As winter hops slowly into spring, it seems appropriate to meet a crawly this week that changes along with the seasons. Meet the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus).If you’ve never seen a snowshoe hare, it’s only in part due to their wicked good camouflage skills. They aren’t common in Oregon. They[Read More…]

This week we’ll meet a crawly who is having a problem with identity theft. Meet the western leaf-footed bug. The real western leaf-footed bug (Leptoglossus clypealis).Their problem is that their pesty cousin Leptoglossus zonatus has co-opted their common name and they are running around damaging citrus crops telling everyone, “I’m[Read More…]

Fruit fly Procecidochares anthracina Buckle up! This week’s crawly once again reminds us that nature never runs out of “amazing!” Meet the Procecidochares anthracina fruit fly (we’ll call them “anthra” for short).Now, don’t panic! This isn’t the type of fruit fly that will go after your bowl of grapes or[Read More…]

Pollen wasp (Genus Pseudomasaris) This week marks the 10-year anniversary of Crawlies! Let’s celebrate with an ab fab standout wasp!Don’t panic! This week’s crawly is the vegan of the wasp world. Meet the pollen wasp (Genus Pseudomasaris). Because pollen wasps are solitary, shy, chill and rarely sting, they’ve evolved to[Read More…]

Big-headed fly (Family Pipunculidae) This week we’ll meet a crawly you might never see, but he’ll sure see you coming! He’s all eyes. Meet the big-headed fly (Family Pipunculidae [Pip·un·CULE·i dae]).At just one-eighth of an inch in length, the only thing big about this big-headed fly is his head. Most[Read More…]

Western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) Even though Squirrel Appreciation Day is over for 2023, we can still take some time to appreciate a beautiful, beneficial, local squirrel. Meet the western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus).As their name implies, western grays live only on the West Coast. Their range runs from Lake[Read More…]

California sister butterfly (Adelpha californica) This week we’ll meet another pretty flitter who only lives close to home. Meet the California sister butterfly (Adelpha californica).Their limited range starts in Baja, Mexico and goes up to Portland, Ore. Rarely one is found in western Nevada, but those are considered “strays.”In Oregon,[Read More…]

Pacific clubtail dragonfly (Phanogomphus kurilis) This week we’ll meet a crawly with quite an accurate common name. Meet the Pacific clubtail dragonfly (Phanogomphus kurilis).Pacific clubtails can only be found close to the Pacific Ocean. The largest populations can be found in Central California, and right here in southwestern Oregon. There[Read More…]

Don’t panic. This week’s crawly is not a silverfish. This week we revisit the bristletail (Order Microcoryphia) who we briefly met in 2016. It’s time to take a deeper look at these awesome, ancient critters.At about one inch in length, bristletails look like silverfish on steroids (silverfish are about one[Read More…]

In honor of the whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) receiving endangered species status Dec. 14, this week we’ll revisit the whitebarks’ keystone species; Clark’s nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana).If you’ve ever been to Crater Lake, you have no doubt already met this week’s crawly, the Clark’s Nutcracker Even if you’re familiar with them,[Read More…]