Bugging out: Up close and personal with icky insects

Normally, male jumping spiders in the genus Phidippus are the more colorful sex, but in the case of the Apache jumper, the female is the clear winner. (Colin Hutton)

A male Phidippus insignarius jumping spider performs an elaborate courtship display for a female. During this part of the routine, he raises his body, lifts his front legs, and shuffles from side to side. (Colin Hutton)

Orchid bees don't actually feed on orchids, but rather the males use their modified legs to scrape scents from the orchids onto their bodies. These fragrances attracts females. (Colin Hutton)

This may not be the image that comes to mind when you hear glowworm, but this bizarre creature is the form taken by an adult male glowworm. The feathery antennae are used to detect the pheromones of females. (Colin Hutton)

Tiger beetles are named for their extreme speed and ferocity when hunting down prey. (Colin Hutton)

It's a hipster fly! Equipped with a "mustache" and "aviator shades", the horsefly has one of the most beautiful eyes in the insect world. (Colin Hutton)

Robber flies sit on a perch and use their large eyes to monitor for any insects that happen to fly by. These predators strike quickly and can take prey larger than their bodies. (Colin Hutton)

Spiny oak slug caterpillars and many other members of the family Limacodidae have urticating hairs which can be quite painful if touched. These caterpillars have a sticky pad instead of individual prolegs, hence the name slug caterpillar. (Colin Hutton)

You can tell that this is a male luna moth by the large leathery antennae, which he uses to track the pheromones of females. (Colin Hutton)

A large Polyphemus caterpillar strikes a rather devious pose. The color and texture of the skin give the impression that the caterpillar is glowing. (Colin Hutton)

An oak treehopper watches over her young. (Colin Hutton)

Treehoppers, such as this thorn treehopper, often taken on strange forms. This species tries to camouflage itself as a thorn. (Colin Hutton)

The Halloween Pennant is a common and widespread damselfly with beautifully colored wings. Here, you can see the details of the wing veins. (Colin Hutton)

This citrine forktail appears to be calling out from behind a flower petal. Damselflies often how very expressive faces. This is partly due to the presence of psudopupils which give the impression that they are looking right at you. (Colin Hutton)

Mantisflies look like a cross between a lacewing and a praying mantis. As with mantids, these insects are predators, and the larvae of this species feed on spider eggs. (Colin Hutton)