Peter Haggard was born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota. In 1972, he received a bachelor's degree in wildlife management from Humboldt State University and since then has worked as a county agricultural inspector in California. During this time he has collected, photographed, and identified thousands of insects of the Pacific Northwest and maintained a database of hundreds of insect species. For many years he has conducted classes and workshops or appeared as a guest speaker for various organizations and at universities and community colleges, among other venues. His topics include insects and plants, in particular, native species; gardening with native and non-native plants; and garden insects and disease pests.