Fairy moth (Adela trigrapha) “When the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies” ~James M. BarrieDid you know those laughter-born fairies still live in the Upper Rogue? Meet the fairy[Read More…]
Crawlies with Cri
Crawlies with Cri: Pileated Woodpeckers
This week we’re going to meet a rare bird and learn what made her so unique. Warning: science content ahead!Both birds in our collage photo are juvenile pileated woodpeckers who were born in 2015 (they may or may not be siblings). The one on the right is a female; the[Read More…]
Crawlies with Cri: The Inchworm
Inchworm (Family Geometridae) This week we’re going to meet a group of crawlies with a singular name. Meet the inchworm (Family Geometridae).Inchworms aren’t worms; they are caterpillars of geometridae (AKA geometrid) moths. The family got their name from the caterpillars. “Geometridae” is from the Greek geo, meaning earth, and metron,[Read More…]
Crawlies with Cri: Mountain beaver
Mountain beaver Aplodontia rufa, temperate rain forest, British Columbia, Canada 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[Read More…]
Crawlies with Cri: Speckled gall wasp
Speckled gall wasp (Cynips mirabilis) – Photos by Christy Solo If you have white oak trees, and there’s a good chance you do, you’ve probably seen this week’s crawly. Meet the speckled gall wasp (Cynips mirabilis).Let’s get the “don’t panic” portion out of the way. While galls on plants and[Read More…]
Crawlies with Cri: Acorn Weevil (Curculio glandium)
Acorn Weevil (Curculio glandium) Photo by Christy My, what a big nose you have! Meet the acorn weevil (Curculio glandium).Let’s get a couple “need to know” facts out of the way – while acorn weevil larvae do kill the single acorn they feed on, management of these weevils is not[Read More…]
Crawlies with Cri – Diving beetle
Diving beetle (Acilius abbreviatus predacious) This week’s crawly is an excellent swimmer and one good-looking little beetle. Meet the Acilius abbreviatus predacious diving beetle. We’ll call them “Aci” for short. Aci is a western species, found along the West Coast and as far east as Idaho.At just one-half inch in[Read More…]
Crawlies with Cri: American barn owl
American barn owl (Tyto alba pratincole) With Halloween right around the corner, this week’s crawly is a creature of the night. Meet the American barn owl (Tyto alba pratincole).If you’re lucky, you’ve seen a barn owl up close and personal. Heck, maybe you even have one living in your barn.[Read More…]
Crawlies with Cri: Broad antennae plant bug
Broad antennae plant bug (Heterotoma planicornis) This week’s crawly is a beautiful, beneficial non-native bug from across the pond. Meet the broad antennae plant bug (Heterotoma planicornis).Native to Europe, the broad antennae showed up in New York in 1915. They are now established in the Northeastern United States and on[Read More…]
Crawlies with Cri: Green bird grasshopper
It’s a bird. It’s a…grasshopper? Meet the green bird grasshopper (Schistocerca shoshone).We met the green’s cousin – the spotted bird grasshopper – back in 2019. At that time “our” spotted hopper was the only recorded bird grasshopper in Oregon. A lot has changed.We aren’t exactly suffering a “plague of locusts”[Read More…]
