Contact: Suzan Glosser, 406-444-5104suzan.glosser@farcountrypress.com

Linda Netschert, 406-444-5103linda.netschert@farcountrypress.com

Sue Johnson, 406-444-5102sue.johnson@farcountrypress.com

800-821-3874, fax 406-443-5480

F O R I M M E D I A T E R E L E A S E

BUG Feats oF Montana

Written by: Deborah richie Oberbillig

illustratiOns by: robert rath

release Date: June 2009

specs: 48 pages, 8½" x 11", softcover, color illustrations

price: $14.95

FA R C O U N T R Y P R E S S P O B OX 5 6 3 0 H E L E N A , M O N TA N A 5 9 6 0 4 W W W. FA R C O U N T R Y P R E S S . C O M

antlions, tiger Beetles, and Bluets, oh My! “A lodgepole pine battles for its life. Will the mountain pine beetles bore through the bark to reach the fleshy layer underneath? Will the tree be able to trap the beetles in sticky pitch and push them out?”

This mountain pine beetle drama plays out in many lodgepole forests in Montana—and on the pages of Bug Feats of Montana, a beautiful new children’s book authored by writer and biologist Deborah Richie Oberbillig of Missoula and illustrated by Robert Rath of Bozeman.

Written for kids ages 8 to 12, the engaging book introduces young “bugsters” to 40 of Montana’s most mind-boggling bugs and their incredible feats. Meet a giant, swimming bug that attacks fish and frogs, injecting its digestive juices then sucking out the liquefied organs; a small, purple bug that has antifreeze in its blood, allowing it to live on the snow in winter; a tiny, hopping bug that lives inside a home made of “spit”; and many more.

For instance, did you know that the larval form of an antlion hides beneath the sand at the bottom of a small

pit, waiting for another bug to fall in? As the bug tries to scramble back up, the antlion uses its shovel-like head to toss sand at the struggling prey. The bug loses its hold and slides down into the terrible jaws. The antlion then injects a dissolving juice, so it can suck up its meal.

“I hope that people of all ages will appreciate bugs instead of squashing or fearing them,” says author Deborah Richie Oberbillig, who adds that she would like to see people turning to bugs to help us solve problems. “Scientists are studying the snowflea’s antifreeze protein to figure out how to improve the success of heart transplants.”

Bug Feats is a “Who’s Who” of Montana’s insect elite, including the fastest land bug, a master of disguise, high jump and long jump champs, the first paper maker, a weight-lifting wonder, the best drummer, and many more.

“I like to imagine people reading each bug feat and saying, ‘Oh wow! That is so cool!’ and then taking the next step of going outside and looking at the bugs that populate their own backyards,” says Oberbillig. “That

would be a great measure of success—if reading this book sends kids and adults alike outside to explore nature.”

Robert Rath’s beautiful illustrations bring these amazing creatures to life, giving readers a bug’s-eye view of the world. The giant water bug is Rath’s personal favorite. “I had no idea there was such a big and mean critter lurking in our ponds!” he says, learning about them for the first time while working on Bug Feats. “They look very cool, and I sure wouldn’t want to mess with them.”

In addition to its astounding facts about Montana bugs and their feats, this cool book offers bug-finding tips for each creature, guiding kids on how to spot them in their yards, on the playground, or while camping, fishing, boating, or hiking.

Bug Feats of Montana is available at local bookstores and gift shops, through online retailers, or from Farcountry Press at 1.800.821.3874, www.farcountrypress.com.

Take a peek inside

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About the Author and IllustratorDeborah Richie Oberbillig writes about nature from her Missoula, Montana, home that she shares with her husband Dave, son Ian, dog Luna, gopher snake Slither, and gecko Blue Fire. She credits her love of the natural world especially to her father, Dave Richie. She has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Montana–Missoula and a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Oregon. She is the author of Bird Feats of Montana.

Robert Rath is a book designer and illustrator living in Bozeman. Although he has worked with Scholastic Books, Lucasfilm, and Montana State University, his favorite project is keeping up with his family.

Other Books in the “Feats” series:Bird Feats of Montana: Including Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks

For a press kit (cover image, interior photos, author contact information) contact Suzan Glosser, 406-444-5104, suzan.glosser@farcountrypress.com; Linda Netschert,406-444-5103, linda.netschert@farcountrypress.com; or Sue Johnson, 406-444-5102, sue.johnson@farcountrypress.com.

About Farcountry PressFarcountry Press is the descendant of American and World Geographic Publishing, the book-publishing arm of Montana Magazine. The company was formed in 1980 and is based in Helena, Montana.

Farcountry specializes in softcover and hardcover color photography books showcasing the nation’s cities, states, national parks, and wildlife. Farcountry also publishes several popular children’s series, as well as guidebooks, cookbooks, and regional history titles nationwide.

The staff produces about 25 books annually; the backlist has grown to more than 300 titles.

www.farcountrypress.com, 800.821.3874

B U I L D I N G F E A T S

18

BEST CAMPER

Tent Caterpillar

T ent caterpillars spin their own silken tent that’s solar-heated, waterproof, windproof, and expandable. They choose the best spot,

tighten the rain fly, stay comfy in the tent, and know the way back to camp. Here’s how they do it:

BUG-FINDING TIPS Key features reddish brown with

a row of blue and orange spots about one inch long adult moth is stout and brown plant eater

Where Forests with leafy treesand shrubs.

