While snow fleas are active all year round, these tiny little guys are much easier to see after the snow flies, looking like someone sprinkled pepper on top of the […]
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Articles by: Butterfly House
Winter Crane Fly in the genus Trichocera
There are close to 30 species of winter crane flies in North America. Compared to some of the massive crane flies we see in flight in spring and summer, they […]
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Snow Scorpionfly in the genus Boreus, possibly Boreus californicus
Snow scorpionflies are active in winter and are most often seen crawling over the surface of the snow. Sort of resembling a dragon close up, they are small (2-7 mm), […]
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Winter Caddisfly in the genus Psychoglypha
At first glance, caddisflies look much like their closest living relatives — the moths and butterflies. How to tell the two groups (orders) apart? Zoom in on their wings and […]
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Notes from the Lab: The Snow Flea
Welcome Back to the Lab! Missoula hasn’t seen a lot of snow this winter, at least, not nearly as much as I would like; in fact, this winter has been […]
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Notes from the Lab: King of the Cave
Welcome Back to the Lab! And Happy New Year! I think I speak for everyone when I say I’m ready to wash my hands of 2020. But there were a few […]
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Notes from the Lab: Legend of the Christmas Spider
Welcome back to the lab! And Merry Christmas! We’re diving into more folklore this week with the legend of the Christmas Spider! This tale has its origins in Eastern Europe, […]
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Notes from the Lab: Woolly Bears
During last week’s Online Bug Encounter, we dove into the history and folklore behind woolly bear caterpillars and their ability to “predict” the severity of the upcoming winter. The term “woolly […]
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Notes from the Lab: Millipede or Centipede?
For the past several weeks, we’ve been hard at work wrapping up our citizen science projects for the year. We can’t wait to provide you with updates, but until then, […]
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Notes from the Lab: Insect Winter Ecology: Freeze Tolerance
This week, we’re wrapping up our series on insect winter ecology with what could be the most extreme winter survival strategy of all: Freeze tolerance. Freeze tolerance is a strategy […]
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