Boxelder Bugs

The Boxelder bug (Boisea trivittata)

I started typing this post about all of the autumn-time plants I’ve been seeing around Greenough Park, but I was interrupted when a boxelder bug crawled across the desk and onto the keyboard. 

There has been an influx of them in the office. They are crawling on walls and bookshelves, down the stairs and up the doorways. I have seen half a dozen today alone. I have heard folks talking about them--and not everyone knows much about them. 

Boxelder bugs are named for their love of boxelder trees. The bugs are attracted to the female boxelder trees, which are the seed-bearers that can be identified by their long slender blossoms that hang down and produce seeds similar to maple seedpods—the paired “whirlybirds.” Boxelder bugs will, to a lesser extent, also feed on maple, ash, and sometimes fruit trees. They use their ‘beak’—a proboscis—like a straw to suck juices out of plant material (predominately from seedpods), but they don’t seem to cause any damage to the trees.

 I can see a female boxelder tree out the east window of the office, its seedpods hanging in dry clusters that will endure through the winter. The windowsill is crawling with bright boxelder bugs of all life stages, sunning in the mottled morning light.

Sara C. 2011

The nymphs, or immature bugs, are bright red with round bottoms, which become more elongated and marked with black as they mature. The adults are a half-inch long, flat-topped and predominately grayish brown or black, with parallel red stripes on their thorax, a red abdomen, and red cross-markings on their wings. The bugs have big eyes and long, segmented antennae.

I don’t mind boxelder bugs; they don’t bite, or sting, or stink, or eat houseplants. They find ways into buildings, but don’t damage them. They just crawl around, looking for a nice place to sleep through the winter, and then come spring they go back outside to mate. They are considered pests simply because they are a plentiful, and therefore sort of a nuisance. (The boxelder bug at my desk is actually quite entertaining, and seems to enjoy following every cord from my computer and back.)

The boxelder bugs mark a change in seasons, a reminder that summer will come to an end. Other than that, they are absolutely harmless.

Though remember: don’t squish them, they’ll stain things.

References:

 “Boxelder bugs and Conifer Seed/Leaffooted Bugs.” Montana Integrated Pest Management Center, 1997.  http://ipm.montana.edu/YardGarden/docs/boxelderbugsconiferbugs-insect.htm 

“Boxelder Bugs vs. Lady Bugs.” The Eclectic Scientist! June 23, 2010. http://angelasentomlabnotebook.blogspot.com/2010/06/boxelder-bugs-vs-lady-bugs.html

Swan, Lester and Charles Papp. The Common Insects of North America. Harper & Row Publishers, Inc: New York, 1972. p126.

See also: Spotlight on Boxelder Tree, April 2010

July Observations - What Have You Been Seeing?

It's July, the weather is glorious, and summer is here!  This is the time when lots of folks are getting outside, taking hikes, exploring the rivers, going on backpacking trips.  Please share what you're seeing (and where you're finding it!).  

Two weeks ago I went on an amble up Waterworks Hill and saw a family of mountain bluebirds: 

The parents were feeding their little fledgling, who must have been just out of the nest:

Aside from this lovely sight, I saw several other bird species, including:

western meadowlark
black-headed grosbeak
American goldfinch
black-billed magpie
northern flicker
warbler sp.
chipping sparrow
eastern kingbird
raven
western bluebird
house finch
red-breasted nuthatch

So--what are you finding, on your outdoor explorations? 
We would love to hear about it!

Woods Gulch Hike

Now is definitely the time to go seeking out wildflowers!  A hike up Woods Gulch this past weekend awarded views of FIFTY-TWO plant species in full bloom.  Gorgeous!  Here's what you may see if you amble up that lovely little trail anytime soon:

side-flowered mitrewort

twisted stalk

false Solomon's seal (two species)

western trillium

black gooseberry

serviceberry

hawthorne

meadowrue

stream violet

dandelions

shooting stars

ninebark

clematis

stinging nettles

baneberry

arrowleaf balsamroot

desert parsley

blue-eyed Mary

pussytoes

Canada violet

false boxwood

mountain ash

kittentails

stoneseed

miner's lettuce

draba

groundsel

Oregon grape

prairie/woodland stars

kinnikinnick

Rocky Mountain maple

white arabis

purple arabis

bluebells

heart-leafed arnica

alumroot
wild strawberry

wood strawberry
glacier lilies

early blue violet

sitka valerian

waterleaf

fairybells

paintbrush

huckleberry

shooting stars
9-leaf desert parsley

collomia
lupine
penstemon
larkspur

What are you finding on your outdoor explorations?

Mystery Tail!

One of our staff naturalists brought in a tail that she found near her property in Lolo.  It is rather flat, but that may be due to the fact that it was buried under a thick layer of snow for much of the winter.  Does anyone have any guesses as to what it may be?

                    Click on the pictures for a bigger view.

We have a few guesses as to the species here at MNHC, but we aren't quite sure, so we're open to any suggestions and thoughts you may have.  Please share your ideas in the comments!

Spring Migration

The spring migration is urgent and depending on the species of birds, there is a specific optimal time when the birds need to arrive for breeding.

