What’s Buzzin’

What can you see around Western Montana right now?

Ornate Tiger Moth (Apantesis ornata)

This striking moth is typically found in the Northern Rocky Mountain states and Pacific Northwest in moist forest and grassland habitats. The larvae are generalists, feeding on a wide variety […]

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Granulated Carabid (Carabus granulatus)

These ground beetles, whose wing covers look as if they’ve been painstakingly sculptured, are introduced from Europe and are typically seen in our area in April and May. Peter noted […]

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Western Eyed Click Beetle (Alaus melanops)

These large beetles (with noticeable eyespots) inhabit coniferous forests and are typically found from June through July. Their larvae live in dead or dying trees and feed on the larvae of woodborers […]

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Damselfly Nymph (Suborder Zygoptera)

Before taking to the sky, damselflies, and their close relatives the dragonflies, develop in still water such as ponds, lakes, marshes, and bogs. The nymphs are predatory like their adult […]

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Predaceous Diving Beetle (Rhantus consimilis)

As their name suggests, predaceous diving beetles are capable predators both in their larval and adult stages, feeding on aquatic invertebrates like mosquito larvae; with larger species dispatching small vertebrates […]

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Cicada (genus Platypedia)

We have 17 different species of cicadas in Montana that spend two to five years living underground in the nymph stage, feeding on tree roots. Once they emerge, their lives […]

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