It. Is. TIME! Well, pretty much. With the warm weather recently, we just couldn’t sit on it any longer. What’s Buzzin’ is BACK! And while it’s still looking sparse out there, the bugs are making their slow return and we have at least enough to put together a light collection of recent sightings.
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: Army cutworm moth larva (Euxoa auxiliaris) on prairie sagewort (Artemesia frigida). Brenna Shea, March 27th, 2025. Rocky Mountain Gardens, Missoula, MT.
Brown Satyr Moth
Ufeus satyricus
Klara found this moth in a building on campus and placed it outside on the side of a tree. She saw the same moth species in another building on campus back in December, so what’s going on here? The brown satyr overwinters in its adult stage, and like many insect species that do the same, we see them just before they enter dormancy and then again when spring temperatures rise. This individual, having been rescued from the building it likely overwintered in, will go on to mate and die; we will see its offspring later this year in the late summer or early fall.
Klara Briknarova, March 24th, 2025. Missoula, MT.
Zebra Jumping Spider
Salticus scenicus
Who can resist a face like that? We often refer to jumping spiders as “gateway spiders” because even those with an arachnid aversion must admit that these guys are pretty cute. The zebra jumper occurs year-round, often taking shelter in urban structures during the winter. Indoors, they traverse vertical surfaces in search of prey. Once the weather warms up and they venture outside, they can be seen on the sides of fence posts and tree trunks. Like most jumping spiders, they have impeccable eyesight and actively hunt for their prey instead of weaving a web and waiting for it to come to them.
Alyssa Johnson, March 25th, 2025. Bonner, MT.
Infant Moth
Archiearis infans
This day-flying moth would completely disappear into the background were it not for the bright orange hindwings. The infant moth, sometimes called “the infant,” is one of the first to emerge in the spring. They spend winter underground in their pupal phase and emerge from March to May, taking flight on warm, sunny days, occasionally resting at puddles and mud patches to drink. Their bright color and diurnal behavior often result in their mistaken identity as a butterfly, a perfect example of why we always use the word “most” to describe insect behavior and attributes instead of “all.”
Diane Conner, March 26th, 2025. Missoula, MT.
Running Crab Spider
Family Philodromidae
Klara found this spider back in December in her home, and like the moth she submitted above, she’s seen several other individuals of the same species in her home more recently. They are not the most common house spiders but can be seen indoors, taking shelter in the colder months. They are completely harmless to humans.
Running crab spiders may look like a wolf spider at first – and even hunt their prey similarly – but they belong to their own family. These spiders are active and often found traversing plants to hunt their prey.
Klara Briknarova, December 31st, 2024. Missoula, MT.
Non-biting Midge
Family Chironomidae
If you’ve walked outside in recent days, you’ve probably walked through a cloud (or three) of these tiny, non-biting midges. While they may be annoying, chironomids are a crucial food source for many animals and even humans, and they show remarkable resistance to environmental stressors like pollution, extreme heat, extreme cold, and drought. Their larvae are often called bloodworms (yes, like the bloodworms you feed your betta fish), thanks to their red color.
Brenna Shea, March 27th, 2025. Rocky Mountain Gardens, Missoula, MT.
Sun Beetle
Amara sp.
Like many ground beetles, this sun beetle likely overwintered as an adult, safely sheltered from the elements beneath leaf and plant litter. They feed on seeds and plant matter (though some feed on grasshopper eggs), and are often found near damp habitats. There are over 100 species in North America and over about 600 species worldwide, making identification especially tricky.
Brenna Shea, March 27th, 2025. Rocky Mountain Gardens, Missoula, MT.
Small Milkweed Bug
Lygaeus kalmii
These striking critters are not box elder bugs, but you’d be forgiven for thinking so. As another hemipteran (true bug), Lygaeus kalmii shares several characteristics with the easily recognizable box elder bug; besides their vivid colors, they both have piercing-and-sucking mouthparts and a characteristic “X” shape on their back where their wings cross. Small Milkweed Bug adults feed on flower nectar and milkweed seeds, but if resources are scarce, they are quick to scavenge or even hunt other insects. Those daunting mouthparts are great for sipping nectar but can pierce through a prey item just as easily. These two woke up from their winter nap and are getting an early start on creating the next generation.
Brenna Shea, March 27th, 2025. Rocky Mountain Gardens, Missoula, MT.