Category: Hackberry Emperor

A Difference Between Moths and Butterflies

Not brightly colored. Not large. But a butterfly. Little Wood Satyr (Megisto cymela).
Not dull colors. Certainly not small. But a moth. Luna Moth (Luna Moth (Actias luna).

I keep reading about moths having drab colors and butterflies having bright colors. Don’t depend on that to decide which you are looking at. There are brightly colored moths. And there butterflies that have dull colors. I also see it being said that moths are small and butterflies are large. That can’t be depended on either. There are very large moths and very small butterflies. Another point I often read: moths are nocturnal and butterflies are diurnal. But in reality there are butterflies that are nocturnal and there are also moths that are diurnal.

The feathery antennae of a male Yellow-collared Scape Moth (Cisseps fulvicollis).
The sawtoothed antennae of a female Black and Yellow Lichen Moth (Lycomorpha pholus).

One thing you can depend on in looking to see if you’re seeing a moth or a butterfly is their antennae. Male moths have feathery antennae while female moths have sawtoothed antennae.

A butterfly with its antennae. Long shafts with club-like bulbs at the ends. Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis).

A butterfly’s antennae are long shafts with club-like bulbs at the ends. A moth’s antennae, whether a male or female, do not have those bulbs on the ends.

Common Hackberry

Tree bark offers great opportunity to identify a tree during the winter. Some more straightforward than others. One tree that through its bark is a cinch to figure out, Common Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis). Its bark makes me think of a 3D topo map with all the ridges and valleys laid out and wrapped around the trunk.

The amount of furrowing increases as the tree ages. This image above is a younger tree than in the first photo.

Another point I pick up on in identifying, no matter what the season is, is the presence of Hackberry Galls, which are very often present on the twigs or leaves. These are caused by irritation of cells due to an insect called a Psyllid feeding on the Hackberry leaves and small branches.

In early summer you will find drupes (the fruit of the Common Hackberry Tree) on the trees. As the drupes mature they will go from green to a rich coppery purple color.

One last morsel of information not related to the identification of this tree is about a butterfly. The Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis) depends on the Common Hackberry Tree as its exclusive caterpillar host plant. No Common Hackberry Trees, no Hackberry Emperors.