Roads End Naturalist

Exploring the natural world as we wander at the end of the road

  • Museum Moth Night

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

    The poets say some moths will do anything out of love for a flame…

    ~Mohsin Hamid

    Last night we participated in the NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ National Moth Week live event (well, Melissa worked it and I just rambled around taking pictures through my fogged glasses). It was a great start to National Moth Week and we shared lots of moth (and other nocturnal creatures) observations with participants from all over the state. After the fact, we discovered that, unfortunately, our really crummy internet diminished the viewing quality of Melissa’s live streaming of the many cool critters we have out here in our woods. But, I hope it was still fun for people to see some of the great diversity of moths and other insects attracted to our moth lights (we set up two white sheets and two UV lights to draw them in). Our friends, Deb and Keith, were here helping us monitor the sheets and identifying what we could using field guides and apps such as SEEK and LEPS. This is a great outdoor activity for sharing while physical distancing.

    The live program was from 9 p.m. until 11 p.m.. We had to wait until just before the start time to set up the sheets due to a thunderstorm, but then the weather cooperated (if you call sweltering humidity and heat cooperating). But our Chatham County moths didn’t seem to mind. Below is a roster of the some of the amazing nocturnal visitors we entertained last night…

    Southern Flannel Moth, female
    This female Southern Flannel Moth (Megalopyge opercularis) actually emerged yesterday from a cocoon we have kept since last year’s BugFest event at the Museum (in September)…perfect timing. This is the adult moth of one our favorite caterpillars, commonly called the Puss Moth caterpillar (click photos to enlarge)
    Datana sp.
    Our first moth of the evening was a Datana sp. (aka cigarette butt moth – several species look very similar) (photo by Melissa Dowland)
    Deep Yellow Euchlaena Moth, Euchlaena amoenaria
    One of the more unusual shapes from last night, a Deep Yellow Euchlaena, Euchlaena amoenaria
    Large Maple Spanworm Moth, Prochoerodes lineola
    Continuing with the odd-shaped, presumably leaf-mimic, moths is the Large Maple Spanworm, Prochoerodes lineola
    Juniper-twig Gemeter Moth, Patalene olyzonaria
    The bizarre Juniper-twig Geometer, Patalene olyzonaria
    Canadian Melanolophia Moth, Melanolophia canadaria
    One of several bark mimics, a Canadian Melanolophia Moth, Melanolophia canadaria
    Tulip-tree Beauty, Epimecis hortaria
    One of the most common moths in our woods is the Tulip-tree Beauty, Epimecis hortaria
    Curved-line Angle, Digrammia continuata
    Curved-line Angle, Digrammia continuata
    Darker Diacme Moth, Diacme adipaloides
    Darker Diacme Moth, Diacme adipaloides
    Early Fan-foot, Zanclognatha cruralis
    Early Fan-foot, Zanclognatha cruralis
    Betrothed Underwing, Catocala innubrens
    Betrothed Underwing, Catocala innubrens
    Mottled Snout, Hypena palparia
    Mottled Snout, Hypena palparia

     

    American Idia Moth, Idia americalis
    American Idia Moth, Idia americalis
    Faint-spotted Palthis Moth, Palthis asopialis
    Faint-spotted Palthis Moth, Palthis asopialis
    Common Tan Wave, Pleuroprucha insulsaria
    Common Tan Wave, Pleuroprucha insulsaria
    Green Cutworm Moth, Anicla infecta
    Green Cutworm Moth, Anicla infecta
    Skiff Moth, Prolimacodes badia
    One of our favorite slug caterpillars turns into the Skiff Moth, Prolimacodes badia
    Eastern Grass Tubeworm, Acrolophus plumifrontella
    One of the mohawk moths, the Eastern Grass Tubeworm, Acrolophus plumifrontella
    Yellow-shouldered Slug Moth, Lithacodes, fasciola
    A common small moth here in the woods, the Yellow-shouldered Slug Moth, Lithacodes, fasciola
    Red-bordered Emerald, Nemoria lixaria
    One of several small, lime green moths we see here, a Red-bordered Emerald, Nemoria lixaria
    Delightfful Dagger, Acronicta vinnula
    A Delightful Dagger, Acronicta vinnula
    Rosy Maple Moth, Dryocampa rubicunda
    One of our smaller Royal Silkworm Moths, a Rosy Maple Moth, Dryocampa rubicunda
    Desmia sp (Grape leaffolder Moth)
    Desmia sp., one of the Grape Leaffolder Moths, best identified to species by looking at its underside apparently
    Hebrew Moth, Polygrammate hebraeicum
    A moth that was waiting for me the morning after, The Hebrew, Polygrammate hebraeicum

    There were a few non-moth finds as well…

    Female dobsonfly
    A large female Dobsonfly, Corydalus cornutus (note its tiny moth neighbor, among others, a White Stripe-backed Moth, Arogalea cristifasciella)
    Male dobsonfly
    An impressive male Dobsonfly showed up right after the live program ended

    All in all, a great evening of mothing and sharing. National Moth Week lasts all this week, so get outside and observe some of your night-time neighbors (the winged kind) at your window, porch light, or even in your wildflower garden (especially on white, fragrant flowers).

    _
    One of the cooler finds of the evening, a male Eastern Hercules Beetle, Dynastes tityus (photo by Melissa Dowland)

  • Walking Small

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

    Nature will bear the closest inspection; she inspires us to lay our eye level with the smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.

    ~Henry David Thoreau

    The heat of summer is not my friend. It slows me down, saps me of energy, and makes me a little complacent I’m afraid. But, there is one saving grace – the abundance of minute life forms taking advantage of the green world that exists (in abundance I might add) outside our door. And, lucky for me, it doesn’t requite much effort to saunter around the yard, poking through the greenery, perusing the native plants, and looking for our tiny neighbors. I’ll most likely have several posts in the coming weeks that result from such forays into our yard jungle. Here are some recent discoveries…

    Fall webworms leaf damage
    Skeletonized leaves of a mulberry are the handiwork of Fall Webworms (click photos to enlarge)
    Fall webworms on mulberry close up
    The craftsmen (larvae of Fall Webworm, Hyphantria cunea) at work on a mulberry leaf

    Fall Webworms are a widespread moth caterpillar easily recognized by their often large silken tents covering leaves and the branches of many species of hardwood trees in late summer and Fall. In contrast, the Eastern Tent Caterpillar makes its silken hideaways in the forks of branches (of mainly wild cherry trees around here) in the spring. Females lay clusters of several hundred eggs on a leaf and the young larvae construct silk tents and feed on the leaves underneath, moving to new branches when they skeletonize one food source. When disturbed, they do a group fling and jerk dance to attempt to drive away any predators or parasitoids.

    Fall webworm close up 1
    Close up of a group of Fall Webworm larvae
    Northern Flatid Planthopper
    An adult Northern Flatid Planthopper, Flatormenis proxima

    We often find these distinctive planthoppers along the stems of many of our native wildflowers. This is probably the most common planthopper in our yard and is easily identified by its pale green coloration and the right angle of the rear corner of the wings.

    Scudder's Bush Katydid nymph
    Scudder’s Bush Katydid nymph, Scudderia sp.

    One of my favorite tiny neighbors is the nymph stage of Scudder’s Bush Katydid. They are both gangly and bold in their appearance, with banded antennae to top off their comical look.

    Blackened milkweed beetle showing pattern on dorsal surface?
    Blackened Milkweed Beetle, Tetraopes melanurus

    While checking out the milkweed patch, I spotted one of the many boldly marked insects that feed on this plant. It was a beetle with the bright warning coloration typical of insects that can feed on the toxins in milkweeds. This one had large, heart-shaped dark markings on its elytra (outer wings), identifying it as a Blackened Milkweed Beetle. When I looked up the scientific name, I discovered that the genus name, Tetraopes, means four eyes. This, and other members of the group of longhorn milkweed beetles, have compound eyes that are bisected by the base of their antennae (I could not find any explanation as to the possible benefits of this unusual eye arrangement). Every time I look closely at my little neighbors, I discover something new. Give it a try in your own nature neighborhood.

    beetle
    Various longhorn milkweed beetles have divided compound eyes

  • Growing Up

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

    Even though you’re growing up, you should never stop having fun.

    ~Nina Dobrev

    A quick update on the Cecropia caterpillars we are raising…you may remember an earlier post where the eggs from a Cecropia Moth began hatching. That was on June 10. We are almost a month out and they are growing and changing as they feed on wild Black Cherry leaves. Below are pictures of how they have changed over the past few weeks. The remaining time period of their last two instars (a phase between two periods of molting) will be busy ones as we try to scrounge enough cherry leaves to keep these guys happy. If you enjoy learning about giant silk moth caterpillars and their different instars, check out Sam Jaffe’s incredible photographs on The Caterpillar Lab’s web site.

    cecropia moth eggs hatched
    The hatched eggs on June 10 (click photos to enlarge)
    Cecropia moth larvae day 1
    First instar Cecropia Moth caterpillars
    Cecropia larvae second instar
    Second instar larvae
    IMG_8970
    A third instar Cecropia Moth caterpillar
    Cecropia fourth instar
    Fourth instar larva (one more to go!)
    fireworks larval style
    A close up of the tubercles on a fourth instar larva…I shared this picture on July 4 as an entomological fireworks display

     

  • The Sweet Smell of Milkweed

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

    Its flowers are very flagrant and when in season, they fill the woods with their sweet exhalations and make it agreeable to travel in them, especially in the evening.

    ~Peter Kalm, Swedish scientist, on Common Milkweed, 1750’s

    I don’t really remember how long ago it was that I spread some Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) seeds around the yard. I think I did it a couple of years in a row, and finally, one spring, there were some shoots that popped up. Not where I had put the seeds, of course (and that should have prepared me for how this plant “behaves” in garden), but I was excited nevertheless. Years went by, and the milkweed would appear and send up new shoots well beyond where I had intended it to grow. But no flowers…I figured it was due to our wooded setting and these normally field habitat plants just could not get enough sunlight to send energy into flower production. Then, a few years back, the first flowers appeared. At first, on only a couple of the taller stems. But last year and this one have been spectacular showings of the sweet-scented floral globes.

    common milkweed flowers
    Common Milkweed flowers blooming in the yard (click photos to enlarge)

    The patch of twenty or so milkweeds has been abuzz with activity since the flowers opened with honeybees, bumblebees, and large butterflies being the most frequent visitors.

    bees on milkweed
    The flowers are centers of pollinator activity, especially bumblebees and honeybees
    Zebra swallowtail on milkweed
    I have seen three species of swallowtails visit the milkweed patch

    Besides their wonderful fragrance and obvious benefit to pollinators, milkweed flowers have something else going for them…their unusual structure. In addition to a whorl of sepals and petals (the petals are reflexed downward), milkweed flowers have a third whorl of five hoods (seen here as the upward facing openings) each of which encloses a horn (the modified filaments of the anthers).

    Common milkweed flowers close up
    Close up of flowers – look for the orange-ish pollinia in the gaps between the five open hoods of each milkweed floret

    Instead of the loose, powdery pollen grains most of us are familiar with, milkweed pollen grains are packed into two connected sacs (pollinia). Together they are called a pollinarium and are shaped like a tiny saddlebag.

    Large milkweed bug
    Large Milkweed Bug with a pollinarium attached to its leg

    When an insect lands on the flower, its leg slips into the crevice between the hoods and can pick up a pollinarium. When it visits another flower, the waxy pollen sacs can be deposited if the leg slips into a vacant crevice. These slits can occasionally capture some insects if their leg gets stuck.

    milkweed pollinia on milkweed bug leg
    Close up of a milkweed pollinarium

    I have seen a few bumblebees that have several of these pollen structures stuck to their legs so I think large (and strong) insects like bees and butterflies make the best milkweed pollinators.

     

     

  • Frills, No Frills

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

    It is almost impossible to think of something no one has thought of before, but it always possible to add different frills.

    ~Isaac Asimov

    Friday morning when I went out the basement door to fill the bird feeders, a fuzzy blob on the window caught me eye. I leaned over and saw this strange-looking moth. It looks the way many people have during this extended time of hair salon closures – very floofy.

    Frilly Grass Tubeworm on glass Acrolophus mycetophagus
    The bizarre floofiness of a Frilly Grass Tubeworm Moth (click photos to enlarge)

    I had seen one of these at the NC Botanical Garden once before, but never here at the house. The moth is about 1/2 inch in length, its beautifully patterned wings held tent-like over its back, and the anterior region adorned with elegantly curved “hairs”. I looked online and in my field guides and discovered it is a Frilly Grass Tubeworm Moth, Acrolophus mycetophagus. The frills are apparently extensions on the central pair of legs. I could not find any reference as to the function of these adornments, so let’s just assume it is a fashion statement of some sort.

    Frilly Grass Tubeworm, Acrolophus mycetophagus
    Looking down on the nice doo of this moth

    Members of this group of small moths are often accessorized with extended labial palps held over their head like helmet crests or with fringed scales along the wing edges. The other trait they share is their unusual diet as larvae – most feed on decaying organic material or fungi. It turns out, the caterpillars of this frilly species feed on what seems to me to be rather unpalatable bracket fungi (shelf fungi). Its species name, mycetophagus, actually translates to “eats fungi”.

    Frilly Grass Tubeworm head close up, Acrolophus mycetophagus
    A close up of the frills

    A few inches away on the door that morning was another, larger, moth with some distinct dark markings on its otherwise plain wings.

    Deadwood borer moth, Scolecocampa liburna
    Another door moth that morning – the Dead Wood Borer Moth

    It has the uninspiring name of the Dead Wood Borer, Scoleococampa liburna. Larvae of this species feed in dead wood of various deciduous trees, and may, in fact be feeding on the fungi within decaying wood. So, two moths, two very different styles of dress, but a similar unusual diet. Once again, it is always amazing what you can find right outside (or on) your door.

  • Day 1

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

    There is beauty to be found in the changing of the Earth’s seasons, and an inner grace in honouring the cycles of life.

    ~Jack Cornfield

    A recent post discussed the eclosure of several Cecropia Moths that had spent the winter with us as cocoons. There was a mated pair when I found them that morning. I released all but that pair, keeping those two one more night to try to get some eggs, which the female obligingly laid on the inside of the mesh butterfly cage.

    cecropia moth on leaves
    Cecropia Moth adult that emerged on May 29 (click photos to enlarge)

    Yesterday, the eggs started hatching. Eggs were laid on May 30 and began hatching on June 10.

    cecropia moth eggs hatched
    Hatched eggs

    First instar larvae are gregarious feeders (I have put them on Black Cherry, one of their listed host plants). They are small (~3/8 inch), dark, and covered in black spikes. They will undergo five molts with each stage lasting about a week. So, for the next 4 or 5 weeks, we will be busy feeding some very hungry caterpillars. The changes will be amazing and I’ll be sure to share photos along the way.

    Cecropia moth larvae day 1
    First instar Cecropia Moth larvae on their first day

     

  • Posing

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

    Good bug and bad bug

    Holy pose or killer strike

    Survival instinct

    ~G.S. Romero

    I was working in my shop yesterday when I saw something skitter across one of the work tables. I went over and looked, and found two baby mantids. I carried them outside and released them. A few minutes later, a couple more. Obviously, somewhere in my shop is a hatching egg case with perhaps a couple hundred tiny alien-looking insects ready to take on the world. I looked around but could not find a source (perhaps on some wood I brought in for the winter?). The last one I released in one of our wildflower beds. It quickly ran up one of my favorite native grasses – Bottlebrush Grass, Elymus hystrix. You can see the resemblance to a loose lab bottlebrush in the grass flower/seed head below.

    bottlebrush grass flowering
    Bottlebrush Grass in flower (click photos to enlarge)

    The little guy ran up into the spiky flower head and started grooming, and then climbing among the thin plant filaments. Its slender, leggy shape blends in quite well.

    Baby mantis
    Baby mantis checking out the world for the first time
    Baby mantis 1
    After posing, the mantis headed out on patrol, looking for a meal

    I’m not sure which species of mantis this is, although, for some reason I think it is probably a Carolina Mantis. They tend to be more common here in the woods than the much larger Chinese Mantids, and this one looks a little different than the Chinese Mantis babies I have observed in the past. Whichever one it is, it is well equipped to hunt creatures large and small and play an important role in the invertebrate jungle of our backyard.

  • Eclosure

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

    You do not just wake up and become the butterfly. Growth is a process.

    ~Rupi Kaur

    Eclosure = the emergence of an insect from the pupa case, or of a larvae from the egg…

    Nature is always providing examples of remarkable survival and transformation. Witnessing eclosure is one of those magical things to me (must be because of my love for all things caterpillar). I have been lucky over the years to stumble upon freshly emerged butterflies and moths in the wild a number of times. It is always a special moment to see these fragile creatures as they begin their relatively short-lived winged lives. Here are a few of my favorites over the past few years…

    Luna mothfreshly emerged
    Luna moth just after eclosure, Jones Lake State Park (click photos to enlarge)
    Red-spotted purple butterfly freshly emerged
    Red-spotted Purple butterfly in our yard, hardening its wings while resting on its chrysalis
    Zebra swallowtail shortly after emergence
    A stunning fresh Zebra Swallowtail discovered by a summer camper at the NC Botanical Garden a few summers ago

    It is thrilling to find a fresh emergence in the wild, but most of my experiences with eclosure have been with caterpillars I have raised or pupa I have found and protected. We have some mesh pop-up butterfly cages that we raise larvae and house pupae in on our screen porch. This gives them the temperature changes and humidity needed for survival. The mesh sides (and plenty of sticks in the cage) allow the newly emerged adult to climb and hang until it can pump fluids from its swollen abdomen through the wing venation to pump up the wings and allow them to harden for flight. Last year, I had a Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar create a chrysalis inside one of the chambers and overwinter. We were also given a few Cecropia Moth cocoons to rear. These have been with us since September, and, earlier this week, they all made their official entry into the world as winged beauties.

    spicebush swallowtail freshly emerged
    Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly with spent chrysalis in foreground

    One of the best things about seeing these newly emerged butterflies and moths is being able to closely examine and photograph them as they complete their transformation. You can get details that are much more difficult to capture once they are capable of flight.

    spicebush swallowtail closeup of head
    Close up of head and proboscis
    spicebush swallowtail wing detail
    The colors and patterns are at their most vibrant just after eclosure
    cecropia moth antenae
    Close up of antennae of Cecropia Moth

    The amazing thing about the Cecropia Moths is that they all emerged on the same night. We released 4 of the 6 the first night, but kept two that were mating, releasing them the following evening.

    cecropia moth on leaves
    North America’s largest native moth (wingspan up to 7 inches) just after release

    The female laid several patches of eggs inside the chamber so we now will have a bunch of hungry mandibles to feed in the coming weeks. I can’t think of a better summer pastime…

    cecropia moth eggs
    The next generation

  • First of Season

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

    Camouflage is the most interesting of all the arts.

    ~Kris Saknussemm

    I sometimes feel like we live in the jungle. Looking out across the small sunny area around the house you see a green wall of vegetation before the tall trees of the forest begin. The yard itself is a tangle of all sorts of wildflowers and shrubs, layer upon layer, with years of accumulated leaves in between the green patches. Being at home so much this spring has given me a rare opportunity to actually do some tidying up (also known as weeding). Now, don’t get me wrong, I actually like the wild look, but there are unwanted species (like Microstegium) that tend to infiltrate everywhere and then some wanted species that like to take over if not watched. But, here in the hood, I try to be careful about where I put my hands and feet in this jumble of greenery because of one local resident in particular, the Copperhead. Yesterday found me repairing a patch of deer fence where a dead snag had fallen during the heavy rains. As I was walking through the woods dodging tree branches with my armload of tools I thought…Jeesh, it is hard to watch where you step in here, and they blend in so well with these leaves. Well, an hour or so later, I walked down the road to check on something, and on my way back, there was the first of the season, out in plain sight, where its usually incredibly effective camouflage was not so effective.

    IMG_8690
    First Copperhead of the season (click photos to enlarge)

    This one was particularly beautiful, with a bright, contrasting pattern of dark and light colors. As I approached, it flattened its body in what I assume is a defensive posture (to make it look bigger perhaps?) and remained motionless (one of their usual defensive modes). I took a few images with my phone and then walked back the hundred feet or so to the gate to our driveway to get my real camera. When I returned, the road was empty.

    IMG_8691
    Distinctive traits include a vertical pupil, the pit between the eye and nostril, and the Hershey Kisses-shaped pattern along the sides (like hourglasses when viewed from above)

    I walked into the woods where the snake had been headed, only to see nothing but leaves. At least, that was all I could perceive. The snake was now back in its element – advantage Copperhead.

  • Not a Feather

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

    Wide, curved, tall or long, so many shapes but none are wrong.

    ~Hermione Little

    It is a little harder (or at least less pleasant) to explore our yard and woodlands during a deluge like we have had the past few days. But, I was out filling bird feeders in the rain when a light-colored shape in the flowers caught my eye.

    Plume moth
    Plume moth resting in its characteristic T-shape position (click photos to enlarge)

    As I got nearer, I recognized its distinctive T-shape as belonging to a plume moth. These unusual moths rest with their wings held out at a right angle to their slender body looking somewhat like an old airplane profile. These narrow wings actually are pleated or lobed and fold out wider when in flight.

    Plume moth detail
    Detail of wing

    I looked in my field guides and online and am pretty sure this is the Groundsel Plume Moth (aka Baccharis Borer Plume Moth), Hellinsia balanotes, due its large size. As a group, they can be difficult to identify to genus or species, but this one had a wingspan the size of a quarter (greater than 30mm). Most plume moths are half that size.

    Plume moth top view
    Looking down on this unusual moth

    The larvae of many plume moths bore into the stems of various shrubs and wildflowers or are leafrollers. The unusual shape of the adults is said to help them camouflage themselves when at rest in vegetation during the day as they tend to look more like dried plant stems than a tasty moth. Whatever the reason, they make for an interesting discovery on a rainy day (this moth stayed in this spot all day in spite of my intrusion).

     

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