Carrion beetles are found in southeast Washington's Palouse region. According to the University of Wisconsin, approximately 10,000 carrion beetles have been found in this region of the state. This type of beetle lay eggs in the raw flesh of dead animal carcasses and fungi. The larvae of carrion beetle eggs feed on the flesh and fungi. Most carrion beetles are less than an inch in length. Subspecies of carrion beetles found in southeast Washington include burying beetles and northern carrion beetles.
The small wood nymph butterfly has dark brown wings with black eyespots near the wings' tips. Female small wood nymphs have two eyespots on their wings, while males possess one. These butterflies are found in dry, arid regions throughout Canada and the United States, including the plains of southeast Washington. When they fully mature, small wood nymphs have a 1- to 2-inch wingspan. Sagebrush, scrub and grasslands are some of the habitats where these butterflies live. Their diet consists of flower nectar.
The western yellowjacket have black heads and abdomens with yellow strips. Adult western yellowjackets are a half inch long. According to Washington State University, western yellow jackets are ecologically important, because they prey on insects that ruin crops and trees. Throughout the state of Washington, these yellowjackets have annual colonies. The worker western yellowjackets prepare their colony for the queen during the spring and summer months. The queen yellowjacket stays in the colony during the fall through winter. The queen lays eggs in the spring.
Twelve-spotted skimmers belong in the dragonfly order of Odanata. This insect species are a little more than 1 inch in length when they are naiads -- an aquatic insect in its immature form. When they become adults, twelve-spotted skimmers are approximately 2 to 3 inches long. They can be seen throughout eastern Washington during the summer months. These dragonflies prey on smaller insect species, including moths, butterflies, termites and mosquitoes. The primary habitats of twelve-spotted skimmers are near the shorelines of rivers and lakes.