These colorful true bugs can be found throughout the US and southern Canada. Adults feed on milkweed seeds and nectar from a variety of flowers. They are also scavengers and […]
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Ponderosa Pine Bark Borer (Acanthocinus princeps)
The Ponderosa Pine Bark Borer is just one of over 25,000 species of longhorn beetles. The family is known for their impressive antennae, which are often as long or longer […]
Read MoreSatin Moth (Leucoma salicis)
Beautiful both in their immature and adult forms, satin moths were introduced from Europe in 1920 and can now be found across Canada and in the northwestern and northeastern states. Caterpillars eat […]
Read MorePolyphemus Moth (Antheraea polyphemus)
This is our most widespread silkmoth in the US. It is also one of our largest, with a wingspan of up to 6 inches. Like our other giant silkmoths, males […]
Read MoreDot-tailed Whiteface (Leucorrhinia intacta)
The dot-tailed whiteface is aptly named. Mature males have a black thorax and abdomen, with a prominent, squarish yellow spot on top of the seventh abdominal or “tail” segment. The ivory white […]
Read MoreBlister Beetle (genus Nemognatha)
Blister beetles in this genus can be found worldwide. In the US, they are more diverse in the west. There are two very different things about these blister beetles — […]
Read MoreRiver Jewelwing (Calopteryx aequabilis), female
With their metallic bodies and often dark marking on the wings, Jewelwings (genus Calopteryx) are show-stopping stunners. River Jewelwings of either sex can’t be mistaken for any other Rocky Mountain damselfly. Adults emerge […]
Read MoreIchneumonid Wasp (family Ichneumonidae), female
There are well over 3,300 species of Ichneumon wasps north of Mexico, making their identification difficult. Placing them in the family is more straightforward. Ichneumons have a lot of segments […]
Read MoreGround Spider (Sergiolus montanus)
Spiders in this genus Sergiolus tend to be boldly patterned and colored. These ground hunters range in size from about 6 to 10 mm. There are 16 species in the genus in […]
Read MoreEnsign Scales (family Ortheziidae)
If not for their fairly long dark legs and antennae, you might not recognize these little guys as insects. Kristi found several of them crawling on a trail in a […]
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