Happy summer! We’ve officially made it and have quite the turnout to show for it. And it’s not only summer but also National Pollinator Week! While we may picture buzzing bees and floating butterflies when we think of a pollinator, there are many representatives of the “lesser-known” pollinators this week, including several beetles, moths, and bee flies. Read on, and don’t forget to celebrate ALL our insect pollinators!
Header Photo: Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) Rachel Gooen, June 20th, 2024. Pattee Canyon, Missoula, MT.
Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth
Hyles euphorbiae
These large hawkmoths (sphinx moths) are a non-native species released to combat leafy spurge. As the first biological agent to fight the invasive plant, these moths have inhabited the United States since 1965. The caterpillars are striking, with colors ranging from vivid green and yellow to dark red, orange, and grey, depending on the caterpillar’s age. Adult moths’ wingspan can reach close to 10 cm, and like many day-flying moths, they are often mistaken for hummingbirds.
Owen Quinn, June 19th, 2024. Butler Creek, Missoula, MT.
Bee-mimic Beetle
Trichiotinus assimilis
These fuzzy flower scarabs are easily recognized for their striking whitish-yellow striped pattern, though no one would blame you for mistaking them for a bumblebee. When in flight, these beetles are loud, and combined with their other bee-like characteristics, it may be hard to tell the difference until they land and offer a closer look. Beetles in this genus may be difficult to tell apart, but their range provides clues, with T. assimilis occurring across southern Canada and into the Rocky Mountain west.
Klara Briknarova, June 20th, 2024. Missoula, MT.
Asian Lady Beetle Pupa
Harmonia axyridis
This lady beetle species was introduced to the US in the early 1900s to help control aphids. Unfortunately, it is an aggressive species that has since established itself and has an impact on our native lady beetles. Their color can range from light orange to deep red, with the boldness of the spots/patterns being different from individual to individual. As adults, the top of the thorax is often pale, with an M-shaped dark spot, but in dark forms, it can be black with white outer edges.
Julene Ozuna, June 18th, 2024. Missoula, MT.
Convergent Lady Bug Larva
Hippodamia convergens
This common species of lady beetle (or ladybug) will spend the winter in hibernation in groups of thousands of individuals and then emerge to mate and start the next generation in late winter / early spring. If you purchase lady beetles to release into your garden, this is most likely the species you will get.
Klara Briknarova, June 20th, 2024. Missoula, MT.
Yellow Velvet Beetle
Lepturobosca chrysocoma
These golden, fuzzy-looking beetles can be found from Canada to Northern Mexico, mainly in the western part of North America. They range in size between 1 to 2 centimeters. Adults feed on flower pollen, while the larvae feed on dead and decaying wood of hardwoods and conifers.
Klara Briknarova, June 20th, 2024. Missoula, MT.
American Morio Bee Fly
Hemipenthes morioides
This common bee fly is hard to miss with its striking black “cloak.” The adults are nectar and pollen feeders, visiting a wide variety of flowers throughout spring and summer. Their larvae, however, are hyperparasites, feeding on the larvae of other insect species, including other parasites. Their hosts include other flies, caterpillars, and parasitoid wasp larvae.
Judy Hoy, June 14th, 2024. Stevensville, MT.
Western Sculpted Pine Borer
Chalcophora angulicollis
The only western species in the genus Chalcophora, the western sculpted pine borer is so named for the “sculpted” look of the elytra and thorax. As a member of the metallic wood-boring beetle family, it doesn’t come across as “metallic” at first. However, once she lifts her elytra (wing covers) for takeoff, she reveals her abdomen’s striking blue and purple iridescence. If one is flying nearby, you’ll likely hear it before you see it. These enormous beetles are conspicuously (and sometimes alarmingly) loud aviators.
R. Kaleo Sills, June 12th, 2024. Hamilton, MT.
Spring Field Cricket
Gryllus veletis
Spring field crickets are the most common black cricket with a slowish chirp in the spring in many regions—ranging roughly through the northern half of the US. After overwintering as nymphs, we are now seeing adults with wings, and females sporting long, needle-like ovipositors (tube-like organ used to lay eggs). Most true crickets, which are characterized by flattened bodies with long, thin antennae, are omnivores that scavenge for dead bits of plants and animals.
Brittany Hamilton, June 12th, 2024. Meadow Hill Community Garden, Missoula, MT.
Dragonfly Nymph
Suborder Anisoptera
Before taking to the sky, dragonflies, and their close relatives the damselflies, develop in still water such as ponds, lakes, marshes, and bogs. The nymphs are predatory like their adult counterparts, capturing aquatic invertebrates, with larger species even capturing small fish and tadpoles. They typically use a sit-and-wait technique in combination with a surprising weapon. When prey is in striking distance, nymphs rapidly extend their arm-like lower lips (labia), which have grasping jaws at their tips. How do you know if it’s a dragonfly or damselfly nymph? “Damselfly nymphs are slender and have three long, blade-like gills attached to the abdomen tip. Dragonfly nymphs are thicker and have gills tucked out of sight, inside the rectum” (Pacific Northwest Insects).
Brenna Shea, June 20th, 2024. Rock Creek Confluence, Clinton, MT.
Salt Marsh Moth
Estigmene acrea
At first glance, this lightly-dotted moth may be confused for a Virginian tiger moth. However, the lack of fuzzy white legs gives this individual away as a salt marsh moth. The name of this elegant moth reflects its frequency in coastal salt marshes (tidal marshes) along the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf Coasts. But really, they can be found in any open habitat throughout North America, except for Alaska and the Yukon. Part of the tiger moth family is related to the more familiar woolly bear; the caterpillars feed on various plants and are often seen rapidly wandering around on the ground, searching for new food sources.
Stacy Carr-Poole, June 13th, 2024. Maclay Flat Nature Trail, Missoula, MT.
