These showy butterflies can be found from British Columbia south to Baja California and inland to Montana and Nevada. Like many butterfly species, there’s an incredible visual difference between the […]
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What can you see around Western Montana right now?
Two-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata)
Two-tailed swallowtails are primarily on the wing in late spring and early summer in Montana. They’re the largest of all our western butterflies (spread specimens sometimes push 6 inches in […]
Read MoreWestern Sculptured Pine Borer (Chalcophora angulicollis)
The Western Sculptured Pine Borer is truly a work of art, with its textured upper side and iridescent bronze luster. An opening of the wings reveals even more beauty. This species was just […]
Read MoreSalmonfly Cicada (Platypedia areolata)
It takes five years for these insects to complete their lifecycle, spending all but a few weeks of that time underground. Unlike the massive, all-at-once, emergence of “periodical” cicada species […]
Read MoreHoary Comma (Polygonia gracilis)
The angular edges of the wings, combined with the bark-like appearance of the underside of the wings, allow these butterflies to practically disappear when they land on a tree. The […]
Read MoreHairy Flower Scarab (Trichiotinus assimilis)
This is a species of flower scarab, and quite the pollen magnet with all that fuzz. It can be found across the US from coast to coast, primarily in the […]
Read MoreSlender Crab Spider (Tibellus oblongus)
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, […]
Read MoreYellow 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 […]
Read MoreRocky Mountain Parnassian (Parnassius smintheus)
Parnassians are part of the swallowtail family (Papilionidae), but don’t look like the typical bold, black and yellow or white-winged ones. They lack tails and are mostly white, with black and red markings. […]
Read MoreYellow-necked Caterpillar Moth (Datana ministra)
These beautiful moths are widely distributed in the east, but are pretty rare west of the Mississippi. Based on past What’s Buzzin’ submissions, they seem to be doing well in the Bitterroot […]
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