What’s the difference between a bug and a beetle?

Often I find myself referring to any insect as a bug unless I know specifically what it is, such as a dragonfly, butterfly or praying mantis. However, upon trying to identify an insect I found out that bugs are insects but not all insects are bugs. 

Insect and bug are often used interchangeably but from an entomological standpoint they are different. Insect refers to an arthropod with six jointed legs, an exoskeleton, generally two pairs of wings, and a body consisting of a head, thorax and abdomen. 

All insects have six legs like this green shield bug

Insects are divided into 25 orders and one order, Hemiptera, classifies bugs. The largest order, Coleoptera, classifies beetles. 

Some common bugs include aphids, cicadas, water striders, stinkbugs and spittlebugs. Common beetles include fireflies, ladybird beetles and cucumber beetles.

What is the difference between a bug and a beetle? 

Pronghorn fastest land mammal in North America

Capable of bursts of speed greater than 60 miles per hour and sustained speeds of 45 mph, the pronghorn gracefully speeds across the American Plains and grasslands across the West. 

If a pronghorn and a cheetah raced, the cheetah would win the sprint and the pronghorn would win the marathon. 

Pronghorns stand two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half feet tall at the shoulders and range from 75 to 140 pounds

The never-ending aspen

One of my favorite sounds is the rustling of aspen leaves in the wind. While most leaves are attached to branches with round stems, quaking aspen have a flat stem that causes the leaf to tremble in the slightest breeze.

Aspen leaves are nearly circular with pointed tips

An added bonus is that aspen trees aren’t usually found by themselves but in groves. So when the leaves tremble, there is a pleasant sound all-around. 

Garter snakes most common snake in Idaho

Unlike southern Idaho, North Idaho is thankfully devoid of poisonous snakes. The snakes that do live in the forested region of the north are harmless to humans and the ones you’ll most likely encounter are garter snakes. 

Two types of garter snakes live in Boundary County--the common garter snake and the western terrestrial garter snake. Both have three cream to yellow stripes running down their length, with one dorsal (back) stripe and one on each side. The stripes on the western terrestrial garter snake can appear wavy because dark, pencil eraser-sized spots scattered over its back overlap the edges of the stripes.

Common garter snake

Another way to tell the two snakes apart is the color between the stripes--the common garter snake is very dark to black while the western terrestrial garter snake is olive to greenish gray. Additionally, most common garter snakes have red spots on the sides of their bodies. 

Slug’s life revolves around mucous

Silvery tracks cross the deck and occasionally the concrete walkway in the morning. During the driest days of summer the silvery tracks were absent but with the recent rains the tracks of the slug are back.

Most active at night, slug tracks are usually seen more than the slugs themselves. The slug’s biggest danger is drying out so it tends to seek shelter during the day under debris or in the soil. 

A layer of mucous secreted by the pedal slime gland helps slugs move across the ground

Horsetails rooted in history

Long before scouring pads were invented for cleaning dishes, Europeans and American settlers utilized what was available in nature--scouring rushes and horsetails. The widespread use of scouring rushes for cleaning wood and pewter utensils gave scouring rushes their name. 

The branches of horsetails grow in whorls around a single stem

Not only good for cleaning, Native Americans used horsetails like sandpaper. Equisetum species, including scouring rushes and horsetails, contain silica in their cell walls which makes them rough to the touch and good for cleaning and sanding. 

Horsetails and scouring rushes are unique plants found almost worldwide except for Australia, New Zealand and various islands. The common horsetail is one of the most widespread plants in the world, even found in the Arctic. 

Dragonflies most successful predator in animal kingdom

Dragonflies, butterflies and ladybugs are often considered “nice” insects with their pretty colors and seemingly harmlessness. However, dragonflies are far from harmless--they may be one of the most successful predators in the animal kingdom. 

African lions are ferocious but their hunts are only successful 25 percent of the time. The great white shark only captures prey 50 percent of the time.

For the small size of the dragonfly, it can be brutal. Dragonflies capture 90 to 95 percent of the prey they hunt and it can be devoured within seconds with the dragonfly’s serrated teeth. Some dragonflies capture and eat their prey so quickly the act can only be seen on high-speed cameras.

Dragonflies hold their wings straight out when at rest

Waxwings flock to fruit year-round

By mid-summer most birds have finished nesting and the young have fledged,  but one bird is a late nester compared to the rest--the waxwing. 

The emergence of insects coincides with the hatching of birds in the spring. But waxwings wait until the berry crop is ripe to raise their young.

Cedar waxwing nestlings wait for their parents to bring back ripe fruit

Both the Bohemian and cedar waxwing eat more fruit than any other bird in North America, including fruit from serviceberries, chokecherries, dogwoods, crabapples, mountain ash, junipers, strawberries and blackberries. Bohemian waxwings can eat two to three times their weight in fruit each day and more if they are feeding nestlings.