Mourning cloak butterflies first to flutter around
Spring is full of firsts—first robin, first flower and first butterfly. Not necessarily in that order though. The first butterfly is often fluttering around before…
Tag: Life Cycles
Caterpillar to moth with a Ranchman’s tiger moth
Finding one caterpillar on a hike is exciting but finding 13 caterpillars is extremely exciting–especially for kids. In early May, the kids and I went…
What happens inside a chrysalis?
Butterflies, moths, beetles, flies and bees all look different when they are young. From caterpillars to grubs and maggots, these young undergo a major transformation…
Metamorphosis transforms many insects
One of the most fascinating transformations in nature is the change a caterpillar undergoes to become a butterfly. Small, wriggly caterpillars hide within a chrysalis…
Ant hills only a portion of the nest
When wandering through the woods I’ll occasionally stumble across an ant hill. Sometimes the ant hills are only a few inches high, sometimes a few…
Antlions lurk at bottom of mini sand pits
Have you seen the small pits that resemble craters on the moon at the base of large trees? Or maybe in the sandy soil under…
Clubmoss rich in history
Some plants catch your eye. During a walk on an overgrown road I was noticing the mosses and kinnikinnick along the road edges. Then I…
Spotted sandpiper teeters along our shorelines
Boundary County has a few shorebirds and one can be found from the shorelines of the Kootenai River to high mountain lakes like West Fork…
Columbian ground squirrels hibernate early
Standing bolt upright on a prominent rock, a Columbian ground squirrel chirps every now and then as I watch from Shorty Peak lookout. The chirps…
What are those big beetles?
Big insects are hard to miss, especially big beetles. This summer I’ve encountered two big beetles I’ve never seen before–the ten lined June beetle and…
Spit bug most powerful jumping insect
Spit bug, spittlebug, froghopper. They’re all the same insect that produces the globs of spit-like froth on stems of grasses, flowers and shrubs this time…
Polyphemus moth: One of our largest moths
Fluttering at the base of a bush caught my attention. I thought it was a butterfly but the antennae indicated it was a moth–a moth…
Caterpillar to moth with a Ranchman’s tiger moth
Finding one caterpillar on a hike is exciting but finding 13 caterpillars is extremely exciting–especially for kids. In early May, the kids and I went…
What happens inside a chrysalis?
Butterflies, moths, beetles, flies and bees all look different when they are young. From caterpillars to grubs and maggots, these young undergo a major transformation…
Metamorphosis transforms many insects
One of the most fascinating transformations in nature is the change a caterpillar undergoes to become a butterfly. Small, wriggly caterpillars hide within a chrysalis…
Ant hills only a portion of the nest
When wandering through the woods I’ll occasionally stumble across an ant hill. Sometimes the ant hills are only a few inches high, sometimes a few…
Antlions lurk at bottom of mini sand pits
Have you seen the small pits that resemble craters on the moon at the base of large trees? Or maybe in the sandy soil under…
Clubmoss rich in history
Some plants catch your eye. During a walk on an overgrown road I was noticing the mosses and kinnikinnick along the road edges. Then I…
Spotted sandpiper teeters along our shorelines
Boundary County has a few shorebirds and one can be found from the shorelines of the Kootenai River to high mountain lakes like West Fork…
Columbian ground squirrels hibernate early
Standing bolt upright on a prominent rock, a Columbian ground squirrel chirps every now and then as I watch from Shorty Peak lookout. The chirps…
What are those big beetles?
Big insects are hard to miss, especially big beetles. This summer I’ve encountered two big beetles I’ve never seen before–the ten lined June beetle and…
Spit bug most powerful jumping insect
Spit bug, spittlebug, froghopper. They’re all the same insect that produces the globs of spit-like froth on stems of grasses, flowers and shrubs this time…
Polyphemus moth: One of our largest moths
Fluttering at the base of a bush caught my attention. I thought it was a butterfly but the antennae indicated it was a moth–a moth…