Submit your bug pictures to bugid@missoulabutterflyhouse.org (and remember to include your name, the date, and the location where you took the photo)!
Header photo: Nebraska Click Beetle (Pseudanostirus nebraskensis), Judy Halm, May 9, 2025, Helena, MT
Convergent Lady Beetle
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.
Lisa Cloo, May 10, 2025, Turah, MT
Soldier Beetle
Podabrus sp.
Soldier beetles get their name from one species’ resemblance to the patterns on early British red coats. They are also called “Leatherwings” for their soft, flexible wing covers (elytra). Flat, long, and velvety, soldier beetles have brown to black bodies often marked with red or orange. The bright colors serve as a warning to would-be predators. Both adults and larvae can secrete defensive chemicals from glands at the rear of the abdomen. This particular genus has a distinct “neck,” where the head narrows behind the eyes. Adults are frequently found on leaves and flowers, where they feed on other insects, as well as nectar and pollen. Larvae can also be predators or plant-eaters.
Lisa Cloo, May 10, 2025, Turah, MT
Seven-spotted Lady Beetle
Coccinella septempunctata
Despite being an introduced species, the seven-spotted lady beetle is the state insect for Delaware, Massachusettes, New Hampshire, Ohio and Tennessee. Like many non-native ladybug species, the seven-spotted, or “C-7” was introduced to North America as pest control, eventually establishing in the mid-70’s. While this species poses a risk for out-competing native ladybugs, in its home range, its numbers may be declining.
Lisa Cloo, May 10, 2025, Turah, MT
Dark-Ribboned Wave Moth
Leptostales rubromarginaria
This is a tiny moth that is active during the day. Like many of our small moth species, the life history of this moth remains a mystery. They are often seen around species of Prunus, which might be the food plant for the caterpillars. This moth is commonly seen in the spring, flitting around close to the ground in open ponderosa pine forests. It flies from March through early May in this area.
RT Cox, May 9, 2025, Missoula, MT
Bluish Spring Moth
Lomographa semiclarata
This little day-flying moth looks more like a butterfly, as it flies around in the spring looking for early wildflowers. This one was seen drinking from a spring in a hawthorn draw in Missoula. The little greenish caterpillars feed on hawthorns, as well as chokecherries, alders, serviceberries, and poplars.
RT Cox, May 9, 2025, Missoula, MT
Satyr Comma
Polygonia satyrus
Commas, so named for the white “comma” on the cryptically-patterned underside of their wings, can be some of the trickiest butterflies to identify. Luckily, the species the Satyr Comma is most often confused for, the Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma), is not found in Montana. Commas are hardy, long-lived butterflies. They mature in late summer and early autumn and overwinter in their adult stage. They emerge in the spring to mate and lay eggs; because of their long lifespan, adults can be seen year-round (but are less common in late spring and early summer).
RT Cox, May 9, 2025, Missoula, MT
Ranchman’s Tiger Moth
Arctia virginalis
This caterpillar will turn into a striking western moth. They are commonly found in riparian areas and wet lowland prairies and meadows, where their larvae feed on a variety of herbaceous plants. Their bold patterning makes adults readily identifiable, but the caterpillars are easily recognized, too: Their stout, fuzzy black and brown bodies and long, dense hairs make them an adorable find – you might know them as “woolly bears.”
Klara Briknarova, May 4, 2025, Missoula, MT
Western Eyed Sphinx Moth
Smerinthus ophthalmica
Reportedly, this is one of the most common and widespread moths in the Pacific Northwest, but that doesn’t make this sighting any less special. Adults fly in mid to late June and do not feed. Caterpillars fatten up on plants in the willow family, including willows, cottonwoods, and quaking aspen. This species occurs in forest and riparian habitats across the west, from southern British Columbia and southern Alberta south to near the border with Mexico.
Hannah Peterson, May 9, 2025, Arlee, MT
Bordered Orbweaver