by Rich Leighton | Nov 3, 2022 | Dragonflies, Invertebrates, Montana, Natural History, Nature & Wildlife, Nature Photography
The last time I passed through Montana, I stopped by some duck ponds in Anaconda at a place called Warm Springs State Wildlife Management Area and there were dragonflies and damselflies everywhere! I was familiar with some of the species, but this one olive-golden...
by Rich Leighton | Jun 20, 2022 | Arachnids, Invertebrates, Natural History, Nature & Wildlife, Nature Photography, Spiders, Texas
It’s so strange that I’ve spent so much of my life traveling around the United States and have never seen a tarantula in the wild. I even owned a tarantula-breeding business for zoos and collectors in the 90’s, yet somehow finding one in the wild...
by Rich Leighton | Jan 1, 2022 | Dragonflies, NANP, Natural History, Nature & Wildlife, Pacific Northwest, Washington
Perhaps the most strikingly beautiful of all of the large dragonflies of Western Canada and the United States, the eight-spotted skimmer (Libellula forensis) contrasts greatly with its environment, whether it is in lowland marshes and ponds or along desert creeks and...
by Rich Leighton | Jun 2, 2021 | Insects, Interesting Nature Facts, Invertebrates, Natural History, Nature & Wildlife
While tachinid flies at first might look like large housefly, they have a very different lifestyle. These large spiky flies enjoy a plant-based diet, feeding on nectar from flowers and other botanical treats. But when it comes to laying eggs, it gets much darker and...
by Rich Leighton | May 28, 2021 | Crustaceans, Interesting Nature Facts, Marine Invertebrates, Natural History, Nature & Wildlife, Pacific Northwest
Did you know that barnacles are a type of stationary crustacean? Barnacles are in the same family as shrimp, crabs and lobsters and like most crustaceans, they are omnivorous predators that eat whatever they can catch with their modified “feeler” feet (called cirri)...
by Rich Leighton | May 8, 2021 | Butterflies, Insects, Interesting Nature Facts, Natural History
Skippers are a group of butterflies in the Hesperiidae family that are often mistaken for moths, as most of them are drab brown to orange. They have short wings and stubby bodies, but you can always tell it’s a skipper because they have their thin antennae clubs...
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