The Ohio Lepidopterists

In 1977-78 Eric Metzler and about a dozen other people gathered to discuss the formation of a group where Butterfly and Moth enthusiasts could meet and share their interest in Lepidoptera. From that the Ohio Lepidopterists were born. I joined that first year, and have been a life long member ever since. One of the first big projects was to gather data on all the Lepidoptera known from Ohio. This involved examining collections from throughout the state and museums nationwide. Those surveys continue today.

Over the years that data has provided many publications by the membership. Support for these has been provided by the Ohio Biological Survey and the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

The Ohio Lepidopterists maintain a reference collection where people can come to help identify their specimens. The collection is housed with the insects at Ohio State University in the Museum of Biological Diversity in Columbus. We also hold and annual I.D. day each December where members help each other with their UFO's.

Using a collection is one thing, but having a room full of people is another. Every mid January we hold our annual meeting. A virtual who's who of experts from all over come to share and compare data from Ohio and other states. Of course we also share war stories about "the one that got away".

It's nice having a field guide to Butterflies available, but it's another ball game for those of us who collect the difficult looking micro moths. Having people separate your small stuff into the proper species is simply priceless.

After 30 some years many of the original members are getting up there in age. Plus many have since relocated to other states across the country. It's good to see the younger generation continuing to show interest in Butterflies and Moths.

These are just incredible. Our interests are not restricted to Ohio. Here a student from Purdue is studying the mimicry patterns of Heliconid Butterflies in tropical forests.

There is free time in the morning before the speakers present their programs. While many of us are working in the back room, others are viewing slide shows to test their recognition skills.

Not everyone in the group are 'collectors'. Many members just enjoy watching butterflies and other wildlife. In the 90's butterfly gardening was all the rave. Lots of people got into planting gardens with attractive flowers for nectaring butterflies, as well as food plants for their caterpillars. In the past decade, with the advent of digital cameras, many members enjoy photography and the opportunities a macro lens can provide. Proper identification of photographs has clearly added to our knowledge of Lepidoptera distribution and abundance.

Another very popular activity members participate in are the many butterfly monitoring projects popping up at nature centers and metro parks. This is part of the citizen science program nationwide where hobbyists and non professionals can participate in gathering scientific data on animal populations. Our featured speaker from Illinois talked about setting up permanent transects and how to observe butterflies from year to year. Bird watchers have been doing this for some time now with the feeder watch program. That subject in particular will be discussed at the upcoming Natural History Conference in February.

The best part of any meeting has to be the social networking. I don't get to see some of these people more than once a year. I suspect the weather probably kept a number of others away this time. I may have missed some, but I do know folks from Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Indiana made it to this years meeting.

A few years ago, Dave Wagner published an excellent field guide to caterpillars. I just found out he has put out yet another one. A guide to Owlet Moths or the Noctuids, the largest family of moths in the country. Here's a member showing me his copy. This is the first I've seen it. Yet another book to add to my purchase list.

Whether you like observing, monitoring, photographing, or collecting Butterflies and Moths, everyone is welcome to join the Ohio Lepidopterists. Visit our website to learn more.

Exotic Invasive Species

After returning to my office from summer break, this critter was sitting on my desk. My first concern, after a bit of panic, was who put this here, and more importantly, where did it come from. Turns out Jim, our forestry instructor left it there. It is the Asian Long-horned Beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis. This beetle is a wood borer, feeding on many types of trees, most frequently on Maples.

In discussing this with Jim, I can verify that this beetle IS now in Ohio. The specimen is from Clermont County outside of Cincinnati. Quarantine efforts are under way to try and control this species. Several other states have been able to do so, and even eliminate it completely. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

The Common or Purple Teasel, Dipsacus fullonum (or sylvestris), is a plant introduced to North America many many years ago. It has been here so long many people consider it naturalized. Labeling an introduced species as "naturalized" is a debate I don't wish to discuss. Teasel has an interesting blooming habit. The first flowers appear in a circular row in the center of the flower head. The top and bottom fill in later. The long sharp bracts you see on the sides were once used as a tool for separating cotton fibers.

