Living up to its name, this beetle was found on dung (of the dog variety). You’ll also note there are some hitchhikers. We believe these are phoretic mites — mites […]

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 […]

We believe this may be Tibellus oblongus, one of seven species of Tibellus in North America north of Mexico. Slender crab spiders are ambush hunters, almost always found lying in wait on stems, […]

These elegant-looking moths can be found coast-to-coast in the US and southern Canada, but tend to be rare in the southeastern states. The caterpillars feed on poplar, willow, and aspen […]

After developing in a pupa prior to winter, these green beauties are now on the wing (from March to June). Not always green, they will turn dark yellow when exposed […]

At up to about 3 inches in length, they truly are giant. They are commonly called “toe biters,” because as a type of true bug (piercing / sucking mouthparts) they […]

The Pine Needle Weevil is a type of broad-nosed weevil, like the beetle featured at the beginning of the report. This little guy (less than ¼ inch) ranges across the […]

With bright orange coloration behind the head and underneath the abdomen, this species of giant stonefly can grow up to 3 inches in length.They are weak, uncoordinated-looking flyers—looking like they […]

Andrenas are commonly referred to as “mining bees,” because they construct underground nests. If you scour the ground along park trails, you may spy the holes of Andrena nests, usually […]

We appreciate Kristi’s willingness to photograph an insect that typically receives a different sort of greeting. Adults are really quite elegant, with many species covered in iridescent scales and males […]