Caterpillars

Recently our friend Ann-Marie emailed inquiring as to the number and variety of caterpillars in our yard (as mentioned in the Wasps post). I replied that I hadn't really spent much time in the yard. We had spent over a month of the summer traveling and when we were home the weather was such that we stayed in the air-conditioned house.

But I told her I'd keep an eye out. And I did.

And here is some of what I found.

One of the first critters I spotted was the poorly named Yellow Bear.

Highly variable in coloration, I believe the above three individuals are all Yellow Bears. With only the last living up to the name.

This rather colorful individual is a Smartweed Caterpillar which turns into the Smeared Dagger Moth.

This Io Moth caterpillar was at the base of one of our side doors onto the deck. I relocated it, carefully as this bristles can be unpleasant, to a more suitable location.

This is the Giant Leopard Moth, in caterpillar form.

I mentioned in the Failure post that we've a number of Monarch Butterflies about the garden. 

We also have the caterpillars munching away on the Milkweed in our gardens.

And finally Black Swallowtail Caterpillars ...

... in multiple instars. 

And there are plenty of butterflies and moths flying in the yard, so I'm sure that are many caterpillars I'm not seeing.

But I'll keep looking.

Moth Porn

Mothing is hard.

My best guess at these two is that they are Rusty Virbia moths, Virbia feruginosa. But as my expert mothing friends have informed me, identifying Virbia moths to species is hard, requiring looking at the underwing. 

I just snapped a couple of shots with my phone, and otherwise didn't want to disturb them. 

So Virbia sp. it is.

Mothing at Bull's

After we got home from our Beach Babe adventure our friend Marty stopped by and we had a traditional Fourth of July hotdog lunch with potato salad and of course beer. After eating Patty and Marty went off to find a Dickcissel (they found it!). 

And I took a nap. It would not be enough ...

Because we went to our friend Bull's place to moth. And mothing occurs after dark. And Civil Twilight is 9:02, Nautical Twilight 9:43, and Astronomical Twilight 10:30 pm.  

So while I got some mothing in that evening, I also got some sleeping in.

But while I was awake ...

We had at least three of these Imperial Moths, along with at least five Io Moths (which I did not get any pictures of, sorry).

We think this is a Spiny Oakworm Moth. 

And this, perhaps an Ilia Underwing moth.

It wasn't just moths ...

This is a Four-spotted Owlfly. Note the split eye. A dragonfly like insect with butterfly antennas. 

This is a Loghorn Beetle, specifically a Spined Oak Borer Beetle. I like the googly-eyes. 

But the star of the show was this Oak Treehopper. Clearly an alien species. Very cool looking for sure. 

I wonder what else I’d have seen had I stayed awake?

Wings

The frist thing of note I spotted while installing the deer fence were these three wings.

From a Luna Moth. These moths are common in the yard, for the few weeks they are alive, but this is the first evidence I've seen of them this year. 

Maybe we need to get the moth light out ...

Curve-toothed Geometer

Nope, not a curiously dentured mathematician. Rather a moth.

The Curve-toothed Geometer, Eutrapela clemataria, which doesn't have teeth nor know any geometry.

I've noted before that moth ID cam be difficult. Patty and I both figured it was some type of Geometer, but looking through our field guides I was not able to come to a definitive ID.

Below are two scans from the current best available Moth field guides, the Peterson Guides. The upper image is from the Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America, and the lower from the Field Guide to Moths of Southeastern North America, both by David Beadle and Seabrooke Leckie.

Note the different field marks, noted by the little arrows, in the two guides for this moth. 

These are the experts and these are the best field guides. And they can't decide what are the key identification points. So what chance does a novice like me have? 

Fortunately, I have friends that are way better at moth identification than me. So thanks to Ann-Marie Woods for ID help on this critter.

🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Googly Eyed Moth

I was doing some yard work when this critter landed on my work glove.

As is my custom, I pulled out my phone and took some pictures.

It wasn't until I loaded the images onto my computer that I noticed the eyes.

👀  👁  👀  👁  👀

This is probably an Orange Holomelina, Virbia aurantiaca,  but I've been cautioned that id'ing species in the genus Virbia is difficult. 

So I'll just call this the Googly Eyed Moth, and leave it at that. Happy knowing that such a creature lives  in our yard.

Scarlet-Winged Lichen Moth

Patty set the moth sheet up Friday evening, and Saturday morning I found this critter clinging to the back of the sheet.

A Scarlet-Winged Lichen Moth. As you might imagine form the name, these moths eat lichens. And we have plenty of food around here.

It is not clear why they are so brightly colored. Most insects that sport such bright colors do so to discourage predators, advertising their unpalatable-ness. That is likely the case here, but what isn't know is if the moth is truly distasteful or if they are mimicking another insect which is.

I did not try to find out.

🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

📷  📷  📷  📷  📷

The shots are pretty much from the same vantage point. The top with flash off, the bottom with flash on. I do not know why the top image, sans flash, has the blue and yellow bands across the sheet. Curious.

On My Office Window

Well, technically on the screen.