Another relative is the Cut-leaved Teasel, Dipsacus laciniatus. I call it the White Teasel. A decade ago I used to see it only in central Ohio. Each year I've watched it travel county by county down Rt. 33, and now it has arrived in Athens County. In fact I now find it throughout the state.

White Teasel is taller and a bit more stiff or erect, and the leaves are more divided than Common Teasel. Teasels grow in disturbed sites and commonly along roads. Mowing highway edges is said to have increased the spread. Burning and herbicide will kill it.

Japanese Barberry Berberis thunbergii, was introduced as an ornamental plant. Its growth form is similar to our native barberry species. It forms dense hedgerows. It simply became easier to propagate than our natives. It is recognized by the small spoon shaped leaves. They are alternate in arrangement, but grow in a cluster that often appears whorled.

The red barrel shaped fruit hang down on a stem, and grow in long rows. The twigs are not round but angled. The twigs are also covered in thorns or spines.

Another identification method is to take a knife and scrape off the bark. The inner twigs are a bright yellow in color. Competing for space with natives is of course the problem with all exotic invasives, but Japanese Barberry also alters the nutrient content and pH of the soil.

There are two Buckthorns invasive in Ohio. This is the Common Buckthorn Rhamnus cathartica. I usually find it growing like a shrub, but it can attain a large size. The leaves are egg shaped, somewhat dull on the surface, and with a finely serrated margin. With age some twigs may show thorns. Like Barberry, look for a yellow sapwood inside.

The other species is European or Glossy Buckthorn, Rhamnus frangula. It is sometimes called Alder Buckthorn, but since there is a native species with that name, I don't use it. The name glossy refers to the leaves, which are much shinier than the previous species. The margins are entire or wavy. Leaves of Buckthorns have deeply impressed veins.

Buckthorns produce red to black berries that are now eaten by birds, contributing to their spread. Like other species, they were originally used as ornamentals.

Buds on Common Buckthorn appear somewhat scaled. On Glossy, the buds are naked. In other words soft, brown, and fuzzy, similar to a Pawpaw bud. This species is common along abandoned railroads and nowadays on bike paths. I don't know the full extent of Buckthorn spreading in Ohio, but I see cathartica more often in northern Ohio, and frangula in southern portions of the state.

Japanese Knotweed is actually a type of Smartweed. Known as Polygonum cuspidatum or sometimes Fallopia japonica, it is commonly planted along highway hillsides. It is technically a herbaceous wildflower, but grows in large dense thickets like a woody shrub. This is due to the underground rhizomes. They dominate the soil and for this reason have been used in erosion control.

Japanese Knotweed has large broad leaves, pointed at the tips, but squared off or flat at the bases, similar to a Cottonwood leaf. The margins are entire. Because of the tough roots, it takes multiple applications of herbicide to control it. Not into chemicals? To get rid of it, pull it up and eat it! It's high in vitamin C.

Many countries that deal in economic trade with the United States do not use plastic peanuts or styrofoam to ship goods. Instead they pack with natural materials known as excelsior. Excelsior is made up of wood, bark, and leaves. This is a major way exotic insects and plants end up in our country. It is believed that is how the above species entered our environment. This is Japanese Stiltgrass, Microstegium vimineum.

Stiltgrass can be recognized by the bamboo like leaves. The center vein is usually white or silver. Besides seeds, it has vegetative reproduction, and can form solid mats along the ground.

It is best controlled by herbicide. If you wish to pull it out by hand, wait till late summer or fall, the end of the growing season. Mechanical control in early summer only stimulates it to grow back.

I have posted on the Bush Honeysuckles, and now these. There are SO many exotic invasive species, I expect to do more on this topic in the future.

