Biting Insect Regions: Introduction
For the purposes of presentation and site development, the United States and Canada have been divided into several preliminary biting insect regions. It is expected that these will be fleshed out and further defined as information comes in to the web site from visitors and other sources. The regions are:
- Arctic (southern and western Alaska, Yukon to Labrador and north)
- Canadian Heartland
- Maritime Provinces
- Pacific Northwest (including British Columbia and southern Alaska)
- California
- American Southwest (including West Texas)
- Rocky Mountains and High Plateau
- Central and Midwest States
- American South (excluding Florida)
- Mid-Atlantic States
- New England
- Florida
- Hawaii
As can readily be seen, these are rough and ready "regions", with actual insect ranges will overlap their boundaries at many points. When reporting information on this web site by region (or in receiving information from visitors), areal specification will be both more and less precise. For example, "Southern California Coast" will contrast markedly with "Redwood Forests" or "Mohave Desert". On the other hand, the useful expression "Atlantic Coast" crosses several regions, from Florida to the Maritime Provinces. It is also expected that political units will figure prominently in discussions, since these are the units in which most people orient themselves. It is hoped that the biting insect regional boundary problems will be handled satisfactorily by the use of frequent cross-referencing.
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