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Time Travel and Hackberry Emperors
Come with me while I do a bit of time travel. Leaving the snow, ice and invigorating cold, we emerge in the sweltering heat and humidity of midsummer. Be sure to bring along your insect spray. Ticks are everywhere. And watch where you step, snakes are active too. I’ve come upon these photos of Hackberry…
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Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillar
Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillar (Euchaetes egle). This caterpillar just might alarm you if you’re growing milkweed with Monarch Butterflies in mind. No need to worry though. The Milkweed Tussock Moth and the Monarch Butterfly have grown up in the “same neighborhood” side by side, sharing the bounty. Both butterfly and moth caterpillars are eating a…
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Little Wood Satyr
Little Wood Satyr (Megisto cymela). Not brightly colored. Not large. But this is not a moth but it is a butterfly. Its wingspan is 1.5 to 1.875 inches. They often perch with wings wide open on the leaves of trees or in leaf litter. Larval host plants are sundry grasses such as Kentucky Bluegrass, Orchard…
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Dark Morph of Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
The world of Nature always boggles my mind no matter what I am studying. There is always something that totally astounds me. One example is the dark morph of the female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus). That’s one in the photo above. Yes, a Tiger Swallowtail. Not yellow, but black. Your location will influence how…
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Sachem
Sachem (Atalopedes campestris). A small grass skipper butterfly with a wingspan of just 1.25 to 1.5 inches. Skippers (Hesperiidae) are a family of butterflies that have the characteristics of both butterflies and moths. Host plants of Sachem caterpillars are many grasses such as Bermuda Grass, Hairy Crabgrass, Red Fescue, St. Augustine Grass, Indian Goosegrass and…
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Gaillardia
Here Gaillardias are growing wild in New Mexico, at Bandelier National Monument. A park I’ve visited many times. And hope to visit many more times. And more Gaillardias growing wild at Bandelier National Monument. It seems they’re ubiquitous! It amuses me. My Dad had a thing about digging up Dandelions in his lawn. He was…