Oaks of Ohio

Oaks are one of the largest groups of woody plants in Ohio. I will not discuss every last species found in the state, but concentrate on 11 of the most common. Before we dive into the species, let's see what makes up an oak tree.

Oaks are known for their fruit, commonly called acorns.  They are partially covered by a cap or cup. These are examples of Ohio species, and one California Live Oak, the long rifle bullet shaped nut. The white oak group have bumpy or warty scales on their caps, and the red oaks have flat scales looking more like snake skin. The white oaks produce acorns every year, while the red oaks take two years to mature. Acorns are edible, but you want to boil out the bitter tannins first. White Oaks are sweeter tasting, but both groups are important to wildlife.

If the tree is too small to produce acorns, you can still identify it as an oak. Most types of trees have a single bud at the tip of each twig. Oaks have multiple buds clustered around the end of each branch.

Oaks have both male and female flowers on the same tree. The female portions are very small and found scattered on the branches. These are male flowers dangling down in a catkin like form. The flowers are bland, and not important in identifying species.

One of the easiest ways to start identifying oaks to species is to split them into two groups. The White Oaks have rounded lobes on their leaf margins. I'll cover six species that belong to this group.

The Red Oaks have bristle tipped leaves. They look like little hypodermic needles at the end of each lobe. I'll mention five of these species as well.

Above is the typical shape of the Red Oak batch. This one is Black Oak Quecus velutina. The problem is this shape is also similar to the Red, Scarlet, and Pin Oaks, so you have to dig a little farther than just leaf shape.

The key feature on Black Oak is the fuzzy look and feel of the leaf petiole, buds, and new growth twig.

Look closely at the leaf underside. The main veins and most of the leaf will have a velvety feel, hence the latin name velutina.

The leaves of species in the Red Oak group are notorious for showing variation in shape, and Black Oak is no exception. Leaves found on the lower portions of the tree are fatter and have shallower lobes and sinuses. Even when looking like this, the hairy feel is still obvious. If we stay away from strickly leaf shape, is there anything else to use? How about "da bud".

The buds are covered in hairs from top to bottom. After the leaves die, many will lose the hairy texture, but the buds will remain the same. These are buds from the top of the tree, and are always hairier than the lower buds.

Here are buds from a lower branch. You can see some orange scales popping through, which causes confusion with Scarlet Oak which we'll see in a minute. Examine it up close, especially with a hand lens, and you'll see every scale still covered in hair. Black Oak buds are long pointed and angled like a pyramid.

If the tree is too tall to examine leaves or buds, search the ground for acorns. The caps are bowl shaped like others, but differ in having the rim or edges frayed. In other words each scale stands erect and points upward, like wind blown roof shingles.

Last but not least is the bark. Black Oak has a darker bark than many of the other oaks it grows with. In the upper portions it is striped, and resembles Red and Scarlet, but further down the stripes disappear and it forms a blocky appearance. Many say it has a dirty texture to it due to the lichens and mosses growing on it. This is true, but lichens can grow on any oak, so I don't need to touch it, just look at it and compare it to others. Black Oaks grow in any habitat, but are more common in upland dry soils.

To many, especially those from northern Ohio, this may resemble a Pin Oak. That's why leaf shape in unreliable. This is Scarlet Oak, Quercus coccinea. Both species have deep sinuses like this, appearing as if caterpillars ate away most of the surface area. In our part of the state, Scarlet is only found on upper slopes and ridge tops. Pin Oak is a bottomland species. It is often written that Scarlet Oak leaves show bits of hair gathered at the intersection of leaf veins on the lower surface. Yes they are there, but other oaks show this as well, so I personally never use that trait.

Scarlet does have a similar growth form to Pin, keeping a lot of dead lower branches. Pin Oak forms more of an umbrella with its lower limbs, where Scarlet just looks scrubby. In areas without hills, look for it in dry soils.

