Caterpillars – Page 16

Wheel Bug

The Wheel Bug (Arilus cristatus) is a true bug that uses its enlarged front legs to grab and hold its prey, then punctures it with a robust, curved beak which it uses to suck the body fluids from its victims.

It is part of a group of bugs called assassin bugs (family eduviidae). Measuring in at 1 to 1.5 inches, the Wheel Bug is the largest of about 150 species of assassin bugs here in North America.

In the photograph above are young Wheel Bug nymphs. You’re asking for trouble if you pick up an adult or a nymph Wheel Bug. When handled carelessly (and who is to judge what that is?) a Wheel Bug will indeed bite, or perhaps a more appropriate word is pierce, a human hand creating a great deal of pain which lasts for many minutes and then the site becomes numb and that can last for days.

Another Wheel Bug nymph. This one, more mature than the red and black nymphs in the previous image. Despite their propensity to bite a hand that picks it up, a Wheel Bug is something that is beneficial to us. They make meals of critters that we generally don’t want to have in our gardens. Garden pests such as the Tomato Hornworm, Japanese Beetle, Mexican Bean Beetle, Leaf-hopper, Western Tarnished Plant Bug, Colorado Beetle, Striped/Spotted Cucumber Beetle, Aphids, Caterpillars and at the top of my list — Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs. Yes a mighty good one to have around. Just don’t pick it up.

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 Grass, Centipede Grass and some sedges. As adults they feed on sap, fruit, carrion, aphid honeydew and in unusual occasions nectar. Their caterpillars overwinter in leaf litter, emerging in the spring.

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American Copper

American Copper (Lycaena phlaeas). A butterfly that I seldom see. And yet the Massachusetts Butterfly Club describes its distribution in that state as, “One of our most ubiquitous butterflies.” Looking at a distribution map of this butterfly in North America I see it can be found from Nova Scotia south to Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas; and west across the Great Lake states to North Dakota. And indeed its population is much more dense in New England. I was fortunate a bit ago to find one basking in the sun on the leaf of a Sunflower at my cabin and I was able to capture it in a photo.

The American Copper is a small butterfly with a wingspan of just a smidgeon over an inch. Its caterpillar eats plants such as Sheep’s Sorrel, Common Sorrel and Curly Dock. The adult butterfly feeds on the nectar of Buttercup, Goldenrod, Clover, Butterfly Weed, and Yarrow. The lifespan of this butterfly is a very short two weeks.

Yellow Bear Caterpillar

Yellow Bear Caterpillar (Spilosoma virginica). This is the larval stage of the Virginian Tiger Moth. These caterpillars are covered in tufts, or small tubercles, which contain many hairs of different lengths. Varying in color from caterpillar to caterpillar from snow white, soft yellow, brown-yellow, to orange-red.

The Yellow Bear Caterpillar is not poisonous but folks with sensitive skin could end up with an allergic reaction to these hairs. If you happen to have one come to rest on you, carefully remove it with a leaf.

When fully grown as a caterpillar, the Yellow Bears will be 2 inches long. They live across all of North America feeding, as generalists, upon their host plants of many vegetable, fruit, flower, weed, tree species as well as field crops. Vegetable gardens provide hosts to them with carrot, corn, cauliflower, potato and pumpkin. Also targeted are grasses and clovers. As they eat they skeletonize leaves. These caterpillars should be of no concern until the summer into fall group arrives on the scene. Until then there are not enough caterpillars to do any real damage to plants and trees.

Eggs of Yellow Bear Caterpillars are laid, 20 to 100 in a single layer on the undersides of host plants’ leaves. The eggs will hatch in about a week. The young caterpillars at this early stage are gregarious, feeding together on the leaves where they hatched. As they mature they will feed on their own.

After about 4 weeks, going from gregarious to independent, they are fully grown and seek secluded places to pupate. You’ll see mature caterpillars May through November. To pupate, caterpillars spin cocoons and spend the next 1 to 2 weeks transforming into moths.

The adult Virginia Tiger Moth is nearly all snow white except for one or two minuscule black spots on each wing. Their fuzzy legs are the same snow white with a few black spots. The midsection of the body shows bright yellow near the head and black dots along either side. Its wingspan is 1 to 2 inches.

Imperial Moth Caterpillar

Imperial Moth Caterpillar (Eacles imperialis). One of our largest caterpillars. The last instar, or larval stage, can grow to be 5.5 inches long. As an adult the Imperial Moth is mighty big too. Its wingspan ranges from 3 to 7 inches.

