insects
of North America

by Whitney Cranshaw

Garden Insects of North America: The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs, by Whitney Cranshaw. 672 pages. Princeton University Press (March 8, 2004)

Garden Insects of North America is the most comprehensive and user-friendly guide to the common insects and mites affecting yard and garden plants in North America. In a manner no previous book has come close to achieving, through full-color photos and concise, clear, scientifically accurate text, it describes the vast majority of species associated with shade trees and shrubs, turfgrass, flowers and ornamental plants, vegetables, and fruits--1,420 of them, including crickets, katydids, fruit flies, mealybugs, moths, maggots, borers, aphids, ants, bees, and many, many more.