The similarity ends when you look at the buds. Scarlet has hairy scales on the top of the bud, and hairless scales on the bottom half. The red and white bud gives it the appearance of snow capped mountains.  Pin Oak buds are brown and hairless.

The acorn cap is bowl shaped like that of Black, but the scales are not erect. They lay flat, appressed against one another.

Many Scarlet Oak acorns will show concentric rings, or a bullseye on the top portion. This is another clue to identification, but not all Scarlets will have these rings.

Here is the Pin Oak, Quercus palustris, showing variation in leaf shape.  Pin Oak is a tree of bottomlands and wet areas. It is not common in unglaciated Ohio, but very abundant in flatlands elsewhere.

Like Scarlet, Pin Oak retains many lower branches, but on this species they are often alive. The lower branches may spread out when the tree is planted in the open. When competing with other trees, those low branches may grow straight down.

This growth form is more easily observed in winter condition.

Pin Oak acorns are some of the smallest of the oaks in Ohio. When maturing they will be covered with white or brown hairs.

After falling, the rain will wash the hair off and expose a two colored look similar to a striped watermelon. You can also rub the hairs off by hand.

The leaf shape of Red Oak Quercus rubra, is the same as Black Oak. Remember though that Black is hairy everywhere. All parts of the Red Oak are hairless and smooth.

Red oak produces a very fat acorn, pumpkin like in shape. The cap does not cover very much of the nut.

The caps are often the size of a quarter. They are quite flat, and resemble a French beret.

Just like the leaves, the buds of Red are completely hairless. If you were bald and spent the summer in the hot sun, you'd be sunburned red like this too.

If there are no leaves, buds, or fruit available, once again the bark is key to identification. The trunk has vertical dark and light gray stripes from top to bottom. The bark looks runny or finger painted.

Red Oak is a clean growing tree, seldom showing much in the way of dead branches. For this reason it is highly valued as a timber species. They grow anywhere, but do best on lower slopes, especially north or east facing hillsides.

Hmm, I'm looking around the ground and I see evidence of acorns present, but nothing that resembles an oak leaf. These can't be it.

Nary a lobe or sinus is anywhere to be found, yet this is an oak. Shingle Oak, Quercus imbricaria. It is our only unlobed oak here in the north. Because of that I don't need to check buds, fruit, or anything else for that matter. Shingle is one of the easiest oaks in Ohio to identify. Of course if you head to the southern states, there are many species with unlobed leaves. So is it a Red or White member?  Look closely at the top of the leaf.

A leaf need not have many bristles on it. This single bristle at the leaf tip puts it in the Red Oak group.

Shingle Oak is a very scraggly growing species. Its branches are often short, thick, and form dense clusters throughout the tree. Shingle also retains a large portion of its leaves through the winter.

All oaks commonly have wasp galls growing on them. It's not unusual for Shingle Oak to be covered with these hard Horned Gouty Galls. Disfiguring maybe, but they really don't interfere with tree growth.

One other thing the previous five species have in common is they all show what I call hard dark bark. That character will change with the next group of species.

Can't think of a better way to start the white oak group than with White Oak Quercus alba itself. The leaves range from shallow to deep lobed, depending where on the tree they're found. There is a slight white look to the undersides. In the central hardwood forest White Oak is the most important species both ecologically and economically.

White Oak buds are smaller and more blunt than members of the Red Oak group. Their twigs are long and narrow, and commonly covered with a white or glaucous coating.

The acorn caps have raised scales or warty bumps. They look covered in goosebumps. These fruit are highly sought after by wildlife including deer, grouse, turkey, and squirrel.

White Oak bark really stands out in a forest. The trunk is covered with small rectangular white plates that easily flake off when rubbed.

In our area, this white oak bark is nearly identical to Swamp White, Chinquapin, and Post Oak. With the exception of Shingle Oak, it is often necessary to use multiple characters in identifying oaks. Buds, leaf, bark, and fruit all play a roll in separating them out. Half of the oaks covered in this post are also limited to specific habitats.

