Insect Drawings
The hand-drawn illustrations on this site represent primarily pest species found in homes and landscapes. Some beneficial insects and mites are included as well. The original drawings were scanned and digitally “cleaned.” Many of these illustrations have been used in various publications, including UMD Extension Service leaflets and IPM training manuals. They have been posted here to be available for similar non-profit uses, such as pamphlets, course instruction materials, and school reports. We only ask that you clearly acknowledge the Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, as the source when you download and use the images.
The Maryland State Butterfly: Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton)
To find species illustrations, use the search box above or click on Arachnids or Insects in the top row. From there, click on the name of the taxonomic group from the dropdown menu to view the drawings. Please note that this site separates the former order Homoptera from the order Hemiptera. Scientific names are included when known. Many common names used are found in the Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms (1997) published by the Entomological Society of America. Their online Common Names of Insects Database can also be used to look up the names of species.
Gene Wood (left) and John Davidson (right).
(Photo by Dr. Pat Zungoli.)
The hand-drawn illustrations on this site were created over more than 50 years (ca. 1960 – 2016) by faculty, colleagues, and students of the Maryland Department of Entomology. Most drawings are by the late Dr. Francis Eugene (Gene) Wood and Dr. John A. Davidson. Additional images were contributed by Dr. Michael J. Raupp, colleagues Elaine R. Hodges and Arthur D. Cushman (SEL, ARS, USDA), and by students Amy K. Bartlett, Manya B. Stoetzel, and Warren E. Steiner, Jr. The interest in scientific illustration artwork at the Entomology Department was first engendered by Gene Wood around 1960. His drawings were used as teaching aids and incorporated into pamphlets, fact sheets, and other documents.
John Davidson soon followed his lead and created many ink drawings, primarily of scale insects, as well as color artwork in more recent years. Many of the ink drawings are used in training materials for advanced landscape Integrated Pest Management (IPM) courses, and in the book, Managing Insects and Mites on Woody Plants: an IPM Approach (Davidson and Raupp, 2014). This book can be purchased from the Tree Care Industry Association.
John Davidson soon followed his lead and created many ink drawings, primarily of scale insects, as well as color artwork in more recent years. Many of the ink drawings are used in training materials for advanced landscape Integrated Pest Management (IPM) courses, and in the book, Managing Insects and Mites on Woody Plants: an IPM Approach (Davidson and Raupp, 2014). This book can be purchased from the Tree Care Industry Association.
Acknowledgements
The Department of Entomology, University of Maryland is grateful to the Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for providing inspiration for this website. Visit their site at Illinois.edu.
The Department of Entomology, University of Maryland Insect Illustrations website would not have been possible without the persistence of John Davidson and the assistance of Greg Hess, Michael Katsereles, Lashawnda Bynum, Josh Kiner, and Lynn Davidson.