Snow won't stop them!
Minnesota's long, cold and snowy winters don't deter Minnesota's wildlife...nor the people looking to find them!
Minnesota Biological Survey entomologist,
Kyle Johnson, reports on some of Minnesota's intrepid invertebrates."
February 16-26, 2017 was a fine time to be chasing bugs and soaking up sun across Koochiching, Lake of the Woods (including the Northwest Angle), and Roseau counties. Temperatures, incredibly, soared to over 40°F for four days, which caused an early spring thaw of forest roads and snow depth to plummet from 19 inches to 9.Many insects and other invertebrates (springtails, spiders) were active on the warmer days. The big highlight of the trip was the threatened and elusive winter-active peatland/wetland caddisfly Chilostigma itascae. Prior to the trip, it was known globally only from three locations- all of them in Minnesota. It has now been found in six locations, with additions on both the Minnesota and Manitoba sides of the Pine Creek Peatland. Other active-on-the-snow insects included a variety of flies. On colder days I sought hibernating insects under tree bark; these included many flies, leafhoppers, beetles, and even a moth I'd never found before at Norris Camp nor anywhere else in northern Minnesota.On the drive home the land was blanketed in white until about a half hour south of Superior, WI where the snow rapidly gave way to brown landscape more indicative of April than February." 
Springtails, often referred to as "snowfleas", abound on the snow surface on warm winter days in many habitats across much of Minnesota.
Undaunted by winter, this unidentified spider stalks the icy snowpack.
The difficult-to-find winter-active peatland/wetland caddisfly, Chilostigma itascae. This species is listed as Threatened in Minnesota. 
An (unidentified) fly roused by the warm weather.
A fingertip next to a Caloptilia umbratella complex to show scale. ("complex" indicates it is part of a group of very similar moth species, whose relationships are not yet defined).
This Upis ceramboides beetle was found hibernating under tree bark.
An Acleris maccana moth active on the snow.
This pine marten (a member of the weasel family) was lurking in the pines at Norris Camp, near the Red Lake WMA Headquarters.
