What is an insect? Webster’s Dictionary references two antennae, three pairs of legs, two sets of wings and three body segments head, thorax and abdomen. More important, however, is the concept that insects are the keystone to life on earth. They pollinate our plants and flowers, decompose waste material, and without them, the entirety of our ecosystem would collapse within months.

Insects make up 80% of all living things; there are 1.5 million of them for every human being. Beetles are the most abundant group of insects there are 300,000 different beetle species, and scientists are still counting! In total, there are an estimated 10 quintillion living insects in the air and soil—that translates to 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 bugs (and a lot of zeros)!  

Insects are as diverse as they are plentiful. They can live in every possible environment, from glaciers to volcanoes to swamp land. Represented en masse across continents and cultures, you can learn about insects and their relatives first-hand with a visit to Audubon Insectarium.