Here is an example. You are walking along and notice a tree with white flaky bark. The leaves look different than White Oak, and there are many scraggly lower branches, both dead and alive. Because you are in a wet bottomland, this is likely something different.

This is Swamp White Oak, Quercus bicolor. The leaves have shallow lobes like several other species, but notice the lobes are all concentrated near the top. There are very few to no lobes at the leaf bottom.

The leaves have a very thick texture to them. The undersides are white and covered with soft velvety hairs.

On large trees the white flaking begins to show long fissures. I never use this, as I don't find it distinct. Don't look at the bottom of the tree, but a bit further up for a hint.

Like Pin Oak, Swamp White branches all tend to droop or grow downward. The silhouette of this tree is helpful in identification. Swamp White is not frequent in our hill country, but more widespread through the rest of Ohio.

Another key feature are the acorns, in particular the stems. They are very long compared to other oaks, and have the look of a pipe.

Post Oak, Quercus stellata, is a species of the south central United States. Its range in Ohio is restricted to the southern half of the state. The leaf is distinct in having its primary lobes widest at the shoulder area. It looks like a cross or ghost. In our area, Post Oak is found strictly on dry ridge tops.

Even if you can't reach the branches, just look up into the crown. That leaf shape will be apparent.

Since we are talking ghost shaped leaves, this is Quercus stellata variety casperi. It is a rare form known as the 'friendly' ghost shape. Wave hi.

It has small acorns, and the caps are covered with raised arrow-head shaped scales.

Post Oak often shows dark and light patches in the bark. Although White Oak can also have a patchwork appearance at times, combining the bark with leaves, fruit, and habitat, insures you have a Post Oak.

Speaking of high slopes and ridge tops, here is another species to look for in those sites. This is Chestnut Oak. The leaves have evenly shallow lobes from top to bottom. In Ohio it is found throughout the unglaciated portions of the state. It was originally known as Quercus montana, then changed to Q. prinus, and has now gone back to montana.

Contrary to most of the white oaks, Chestnut Oak has long, sharply pointed buds. Both the buds and twigs may be a bright orange in color.

The fruit is once again helpful in identification. The caps are shaped like a wine goblet. The nut is elongate and football shaped. I tell students to think of football and Joe Montana to remember the latin name. When these fruits hit the ground in the fall, they immediately start to germinate.

Perhaps the easiest way to identify this tree is by the trunk. Again, it breaks the rule of having white flaky bark. It is deeply furrowed, gray, and very hard. It reminds me of cement. Another common name for this tree is Rock Chestnut Oak.

Here is a species that has acorns and bark similar to White Oak, but leaves similar to Chestnut Oak. This is Chinquapin Oak, Quercus muehlenbergii. In our area it's usually found on lower slopes, and is an indicator of alkaline soils.

Chinquapin Oak leaves are similar to Chestnut Oak, but the lobes are not as rounded. They come to a much sharper point, ending in what I call a little nub. They are serrate, but often incorrectly keyed out as having bristle tips.

The bark is virtually identical to White Oak. The rule for identification: If it has bark like a white, and leaves like a Chestnut, it's Chinquapin.

Here are a couple of pressed specimens of perhaps the strangest and craziest shaped leaves of all the oaks.

These highly variable leaf shapes can only belong to Bur Oak, Quercus macrocarpa. Bur Oak is absent in the Athens County area, but otherwise found throughout Ohio. It grows best when there is little competition, so it is common on field edges, along river floodplains, and in prairie margins.

The bark is similar to Swamp White, but the acorns make it unmistakable. Look for little 'burs' growing on the edge of the cap.

Upon maturity, those burs will have grown into what feel like stiff hairs. Because of this it is often called Mossy-cup Oak. The name macrocarpa refers to the fact that these produce the largest of all acorns. They commonly reach golf ball size, and I've seen a few start to approach a tennis ball in circumference.