Some species of sweat bees are attracted to our sweat, alighting on our skin and lapping it up for moisture and salt. They sometimes sting if disturbed, though the sting is not very painful. […]

This species of butterfly falls in a subfamily of butterflies known as the blues because …well, the top-side of their wings is blue in color. They are generally one of the first blues seen […]

Some of the largest spiders encountered in Montana are wolf spiders …and when you see one carrying around a blue, pea-sized “golf ball,” you take notice. Wolf spider mothers attach […]

Before taking to the air, stoneflies develop on the beds of rivers and streams. In this case, the scenic Blackfoot River. Stonefly nymphs (called naiads) can be readily identified by […]

The Colorful Zale Moth is on the wing in spring and early summer in mixed hardwood-conifer forest at lower elevations. They are nocturnal and attracted to lights, so you may […]

This attractively striped beetle is part of the larger leaf beetle family (Chrysomelidae). While leaf beetles can vary incredibly in size and color, they are all plant eaters. Many are […]

A very flashy beetle was found during the Montana Natural History Center’s Master Naturalist weekend. The naturalists likely got a good look at those bulging eyes and wicked jaws, but […]

One look and you’ll know how these bugs earned their name. Delicate, slender and long-legged, stilt bugs are typically less than 1 centimeter long and are often found on plants […]

This unique species of lady beetle has a descriptive, but gruesome, common name. Being all black in color, except for two red dots in the center of each wing cover […]