Many years ago, I was cross-country skiing with a few of my students in the boreal forests of northern Minnesota during the month of February. The day was mild, about 25 degrees and cloudy. We skied a trail through the woods and then out onto the opening beyond. Coming down a hill, one of the students slipped and fell into the snow. As he got up, he stopped and yelled: “there’s a bug in the snow!” We all came over to see his discovery and sure enough, right there on the surface of the snow, was a walking insect.

Sparked by this fascinating find, I have been searching for snow insects each winter since then. I have found that indeed there was a bug in the snow and many more are here too. I have found representatives of ten orders of insects and ten families of spiders alive on the snow. And of all the snow-covered months, February seems to be the best time to see them.

Read the rest of the Larry's column in our February issue...