Critters
November 15, 2023
Behold the Biggest Beetles in Texas (and Their Creepy Larvae)
Ounce for ounce, rhinoceros beetles are among the strongest animals on earth.
Insects
Working Life
October 10, 2023
A North Texas Couple Turns Creepy-crawlies Into Works of Art
Butterfly wings, tarantula legs, and “Frankenstein” beetles—the insect taxidermists of Pinned Ptera find the beauty in it all.
Critters
August 9, 2023
Swimmers, Beware the Texas Toe-Biter
I recently had a terrifying run-in with one in a West Texas stock tank.
Critters
July 25, 2023
Emerald Ash Borers Are Decimating Texas Trees. Wasps Might Help Defeat Them.
As the invasive beetle carves a path through Texas, state and federal officials are searching for solutions.
Texas Country Reporter
March 31, 2023
A Fine-Art Photographer in Beaumont Focuses on the Beauty of Bugs
Lyne Raff gets up close and personal with moths, cicadas, and other intricate insects.
Critters
March 22, 2023
Mosquito Hawks Are Flitting All Over Texas
Favorable weather led to scads of the insects this spring. (And no, they don’t eat mosquitos.)
Critters
November 22, 2022
Please Do Not Touch the “Toxic Toupee,” a.k.a. the “Mortal Mustache,” a.k.a. Texas’s Most Venomous Caterpillar
It’s furry and cute, but it can cause intense, throbbing pain for up to twelve hours!
Texas Country Reporter
August 18, 2022
The Texas “Moth Man” Is Retired But Still Clicking
Stuart Marcus has spent years identifying and photographing hundreds of species of moths near the Trinity River, but he still has more to go.
Sports
July 28, 2022
The Night That Grasshoppers Killed Texas League Baseball
Fifty years ago, a minor league game in Midland was postponed for the rarest of reasons—a swarm of grasshoppers biblical in its proportions.
Critters
April 1, 2022
Apocalyptic, Acid-Spewing Crazy Ants Invaded Texas. Now Scientists Have a “Silver Bullet” to Obliterate Them.
Even nastier than fire ants, the insects disable electronics and swarm over people and animals. UT researchers have found a pathogen that destroys them.
Critters
January 26, 2022
Why Scientists Keep Discovering Strange New Wasps on the Rice University Campus
The newest species is named after the grad student pub Valhalla, on whose grounds it was found.
Critters
November 2, 2021
Monarch Butterflies Are Migrating Across Texas. Here’s How to Raise Your Own.
You’ll need the right kind of milkweed and plenty of patience.
The Texanist
July 6, 2021
The Texanist: Am I the Only Person Seeing a Lot More Bugs This Summer?
A very wet spring has a San Antonio woman looking for some relief from an arthropod invasion.
Critters
May 20, 2019
The Flight of the Texas Fireflies
Although they're on the rebound in Central Texas, these magical flying beetles aren't lighting up the sky like they used to. A New Braunfels expert says they're still out there if you know where to look.
Feature
October 1, 2004
A Texas Survival Kit
What to do if you're bitten by fire ants, lost in the wilderness, sprayed by a skunk, attacked by a shark, stuck in a lightning storm, swept away by a riptide, or caught in any of eleven other worst-case scenarios.
Critters
September 30, 2004
Case by Case
What to do in ten more worst-case scenarios, from getting bitten by a brown recluse to getting caught in a dust storm.
Critters
February 1, 1994
Frequent Fliers
Want to see millions of migrating monarchs on their annual winter getaway? Wing on down to Mexico.
Critters
May 31, 1992
Meet the Beetles
Up close and personal with our expanding entomological universe.
Critters
March 1, 1989
Buddy Maedgen Is Bugged!
The saga of a man and his helpful insects illustrates the age-old battle between visionaries and bureaucrats.
Critters
August 1, 1988
They Sting. They Kill. They Destroy. They Mate in Midair. Nothing Can Stop . . . the Ants From Hell
Fire ants are on a relentless march across Texas, maiming, devouring, and stinging the living daylights out of everything in their path. We’ve tried to stop them, and it has only made them stronger.
Travel & Outdoors
October 1, 1982
On the Wing
Roy Kendall, self-taught lepidopterist, would want you to add this to the list of reasons for living in Texas: nowhere else in the U.S. are there so many beautiful and unusual butterflies.