Insects

A white butterfly on a purple flower with a yellow center
We're happy to see ample insects enjoying our native plant gardens on the Arch grounds.

NPS - Barb Michel

It's easy to overlook insects, but they play a crucial role in ecology. Over 75% of Earth's flowering plants rely on insects to reproduce. Learn more about pollinators at this National Park Service subject site. Insects are also an essential part of most food webs. Without insects, it would be very difficult for other animals (including humans) to survive.

One of the best ways to help insects is to grow native plants. During the CityArchRiver Project grounds renovations, new native plant gardens were planted throughout the park, including in the North Gateway and Luther Ely Smith Square. Learn more about sustainability measures at Gateway Arch National Park. If you visit these gardens during the growing season, you will most likely see insects buzzing.

 

Insects of Gateway Arch National Park

The following data is taken from thousands of observations logged in iNaturalist. Like all citizen science, iNaturalist has its limitations, but the observations of citizen scientists can still give us valuable information about the distributions of various insect species. All insects listed below were observed in the park during 2024. All observations were submitted with photographs to support the accuracy of the ID.

Last updated: May 31, 2025

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