Mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa) This week we’re introducing you to a bonus PNW critter outside of Crawlies. First, because these critters are super cool; Second, because Crawlies is all about critters I’ve personally met, and this featured critter is elusive, to say the least.Let’s get to know Oregon’s least seen[Read More…]

Sawfly (Strongylogaster tibialis) If a niche exists, nature will fill it. This week’s crawly is one of those “find a niche, fill a niche” critters. Let’s meet a pretty sawfly with a tongue twister of a name and a fondness for ferns: Strongylogaster tibialis – we’ll call her “tibi” for[Read More…]

Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) Normally Crawlies highlights our area’s awesome critters. This week we’re going to meet a non-native – who arrived in Oregon through no fault of their own, but who is causing problems for our at-risk turtles.Before we go any further, let’s take a sec for a[Read More…]

Trichopoda pennipes, feather-legged fly This week’s crawly will help you squash a pesty problem. Meet the Trichopoda pennipes feather-legged fly.Trichos (as we’ll call them) are parasitoids of several families of true bugs (Hemiptera).Quick refresher: “Parasitoid” means that the young of the tricos eat their “host”; in the case of tricos[Read More…]

Toxonevra jucunda flutter fly. At the risk of repeating myself, this week’s crawly is another rare one!This is to be expected as we are in our twelfth year of Crawlies, and we’ve gotten to know many of our more common critters!This week you’ll be happy to know there truly is[Read More…]

Marchena minuta jumping spider This week’s crawly is so small. (How small is it?) It’s so small it has “minuta” right there in their name. Meet the Marchena minuta jumping spider.Literally, how small are they? Marchena top out at just over one-eighth of an inch. That’s small. Really, really small.[Read More…]

Orange-crowned warbler (Leiothlypis celata) This week’s itty, bitty flitty bit of green goodness crawly is quite at home, home on the range. Meet the juba skipper (Hesperia juba).Jubas are fairly common in Oregon, but you’re less likely to find them along creeks and rivers and more likely to spot them[Read More…]

Orange-crowned warbler (Leiothlypis celata) With millions of migrating birds arriving in and/or passing through Oregon this week, it seems fitting that this week’s crawly is of the feathered variety. Meet the orange-crowned warbler (Leiothlypis celata).Here’s how Cornell’s All About Birds describes the orange-crowned, “Orange-crowned Warblers aren’t the most dazzling birds[Read More…]

Yellow-collared scape moth (Cisseps fulvicollis) This week’s crawly is a fashion forward wasp mimic with a flair for dramatic warning colors. Meet the yellow-collared scape moth (Cisseps fulvicollis).What’s in a name? There’s a lot to unpack with this crawly’s moniker. First is a fun fact: Their genus name Cisseps wasn’t[Read More…]

Wild domestic goose (Genus anser) “Gooses, geeses, I want my geese to lay gold eggs for Easter!” We have to admit this week’s crawly probably doesn’t lay golden eggs (even with eggs currently worth their weight in gold), not even for the upcoming Easter holiday, but they’re still nifty birds.[Read More…]