A mating pair of Pink-striped Oakworm Moths.

It's deja vu all over again.

But this time I did take shots from both sides.

Not that it helped. Damn screen.

I wonder if either is descended from last year's pair?

🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

For Large Values of Three

Last night we set up the moth sheet. And a new moth for the yard (I think) paid a visit.

A Harris's Three Spot, Harrisimemna trisignata.

I don't know about you, but I don't think Mr. Harris was all that good at counting.

I mean, I can count nine spots without even trying.

Just sayin'.

🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Mothing Is Easy

When the moth is a Luna Moth which has somehow made its way to the inside of the house, perched on a window screen.

Being large and green helps too.

It was a relatively cool and shady perch. Although easily in reach of the cats ...

That's better.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mothing is Easy

When the moth is large ...

... and lands on your knee.

Friday evening we had our first moth night of the year, and the first in the Covid-19 era.

Four chairs, set ten feet or so apart. No food. But we did have some F-ing Good Wine (thanks Lori!).

We had surprisingly few moths. Although our friend Pam, who wanted to see a Rosy Maple Moth, was quickly bored with them so many showed up (trash moth).

The stars of the night were the Cecropia Moths. Large, colorful, and easy to identify. We had six of them, all males. And as Cecropia Moths are Giant Silkworm Moths, they exist just to mate. So it was not a good Friday night for these guys.

But despite the lack of diversity, and foodstuffs, it was a good night for us.

🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Mothing is Hard

This is a Variable Reddish Pyrausta (Pyrausta rubricalis).

Once again it was my friend Ann-Marie (NJPineways) who ID this critter for me. Another common moth, perhaps the most common Pyrausta in our area.

Which makes it all the more curious that this moth is not in the Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America, an otherwise excellent guide.

Which is my excuse for not being able to identify this moth.

🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Mothing is Hard

This is a Bicolored Swallow (Sunira bicolorago) which is not displaying any bicoloration.

Fortunately, I have a number of mothing friends who I bug (pun!) with ID requests. And my friend Ann-Marie (go look at her website. GO!) was kind enough to ID this one.

She explained that this moth is one of the common moths seen around here in December, which is when I saw it. And that it appears very worn. Which is no doubt why it didn't look like anything like the image in the field guide.

At least that is what I tell myself.

🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Mournful Thyris

Just what exactly does a moth have to be mournful about?

Perhaps that no-one knows exactly what it is? Is it Thyris sepulchralis? BugGuide and Beadle and Leckie think so.

On the other had Ann-Marie Woods and The Moth Photographers Group think it is Pseudothyris sepulchralis. I'd be bummed too if someone thought I was a Pseudohomo sapiens.

But moths don't care about any of this (neither do most humans, just us crazy moth-ers).

Maybe because it is so small?

It is quite striking though, as evidenced by my noticing such a small critter (it's right there in the middle of the image).

I have no idea why it is mournful. And I don't know what "thyris" means either.

🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Dimorphic Pinion

Lithophane patefacta.

On a screen outside my home office.

A moth that perhaps shouldn't be here? 

BugGuide has no records for New Jersey.

Nor does the Butterflies and Moths of North America site.

The Moth Photographers Group has one report; the dot on the map appears to be in the Cape May area (and there is a photograph by John Maxwell, one of my go to 'bug geek' friends).

In an email exchange with John he noted that on BugGuide the moth had been ID'd as Lithophane petulca, Wanton Pinion.

And as part of that same email thread, my friend Ann-Marie noted that she had a possible L. patefacta also in South Jersey, and was in communication with a fellow who is reviewing the genus and agreed with the ID.

And the go to field guide for Moths in this area, the Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America, by Beadle and Leckie, has the moth in New Jersey, but in the northern part of the state (our place in is the southern part of the state).

So what was it doing hanging out on my deck (if it was)?

🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋  🦋

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Buck Hunting

It's buck season in these here parts.

Buck Moth that is.

Relatively large moths which can be found flying in oak forests during the day.

My pal Bernie had Monday off, something about working too much of late, and as I still have everyday off gave me a call. And off we went.

After spotting a couple of turtles, Eastern Painted and Snapping, and a snake (it was black) in the road we arrived a the hunting spot.

We were not disappointed. Well, maybe a little bit as the moths seemed to eschew sunlight. Didn't they know we were there for the photo op?

Sure, the sun is shining and the moth is nowhere to be seen.

But it is looking good for next year's hunting season though.

Yard Critter - Yellow-haired Dagger Moth Caterpillar

Acronicta impleta.

I spotted this one Friday morning as I was walking about the yard. Another day, another new caterpillar. Amazing. How long can it continue?

The individual I saw doesn't look anything like the picture in my field guide*, a scan of which is shown below.

Image courtesy David L. Wagner, used without permission

Fortunately there are online groups for caterpillar identification, otherwise this would have gone into the "caterpillar sp." collection of images on my hard drive.

🐛  🐛  🐛 🐛  🐛

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

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* Caterpillars of Eastern North America, by David L. Wagner. Highly recommended.