When Spring, summer (some years more than others).

Look for White shiny webs inbranches. Birds devour thecaterpillars and pluck silkenstrands from the tents toline their nests.

B U I L D I N G F E A T S

19

FIRST PAPER MAKER

Bald-Faced Hornet

Choosing the Best Spot:Morning sunshine feels great when you’re camping. Tent caterpillars know which parts of a branch will warm up first after a cool night—that’s where they put up the tent.

Tightening the Rain Fly:The caterpillars pull each silken waterproof strand extra tight. A taut rain fly keeps the rain from pool-ing on the tent.

Never Lost:Trailing a silken thread behind them, caterpillars head out to find green leaves to eat. They also lay down invisible scent trails (called “pheromones,” FAIR-uh-moans)to share messages about the best feeding grounds. To survive, these caterpillars need each other, so it makes sense to share good feeding spots.

A football-sized paper nest can hold 200 hornets.

BUG-FINDING TIPS Key features black and white

one inch long omnivore

Where Nests are found in shrubs

(sometimes low to the

ground) and trees and

under house eaves.

When Summer, fall. In winter,

you can see empty nests

in leafless trees.

Look for Workers guarding the

nest; a torn-up nest is a

clue that a bear, bird, or

raccoon ate the larvae

in the cells.

Heating and Cooling:Instead of snuggling in sleeping bags, they build layers inside the tent and move around. When it’s

cold, they press against the outer wall closest

to the sun. When it’s warm, they crawl to the middle layers to get cool. When it’s really hot, they hang outside the tent and dangle in the breeze.

TRY THIS:If you see hornets making a nest, leave out a piece ofold, flaky painted wood. Watch to see if they shred the wood for paper and swirl the colors into the nest. Keep your distance—one hornet can deliver several nasty stings to protect its nest.

T he Chinese invented paper more than 2,000 years ago. But were they first? Ask a

bald-faced hornet—a wasp that has made paper nests for millions of years. Here’s what a queen hornet might tell you if she could:

“I start the nest when I wake in spring. First, I bite off a chunk of tree bark and chew it up with my starchy saliva to make pulp. I find a sturdy branch and spread the pulp with my legs and jaws into a carton-like shape. The pulp dries into paper. I fill the carton with six-sided paper cells, where I will lay my eggs. I measure each cell with my antennae so they will all be the same size. When my eggs hatch, I feed them until they grow into workers, who will finish the nest.”

W A T E R F E A T S

20

BEST DECORATED HOUSE

Caddisfly

BUG-FINDING TIPS

SHORTEST ADULT LIFE

Mayfly

BUG-FINDING TIPS

Life StoryMayfly nymphs breathe underwater through gills. Some species filter food that drifts by in the current. Others scrape plants from rocks. They may live one to two years before hatching into partial adults called “duns” that fly up to shore and shed their skins to emerge as true adult mayflies.

The Four Cs: Clear, Cool, Clean, Connected

M ayflies swarm above the river like smoke from a campfire. Trout gobble up the hatching insects. The mayflies that

escape must quickly find mates, and the females must lay eggs before dying. Their partially formed mouths would not allow them to eat even if there was time for

a meal. We call mayflies “ephemeral” (ee-FEM-uh-ruhl), meaning short-

lived. An adult mayfly in Montana lives fewer

than two days.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

COOL FACTMore than sixty kinds of mayflies

live in the Gallatin River alone.

They have names like pale

morning dun and gray drake.

(Answer: A Junefly!)

What comes after a Mayfly?

21

Key features tube cases about half an inch long plant shredders, grazers, or predators

Where Under rocks in healthy streams.

When Larvae seen year-round; adults hatch in spring.

Look for Tube cases. Generally, youcan tell one species fromanother by the house itbuilds, like twigs versuspebbles.

P ick up a rock in a cool, clear stream. Turn it over and you may find a

caddisfly larva living in a house decorated with pebbles or twigs and moss. Look closely for a head, thorax, and legs popping out at one end. Always place the rock back in the water the way you found it. A caddisfly larva weaves a tube of saliva and silk, then glues on pieces of plants, twigs, sand, pebbles, or shells. Each kind of caddisfly selects its own special building materials.

Montana is famous for trout fishing in rivers such as the Missouri, the Gallatin, and Yellowstone. Native trout eat aquatic bugs that in turn need healthy streams and rivers to survive. What makes a healthy trout stream or river? Just remember the Four Cs: clear, cool, clean, and connected.

Streams stay clear and cool when trees shade the water androots keep banks from collapsing. Clean streams are free of pollutants. Connected streams link to bigger streams so that fish can swim freely from one to the other. This section features the feats of three bugs that are the main indicators of healthy streams and rivers: the caddisfly, mayfly, and stonefly— plus a fourth clean-water-loving bug, the damselfly.

21

NYMPH-FINDINGTIP:Most have three tails—remember it this way: hold three fingers up-side down to form an M for mayfly. Also look for fuzzy gills on the sides of the abdomen.

Key features most winged mayflies have three tails about three-eighths inch long plant eater (nymphs only; adults don’t eat)

Where Healthy streamsand rivers.

When Spring to late fall (largehatches in fall when leavesturn gold, some in spring).

Look for Mayflies dancing in theair above the water.

W A T E R F E A T S

caddisflylarva