Size: Wingspan 1 3/4 – 2 1/2 inches (4.5 – 6.4 cm) Photo by: Kristi DuBois on 3/26/22 in Missoula County, MT
Read MoreArticles by: Butterfly House
California Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica)
California, Compton, and Milbert’s Tortoishells can be found in our area and are generally smaller than the Mourning Cloak. The California’s brightly colored dorsal (upper) side of the wings is […]
Read MorePlume Moth (family Pterophoridae)
If you see a moth in an “airplane” or “T” perching posture, you can be certain it is a type of plume moth. In this posture the deeply notched forewings […]
Read MoreCommon Water Striders (Aquarius remigis)
Striders are a common sight on ponds, quiet pools in streams, and even in Missoula canals. These true bugs (order Hemiptera) are predators and highly specialized for life on the water’s surface. Forelegs grasp insects […]
Read MoreNotes from the Lab: Entomophagy
Welcome back to the Lab! What did you have for breakfast this morning? Cereal? Eggo waffles? Pan-fried scorpion? If consuming insects has never crossed your mind, then you’d be considered […]
Read MoreNotes from the Lab: Bugs on Vacation
Welcome back to the Lab! Hello Bug Friends! Carolyn Taber, MBHI’s Museum Educator, here. I recently returned from spending a week in sunny (and buggy!) Hawaii with my extended family […]
Read MoreNotes from the Lab: Mantids in the Classroom
Welcome back to the Lab! Last week, we began what will ultimately be a multiple-part series on keeping insects in the classroom (though these primers can easily be applied to […]
Read MoreNotes from the Lab: Butterflies in the Classroom Part I
Welcome back to the Lab! It probably comes as no surprise that we highly encourage using invertebrates as teaching tools for a wide range of scientific subjects, from physiology to […]
Read MoreNotes from the Lab: Freeze Tolerance
Welcome back to the Lab! At the start of winter, we discussed freeze avoidance, an overwintering strategy where insects prevent ice from forming inside their bodies through a variety of strategies. Now, with […]
Read MoreNotes from the Lab: Valentine’s Flies
Welcome back to the Lab! Whether you were celebrating Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day, or boycotting the entire first half of February, chances are, you’ve consumed chocolate in some form or another. Chocolate […]
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