Ochlerotatus cataphylla

Like all Aedes and Ochlerotatus species, overwintering of Ochlerotatus cataphylla takes place in the egg stage.  This species is one of the earliest to emerge as adults in large numbers and is on the wing as early as May.  Larvae are common in large, sedge marshes associated with spring runoff, and larval densities in those habitats often exceed five hundred per square foot.  In portions of the county where this ideal habitat is more common, Oc. cataphylla is often the most frequently encountered mosquito in the early parts of the summer.  Image from Carpenter & LaCasse, 1955.