If you’ve ever walked the shoreline of a small, shallow western Montana pond or bog, you’ve likely walked right by a water scorpion. Looking pretty much like a piece of […]

Perfectly described in the Kaufman Field Guide to North America, robber flies “are to other insects what falcons are to other birds: swift predators on the wing.” They perch in open habitat waiting […]

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 […]

Cobwebs spiders (family Theridiidae) are often housemates, wanted or otherwise. Even if you don’t see them, you may find their handiwork—messy, three-dimensional webs, with strands running in many different directions. […]

This is one of several species of checkerspot butterflies in western Montana. Checkerspots are generally medium-sized, larger than crescents, and have orange and black checkered uppersides. Their flight is fairly fast, direct and […]

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 […]

The next generation of one of the most common and widespread moths in the Pacific Northwest is on its way! The adults do not feed, but caterpillars fatten up on […]

If you’ve ever noticed nearly perfect ovals, circles or semicircles cut out of leaves (and even flowers), you might have some leafcutter bees nearby. These small bees readily inhabit “bee […]

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 […]

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 […]