Rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa) Witches beware! This week’s crawly will leave you with grave consequences if you go after their eyes for your potions.Meet the rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa), a “look don’t touch” crawly if ever there was one. They don’t sport that “three-mile orange” warning color on their bellies[Read More…]

Coyote (Canis latrans) This week’s spooky crawly is a critter of mythological proportions. Meet the coyote (Canis latrans).If you’ve ever heard a group of coyotes yipping and barking in the night, you can attest to their spookiness. However, there’s so much more to these super smart canids.Fun fact: Coyotes don’t[Read More…]

The western toad (Anaxyrus boreas) Keeping up our Halloween season Crawlies theme, this week we revisitThe western toad is a critter you just gotta love, warts and all!Fun fact: Why do toads have “warts”? Toads’ thick, funky, bumpy skin helps them retain moisture so they can travel quite far from[Read More…]

American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) This week we kick off the spooky season with a clever corvid. Meet the American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos).Fun fact: Locally speaking, if you see a group of shiny black corvids hopping around a grassy lot in Cave Junction, odds are they are American crows. If you[Read More…]

Don’t let this week’s crawly fool you; even though they very much want you to believe they are a wasp, they are not. Meet the Xestoleptura crassicornis flower longhorn beetle.That’s a very long name for a beetle who is only one-half inch in length (not counting those fabulous antennae).Crassis (as[Read More…]

Treble-bar moth (Aplocera plagiata) This week’s crawly is a moth of many names. Meet the treble-bar moth (Aplocera plagiata), AKA the St. John’s wort inchworm, AKA the defoliating moth.Don’t panic! It’s a moth specifically imported for the sole purpose of defoliating, so it’s not a bad thing.By any name and[Read More…]

Western black carpenter ant (Camponotus modoc) “Bring out your dead!”If ever there was a moment for that epic Monty Python and the Holy Grail quote – this week’s Crawlies is it.Pictured is a western black carpenter ant (Camponotus modoc) carrying the body of her dead sister.With some species, this might[Read More…]

Townsend’s chipmunk (Neotamias townsendii) There are five species of chipmunk here in Oregon. All of them are adorable and each fills a slightly different niche. This week we’ll meet Townsend’s chipmunk (Neotamias townsendii).Fun fact: All five species have one thing in common, they can all be spotted in Crater Lake[Read More…]

Ironclad beetle (Phellopsis porcata) Strap yourselves in, kids! This week’s crawly is a marvel of engineering. Meet the ironclad beetle (Phellopsis porcata).The ironclads did not get their name because of their rusted-out coloration. In fact, porcatas come in a variety of earth tones from olive to the pictured rusty color[Read More…]

Racksy McCactus Buck Before we delve too deeply into “The Tale of Racksy McCactus” and how his rack has been formed we want to clarify two things: