August, Summers Home Stretch

Since we have switched to semesters, my summer has been cut short. I've been busy walking around some local spots, visiting prairies, Old Woman Creek, Lorain Metro Parks, Mohican Forest, etc. This black blister beetle caught my attention first. Handle carefully, as these guys will emit a chemical known to cause skin rashes. Not sure on the ID, but probably Epicauta pennsylvanica.

Sitting along a gravel road is a common behavior for Red-spotted Purple butterflies, Limentis arthemis. It will tongue the crevices looking for nutrients in any wet spot. The red spots are visible near the top of the wings, but are much more pronounced underneath.

This strange view from behind shows the hind wings of the Spicebush Swallowtail. The green shading and green spots along the wing edge tell us this is a male. If the spots were green, but the wing center was bluish, it would be a female. The caterpillar has big false eyes near the head region. Besides Spicebush, it feeds on Sassafras and Tulip (Liriodendron).

Up on the prairie I found this Narrow-leaved Lady's Tress, Spiranthes vernalis. Spiranthes are white blooming orchids. The latin name refers to how the flowers spiral around the stem like a barber pole or candy cane.

Lady's Tress Orchids can be separated by whether on not they have a single spiral, like this, or a double row of flowers on the stem. Most of these orchids have grass like leaves. S. vernalis has very thin leaves. The plant has another common name, Spring Lady's Tress. It can bloom in May, but this species commonly occurs in late summer. It's one of the tallest in the group, reaching several feet in height.

Often overlooked is this weedy plant of roadsides. Galinsoga quadriradiata, the Shaggy Galinsoga. The Hairy Galinsoga, G. ciliata is the same species. These were introduced from South America as a garden plant, but have since escaped into the wild.

Same goes for this species. Feverfew, Tanacetum parthenium, is another introduced plant of gardens. Look for Parsley like leaves and white rays that are notched. Native to Greece and Bulgaria, it has a large history of medical uses.

Looking like little Chicory flowers, these blooms are from Blue Lettuce. Like Galinsoga and Feverfew above, they are members of the Asteraceae. They are more closely related to the Dandelion and Sow-thistle side of the family.

Evidence of that is noticeable when you break off a leaf. A white milky sap exudes. This species also shows a white waxy coating or glaucous on the plant. When talking about plant identification, I often mention that leaf shape is important. The variation of leaves is extreme in this species. The following are a few examples.

Because we have two species that look alike, I tend to pay attention to how the flower heads appear. In Tall Blue Lettuce Lactuca biennis, the flowers are crowded together in a narrow torpedo shape. In this species the flowers are more spread outward, making this what I believe to be Lactuca floridana.

Always nice to see something pop up on a plant you're photographing. Such was the case with this Spring Peeper, Pseudacris crucifer. We tend to think about frogs more often in the spring, but peepers will occur all season long. Not only can you see the X on the back, but this guy is also highly spotted.

Once again sticking with the Asteraceae, the Tall Thistle is in peak bloom. This is a native species that can reach 10 feet in height.

Cirsium altissimum leaves are not as spiny as other thistles. Their leaves are also not divided. The margins are entire, but covered in stiff hairs. The undersides are bright white.

Plants along forest edges tend to be straight and narrow. When growing in the open, with no competition, it not only gets tall but will appear very wide.

As I mentioned with the Spring Peeper, it's always nice to have things land on flowers you're shooting. This is a male Zabulon Skipper. I've posted him before, but there is more to the story.

Shorty after the male appeared, this female landed. The white streak at the top of the hindwing is a key feature.

There were several males "bugging" the female, so she left and landed on a plant below.

Immediately a male followed and landed behind her.

Her wings look blurry because she started to flutter them rapidly for the male.

This was followed by the male hopping from side to side, and fluttering his wings. From time to time he would stop and briefly flash his hindwings open. This mating sequence was a nice surprise to capture on camera. Another example of how you need not walk far to observe interesting animal behavior.

A Moth Night at Wahkeena Nature Preserve

Hello, and welcome to Wahkeena. I was just wondering if empty jet black eyes staring back at you makes you nervous? We have a moth gathering at Wahkeena at the very least once a year. As always, Tom and Robyn were our hosts. Alex Webb and I were looking to collect, though I spent more time capturing with the camera than the jar. Jim McCormac, Roger Grossenbacher, and Steve & Lisa Sells all brought their cameras. It was a spectacular night. Look for Jim and Lisa to be posting results at their respective blogs.

Before we get into the moths, for those who haven't been there, let me introduce you to Wahkeena. It's a nature preserve that for years was managed by the Ohio Historical Society, but is now part of the Fairfield County Historical Parks. Staffing, programs, and workshops will stay the same, there is just no fee to walk the grounds now. Upon entering the area, you are greeted by a nice wetland that currently is full of Water Lilies and Swamp Rose Mallows.

Another plant along the wetland edge is Lizard's Tail, Saururus cernuus. Its raceme of white flowers curl downward at the ends. It's found throughout Ohio. I often tend to pass it up since I used to see it on a daily basis for years in Florida.

Maidenhair Fern, Adiantum pedatum. This is one of over 30 species of ferns found at Wahkeena. If you're a fern lover, this is one place you have to visit.

Orchids also abound at Wahkeena. Maybe not as showy as the Purple Fringeless, but when it comes to Orchids, "it's all good!" This is the Green Wood Orchid, Platanthera clavellata. A small green and white species, these plants were only 8-10 inches tall. Notice the white spur tends to be kept tucked under the flower stalk. Like Lizard Tail, this is a plant I last saw many years ago in Florida.

I arrived before dark in hopes of seeing other things. The Butterfly Milkweed Asclepias tuberosa is coming into peak bloom, and were covered with shiny green Halictid Bees.

Arrowwood, Viburnum dentatum is in full fruit, and common throughout the wetland boardwalk.

Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea, serves as host to many butterflies, especially Skippers.

This is the Zabulon Skipper, Poanes zabulon. This is a male. Like many of the small look alike skippers, it flies rapidly from one flower to the next. You can identify this one by the large yellow patch on the back of the hindwing. The base and edge of the wing have rich brown patches, and the yellow area will be dotted with small brown spots.

A nice closeup of the tongue probing for nectar.

Robyn likes rearing moth caterpillars found on the area. They make for great interpretive programs with kids. The yellow and black stripes on the side, and blue-black horn tells us this is the Laurel Sphinx, Sphinx kalmiae. It's sometimes listed as the Fawn Sphinx, but I stick to the old name because it reflects the latin.

Here is the Cecropia Moth larva. Hyalophora cecropia is one of the largest moths in Ohio. The caterpillars will approach 5-6 inches in length. These guys were smaller, but about to molt into their last instar. The combination of red, yellow, blue, and green is hard to beat.

Up close you can see the tubercles that end in sharp spines for protection. The light blue ovals are the breathing spiracles.

Photography in the dark can be a challenge. We planned the moth gathering a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, that was the night of the big storm. Power went out everywhere, including Wahkeena, so we sat around in the dark and told stories all night. At least Robyn had this nice caterpillar to shoot.

This is Acronicta funeralis, the Paddled Dagger Moth. I have collected the adult before, but had never seen the caterpillar. It feeds on a wide variety of plants, including this Blueberry/Huckleberry. Young larvae look like bird droppings. These mature caterpillars will swing those paddles around when disturbed. Studies have yet to be done on this species, but usually black and yellow markings like this advertise warning colorations to predators.

Since I'm mentioning Robyn, I thought I'd throw this in just for fun. On our Purple Fringeless Orchid excursion I posted recently, she came across this. I was down in a wetland shooting sedges, when she unmistakably yelled at the top of her lungs that I better hurry up and come see what she found. Based on the sharp edged thorax, I believe this is a female Prionus laticolis, a Broad-necked Root Borer. In biomass terms, it is one of the largest beetles in Ohio. Cool!

People often ask me how I set up for a night of moths. Everybody is different, but I use a 200 watt mercury vapor light. It emits a fair amount of UV rays. I put a sheet on the ground, and hang up another. Now one simply waits for UFO's of the insect kind.

Speaking of huge insects, we were lucky enough to have the Big Poplar Sphinx, Pachsphinx occidentalis (modesta) show up at the sheet. It's a common Aspen feeder, and as for the Sphinx or Hawkmoths in Ohio, it's one of the largest in the state.

One of the bigger families of moths are the Geometridae. Many can be recognized by the skinny bodies in comparison to the oversized broad wings. The margins of their wings are often uneven, pointed, or scalloped. This one is probably the Yellow Slant-line, Tetracis crocallata. The orange line is usually more pronounced, but I don't know of anything else it could be. Geometrid larvae are known as Inchworms.

Often mistaken for a Geometridae is the Arched Hooktip Moth, Drepana arcuata. Their wingtips are not only pointed, but curve around like a fish hook.

No night of mothing would be complete without having some of my Slug Moths show up. This is Lithacodes fasciola, recognized by the white lightning bolt in the wings.

Roger brought some of his bait for brushing on trees. Bait can consist of stale beer, rotten fruit, sugar/molasses, or a combination of all three. Noctuid moths will slurp up the stuff, and not even be bothered by your presence. Such was the case with this Horrid Zale, Zale horrida.

Hiding on tree trunks during the day are the well camouflaged Catocala or Underwing Moths. They too like sucking on rotten fruit bait. You need both the front and hindwings when determining which species you have. They are not easy to identify. This is the Oldwife Underwing, Catocala palaeogama. I'll stick to that name until an expert says otherwise.  Hope you enjoyed this trip down nocturnal lane. Everybody's cameras were busy clicking that night.