They’re found from Quebec and Ontario to as far south as Argentina, from the Atlantic coast, to the Rocky Mountains. These caterpillars eat the leaves of Oaks, Maples, Sassafras, Sweetgum, Bald Cypress, Hickory, Cedar. And these are just their favorites. They can be found nibbling the leaves of many other trees. Fortunately for the trees, these caterpillars don’t show up in large numbers and don’t present a threat to any of the trees they dine on.

See all those hairs on these caterpillars? They can irritate skin. There are also barbs that can cause a rash. It’s my policy to leave caterpillars be. I don’t pick them up, just to be safe. Not just the Imperial Moth Caterpillar but all caterpillars. I think they’re happier that way too.

Virginia Creeper

Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia). If Virginia Creeper had the ability to party, this would certainly be its time. Sunlight shining through brightly colored leaves of vermilion.

Glowing way up in the tree tops. Decorating the woods. For that long list of party attendees.

If Virginia Creeper had the ability to party, this would certainly be its time.

Pumpkin Season

Don’t blink. It won’t be here long. The leaves are just beginning to realize that things have got to change. First, from their many shades of luscious green to the warm rich colors of autumn. In no time we’ll be facing a black and white, pen and ink landscape, and frosty winter. Sparkly snow, ice patterns on pond tops, breathtaking dark starry skies. For now, autumn and pumpkin season. Not here for long. And then bewitching WINTER!

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 frequently you’ll see this dark form. The further south the more frequent. In the blog, BackyardWildlifeConnection, Terry W. Johnson says, “In middle Georgia, my neck of the woods, more than 90 percent of all female eastern tiger swallowtails are black.” Another site suggests that 10 percent of female population is the dark morph.

Higher numbers occur in the south because of the prevalence of the host plant of Pipevine Swallowtails (Battus philenor), Aristolochia which imparts a toxin (or an extremely bitter taste) to both the caterpillar and the butterfly. The female dark morph Tiger Swallowtail is mimicking the Pipevine Swallowtail. This mimicry gives these dark females protection, since those Pipevine Swallowtails are often avoided by predators because of their extremely bitter taste.

The dark female Tiger Swallowtail sometimes shows a trace of the tiger stripes, but to see the stripes the lighting must be just right. Very subtle. Males prefer yellow females, but the black form of the female is less attractive to predators so they have a higher survival rate. So yellow Tiger Swallowtails are either male or female. Dark Tiger Swallowtails are always female. Yellow females produce yellow offspring. Dark females produce dark offspring. This is one of those things in the world of Nature that is way beyond “just” impressive.

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Creeping Cucumber

Creeping Cucumber (Melothria pendula). Perfect for a dollhouse if you need a tiny watermelon of dollhouse scale. If only they would last. It is native to southeastern North America.

With flowers of yellow, just 1/4 inch across. Though it is native it will be treated as a weed here. A weed, after all is a plant that grows where you don’t want it. And that is what this plant has done. Moved itself into the vegetable garden unbidden.

Creeping Cucumber is indeed in the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae) and its leaves resemble cucumbers that you’re used to seeing in the vegetable garden. It tastes like those cucumbers that you grow in the garden too. But use caution. Only eat the light colored Creeping Cucumbers. The ones that look like tiny watermelons. As they mature they will darken to a purple-black. At this stage they are an incredibly powerful laxative.

Marbled Orb Weaver

They seem to arrive every year at this time. Just when I’m thinking about the grand holiday. Halloween. It’s as if they know I want my porches decorated for the big day.

Dressed in an appropriate outfit for the season. Bright yellow and black coveralls complimented with long striped stockings of orange, black and white. Marbled Orb Weaver (Araneus marmoreus). This photo, above, the female. The photo, below, the male.

Seldom seen, male Marbled Orb Weavers are smaller than females. For the most part the males do not spin webs, but roam hunting for potential mates.

As summer is waning the female lays her eggs, enclosing them in loose, fluffy sacs made from her silk. With a lifespan of approximately 6 months the spiderlings that emerge from their eggs in the spring will be on their own to fend for themselves. And the cycle continues.

And their webs. A creation a student of geometry or an artist would be proud to place their name upon.

How on Earth?

How in the world do they know how to create such beauty? Surely beauty is not their aim. But still, beauty to my eyes.