So who arrives first?

Yellow-headed Blackbird: March 16 - April 30

Yellow-headed Blackbirds have a very systematic migration plan. Traveling to Montana from as far south as central Mexico, yellow-headed blackbirds migrate in large flocks that are segregated by sex and age. Arrival on the breeding grounds in spring is an orderly process. Mature males migrate first, followed by mature females as much as two weeks later. Next come the first-year males, followed in about a week by first-year females.

Swainson’s Hawk: April 1- April 30

The fall migration of this species is a spectacular phenomenon, as virtually all of the world's population of Swainson's Hawks funnels through Central America within a few days. Until very recently, these hawks were thought to disperse across the whole of South America, and no one really knew where or how they spent the northern winter.

Who are the final migrants to arrive?

Yellow Warblers: May 1 - Jun 15

The first Yellow Warblers to arrive in the U.S. are those that will reach southern California in mid-March. These birds, representing two subspecies, pass up the Pacific coast and reach southern Alaska by mid-May. The other five subspecies will arrive in the U.S. in early April. Their movement is rapid; some of these birds will reach the Great Lakes region before the end of April, and others may arrive in interior Alaska by mid-May. But for us, we will see these birds come May!

Western Tanager: May 16 - Jun 15

The majority of this striking species winters in southwestern Mexico and Central America. The actual migratory routes of Western Tanagers are largely unknown. These birds are nocturnal migrants that travel at high altitude covering great distances in one night!

All of these birds can be spotted at the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge.

Click Here for a list of all birds living at Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge.

For more information on bird migration, check out the eNature website.

Great Grey Owl Sighting

 This past weekend, Robin Childers, one of our Master Naturalists, got a call from a friend that a Great Grey Owl was hanging out in their neighborhood.  She dashed over, camera in hand, to investigate, and got some lovely pictures of this beautiful bird, who was hanging out on a powerline on 7th St. in the Target Range area.  

 Great grey owls hunt during the daytime, and this one seemed very tolerant of the small crowd of curious folk nearby.  

 What exciting wildlife have you been seeing lately?  Please share!

A Guide to a Montana Winter

We all know that winters in Missoula can get pretty gloomy and we find ourselves just sitting inside waiting for sunny weather.  But there is a cure!  Here are a few upcoming events that you can do this winter in Missoula and the surrounding areas.

Montana Natural History Center:

The Montana Natural History Center offers great activities all year long.  Saturday Discovery Days are offered nearly every month for adults (and families) and feature different educational topics about Montana wildlife.  The Winter Raptor Workshop is this Saturday, February 12th.  Spend an incredible day seeking out raptors with Denver Holt, renowned wildlife researcher, naturalist and founder and president of the Owl Research Institute. Learn winter raptor natural history, gain insight with helpful raptor identification tips and experience the wonder of winter raptors.

For more information about community activities and Saturday Discovery Days click here.

Even though the Master Naturalist classes are full for the winter and summer, you can sign up for our Fall 2011 course!  This is for any adult who is enjoys learning about the natural world, sharing knowledge with others, and supports conservation. If you enjoy hiking, bird watching, following tracks, or identifying wildflowers, you’ll love being a Montana Master Naturalist.  For more information click here.

Montana Winter Events and Festivals:

I recommend going to any winter festival you can.  I just came back from the winter carnival in Whitefish and had a blast!  For all things winter in Montana click here.

On February 19th and 20th, the Northern Division Freestyle Competition is coming to Missoula.  This annual event features the best skiers in the area for moguls, freestyle competition and jumping.  For more information click here.

 If you're willing to take a drive, you can also visit Whitefish on February 19th for the Moonlight Dine and Ski.  Come for an evening of fantastic cuisine and winter adventure. Watch the moon rise from the summit, feast on delicious dishes, top it off with some dessert, then click into your bindings and ski or snowboard down the mountain by moonlight. Or, for guests who prefer, climb aboard the Big Mountain Express chairlift for a smooth cruise back to the village.  For more information click here.
The Moonlight Dine and Ski will also be celebrated on March 19th, for those who cannot make it in February.

Starting February 11 through the 20th Missoula is hosting the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.  It showcases the best in documentary films from around the world. The festival attracts more than 10,000 people and screens more than 100 films during the week-long event. All films are shown on Montana's largest movie screen at the historic Wilma Theater, downtown Missoula. Filmmakers from around the world will be in attendance to address audiences after their films screen. Tickets and passes are sold at the Wilma Box Office. For more information click here.

And, of course, there's always cross-country skiing and snowshoeing if you need a fun and inexpensive way to enjoy the outdoors.  Look up snow conditions for surrounding cross-country ski trails here.  This has been a great winter to ski in the Rattlesnake and Pattee Canyon, and getting out for even an hour of exercise in these winter wonderlands is enough to drive away the blues and bring a smile to your face!  You can rent skis and snowshoes quite affordably at places like the Trailhead, REI, the Army-Navy Store, and the University of Montana outdoor program (for Griz card holders).

If any one has other great ideas of things to do this winter don't hesitate to leave a comment.  We'd love to hear some of your ideas!