This evasive species is seldom seen. This is a primary burrowing crayfish . It's burrows can be found on wooded hillsides and hilltops, springs and seeps. Usually it's burrows are topped with a funnel-shaped "chimney" of mud. This funnel-shaped chimney catches rain water and the crayfish keeps a little swimming pool far underground. Some chimneys seem to be made with the idea to catch not only rainwater, but water running down the hillside as well. This crayfish eats vegetation. During the summer it harvests the leaves of surrounding plants. Then in the autumn when the leaves from the deciduous forests falls to the ground, this species collects a large amount of leaves and takes them into the burrow. Even the entrance to the burrow is plugged with leaves. This species also sort of raises it's offspring. The young, born in February and March, stay in the mothers burrow with her until September and October. The blue color is believed to have evolved by accident, since the animals seldom come out except at night. A sort of partial albinoism. Instead of missing all color, it is missing all but blue. This species exists as two seperate populations. One (shown) is found on the Appalachian Plateau in West Virginia and Pennsylvania and the other population is found in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia and Virginia.