Insectarium

On warm nights, city lots and rolling rural meadows come alive with the blinking code of fireflies. But it’s not just how they’re flashing that’s interesting—it’s why. Each species of firefly has its own light language to find a mate. Host Jessica Ware helps us decode firefly flirting and meets a high school researcher on a quest to understand how we can keep our summers twinkling with fireflies.

Before bats, before birds, before pterosaurs, a dragonfly-like insect was probably the first thing to fly on Earth. From nocturnal “shadow dragons” to iridescent species stalking prey during the day, this incredibly diverse group of insects are spectacular aerialists. Our host Dr. Jessica Ware plays air traffic control on the pond to help us discover what makes dragonflies such remarkable fliers.

Ladybugs aren’t just cute nursery rhyme stars. Beneath the charming spots and vibrant colors lie killer instincts. They’re effective predators and sometime agricultural allies in their hunger for plant pests like aphids. Entomologist Sara Hermann, Ph.D. is investigating how ladybugs’ “perfume”—the chemical cocktail that makes up their odor—might even become a tool for sustainable agriculture.

You need roaches in your life. No, not the few pest species you might recognize scurrying on the floor, but some of their amazing, underrated cousins. Cockroaches are surprisingly diverse (there are even beautiful ones!), and crucial contributors to ecosystems worldwide. Entomologist and pest control specialist Megan Wilson, Ph.D., helps us change our perspective on these six-legged frenemies.

Why are monarch butterflies disappearing? You may know them for their amazing migration, but over the past few decades, monarch butterflies have been part of a vanishing act that has scientists worried. Conservation biologists Ashley Fisher and Isis Howard show us what it takes to track monarch butterflies at an overwintering spot as they try to figure out what’s behind the population plunge.

If the insect world has a fuzzy, charismatic cutie, it’s surely the humble bumble bee. While insect populations are declining around the globe, bumble bees face unique threats that make them particularly vulnerable. Surveying projects across the U.S. are combining the forces of researchers and community scientists to help protect these critical native pollinators.

There are incredible miniature civilizations booming within our concrete jungles: ants! We don’t often think of urban areas as having “ecologies” but Amy Savage, Ph.D. studies the amazing diversity of ants making it work and how their newfound love of our cast-off carbs is making our cities greener.

Mantises may look unearthly, but they’re uniquely adapted to life on this planet. These incredible hunters have repeatedly evolved into “ecomorphs”—groups that aren’t closely related, but share incredible adaptations to similar habitats. This happens so consistently in their history that it’s almost baffling. Do these dazzling displays of convergence have something to tell us about evolution?