What’s Buzzin’

What can you see around Western Montana right now?

A False Owlet Moth (Ceranemota tearlei)

These handsome, medium-sized moths fly from late August to October in forest habitats, including higher elevation spruce-fir and mixed-conifer forests, lower elevation ponderosa pine forests, and quaking aspen forests. Caterpillars […]

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Crane Fly (family Tipulidae)

With their slender body and stilt-like legs, crane flies kind of look like mosquitoes on steroids. But not to worry, they are not out for blood. Adult crane flies only […]

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Cat-faced Orbweaver (Araneus gemmoides)

The Cat-faced Orbweaver is our #1 submission as of late. The chunky females, combined with their spiral, wheel-shaped webs, are hard to miss this time of year. Melissa’s first photo […]

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Woolly Aphid (subfamily Eriosomatinae)

On sunny fall afternoons, it sometimes looks like it is snowing. But it’s not snow …it’s the annual fall swarming of woolly aphids. These insects are really small. If it […]

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Ants Tending Aphids

If you find a group of aphids on a plant, you will often find an ant(s) that are “herding” them like cattle. The ants feed on the aphids’ honeydew (a […]

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A Checkered White (Pontia sp.), Female

Without a ventral (underside) view of this butterfly, we were unable to decide if this is a Western White (Pontia occidentalis) or a Checkered White (Pontia protodice). Both can be found in this general […]

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