List of U.S. state insects facts for kids
State insects are designated by 48 individual states of the fifty United States. Some states have more than one designated insect, or have multiple categories (e.g., state insect and state butterfly, etc.). Iowa and Michigan are the two states without a designated state insect.
More than half of the insects chosen are not native to North America, because of the inclusion of three European species (European honey bee, European mantis, and 7-spotted ladybird), each having been chosen by multiple states.
Table
| State | State insect | Binomial name |
Image | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Monarch butterfly (state insect) |
Danaus plexippus |  |
1989 |
| Queen honey bee (state agricultural insect) |
Apis mellifera | .jpg) |
2005 | |
| Eastern tiger swallowtail (state butterfly and mascot) |
Papilio glaucus |  |
1989 | |
| Alaska | Four-spotted skimmer dragonfly | Libellula quadrimaculata |  |
1995 |
| Arizona | Two-tailed swallowtail (state butterfly) |
Papilio multicaudata |  |
2001 |
| Arkansas | European honey bee (state insect) |
Apis mellifera |  |
1973 |
| Diana fritillary butterfly (state butterfly) |
Speyeria diana |  |
2007 | |
| California | California dogface butterfly
(state butterfly) |
Zerene eurydice |  |
1972 |
| Colorado | Colorado hairstreak | Hypaurotis crysalus |  |
1996 |
| Connecticut | European mantis | Mantis religiosa |  |
1977 |
| Delaware | 7-spotted ladybug (state bug) |
Coccinella septempunctata |  |
1974 |
| Eastern tiger swallowtail (state butterfly) |
Papilio glaucus | |
1999 | |
| Stonefly (state macroinvertebrate) |
Order Plecoptera |  |
2005 | |
| Florida | Zebra longwing (state butterfly) |
Heliconius charitonius |  |
1996 |
| Georgia | European honey bee (state insect) |
Apis mellifera | |
1975 |
| Eastern tiger swallowtail (state butterfly) |
Papilio glaucus | |
1988 | |
| Hawaii | Kamehameha butterfly | Vanessa tameamea | .jpg) |
2009 |
| Idaho | Monarch butterfly | Danaus plexippus | |
1992 |
| Illinois | Monarch butterfly | Danaus plexippus | |
1975 |
| Indiana | Say's firefly | Pyractomena angulata |  |
2018 |
| Kansas | European honey bee | Apis mellifera | |
1976 |
| Kentucky | European honey bee (state agricultural insect) |
Apis mellifera | |
2010 |
| Viceroy butterfly (state butterfly) |
Limenitis archippus |  |
1990 | |
| Louisiana | European honey bee (state insect) | Apis mellifera | |
1977 |
| Gulf fritillary (state butterfly) | Dione vanillae | .jpg) |
2022 | |
| Maine | European honey bee (state insect) | Apis mellifera | |
1975 |
| Pink-edged Sulphur (state butterfly) | Colias interior |  |
2023 | |
| Maryland | Baltimore checkerspot butterfly | Euphydryas phaeton |  |
1973 |
| Massachusetts | Ladybug | Family Coccinellidae | |
1974 |
| Minnesota | Monarch butterfly (state butterfly) |
Danaus plexippus | |
2000 |
| Rusty patched bumblebee (state bee) |
Bombus affinis | .jpg) |
2019 | |
| Mississippi | European honey bee (state insect) |
Apis mellifera | |
1980 |
| Spicebush swallowtail (state butterfly) |
Papilio troilus |  |
1991 | |
| Missouri | European honey bee | Apis mellifera | |
1985 |
| Montana | Mourning cloak butterfly (state butterfly) |
Nymphalis antiopa |  |
2001 |
| Nebraska | European honey bee | Apis mellifera | |
1975 |
| Nevada | Vivid dancer damselfly | Argia vivida |  |
2009 |
| New Hampshire | 7-spotted ladybug (state insect) |
Coccinella septempunctata | |
1977 |
| Karner blue butterfly (state butterfly) |
Plebejus melissa samuelis | .jpg) |
1992 | |
| New Jersey | European honey bee (state bug) |
Apis mellifera | |
1974 |
| Black swallowtail (state butterfly) |
Papilio polyxenes |  |
2014 | |
| New Mexico | Tarantula hawk wasp (state insect) |
Pepsis grossa |  |
1989 |
| Sandia hairstreak (state butterfly) |
Callophrys mcfarlandi |  |
2003 | |
| New York | 9-spotted ladybug | Coccinella novemnotata |  |
1989 |
| North Carolina | European honey bee (state insect) |
Apis mellifera | |
1973 |
| Eastern tiger swallowtail (state butterfly) |
Papilio glaucus | |
2012 | |
| North Dakota | Convergent lady beetle | Hippodamia convergens | .jpg) |
2011 |
| Ohio | Ladybug | Family Coccinellidae | |
1975 |
| Oklahoma | European honey bee (state insect) |
Apis mellifera | |
1992 |
| Black swallowtail (state butterfly) |
Papilio polyxenes | |
1996 | |
| Oregon | Oregon swallowtail | Papilio oregonius |  |
1979 |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania firefly | Photuris pennsylvanica |  |
1974 |
| Rhode Island | American burying beetle | Nicrophorus americanus |  |
2015 |
| South Carolina | Carolina mantis (state insect) |
Stagmomantis carolina |  |
1988 |
| Eastern tiger swallowtail (state butterfly) |
Papilio glaucus | |
1994 | |
| South Dakota | European honey bee | Apis mellifera | |
1978 |
| Tennessee | Common eastern firefly (state insect) |
Photinus pyralis |  |
1975 |
| 7-spotted ladybug (state insect) |
Coccinella septempunctata | |
1975 | |
| European honey bee (state agricultural insect) |
Apis mellifera | |
1990 | |
| Zebra swallowtail (state butterfly) |
Eurytides marcellus |  |
1995 | |
| Texas | Monarch butterfly | Danaus plexippus | |
1995 |
| Utah | European honey bee | Apis mellifera | |
1983 |
| Vermont | European honey bee (state insect) |
Apis mellifera | |
1978 |
| Monarch butterfly (state butterfly) |
Danaus plexippus | |
1987 | |
| Virginia | Eastern tiger swallowtail | Papilio glaucus | |
|
| Washington | Green darner dragonfly | Anax junius |  |
1997 |
| West Virginia | European honey bee (state insect) |
Apis mellifera | |
2002 |
| Monarch butterfly (state butterfly) |
Danaus plexippus | |
1995 | |
| Wisconsin | European honey bee | Apis mellifera | |
1977 |
| Wyoming | Sheridan's green hairstreak | Callophrys sheridanii | .JPG) |
2009 |
See also
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List of U.S. state insects Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.