Northern Walkingstick

It wasn’t too long ago that I became aware there was an insect called a “walkingstick.” A creature that I would have marveled at as a child. During my growing up years I spent loads of time in the woods, but never did I see such a thing. I’m delighted now that I know about these critters.

This Northern Walkingstick (Diapheromera fermorata) is native to North America. Its range in the US extends from the Atlantic coast, Maine to Florida, west to New Mexico and north to North Dakota. In Canada it is found in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Québec. Northern Walkingsticks have built-in eye protection that acts to shield them from excessive sunlight. 

They have an incredible camouflage, looking like a twig, and will keep their legs close to their body and remain perfectly still when they sense predators, such as American Robins or Crows are nearby. Sometimes a predator only gets away with a leg. These clever insects often are able to regenerate that lost leg. Northern Walkingsticks are found in deciduous woods and forests. They seek out oaks and hazelnuts, skeletonizing their leaves.

Lobelia inflata

Incredibly tiny flowers that grow on slightly hairy stems. At just 1/3 inch long the flowers would be perfect for a dollhouse. Lobelia inflata flowers are a beautiful shade of pale blue-purple. Native to eastern North America.

A bit of conflict on the Internet regarding whether Lobelia inflata is poisonous or not. More sites say it is than the ones that say it is not. My suggestion, don’t eat any part of this plant.

Lobelia inflata is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant that likes moist areas and sunshine. Given its favored conditions it can grow to 3 feet tall. But still those flowers are mighty small.

As the flowers one by one fade, the seed pods grow and expand like small balloons. These seeds pods are an indication that you’ve come upon the right plant. You have come upon Lobelia inflata.

Blackberry Lily Revisited

Wow! She’s about to go into second grade. But even as a toddler, she’s always wanted to help me scatter the Blackberry Lily (Iris domestica) seeds.

Those seeds reveal why this plant has its name. But the name is a bit misleading since Blackberry Lily is not actually a lily at all but a species of iris. And a word of caution, those seeds contain toxins. Beautiful, but don’t eat!

Thomas Jefferson was smart to bring this plant with its striking flowers to his gardens at Monticello. It’s native to eastern Russia, China and Japan.

A well behaved resident not only of Monticello’s gardens, but also my gardens. The plant grows from rhizomes and the seeds that we enjoy scattering together, but it’s not at all aggressive in its growth.

Larger Elm Leaf Beetle

Larger Elm Leaf Beetle (Monocesta coryli) is 3/8 to 5/8 inch long.

Quite a pretty beetle with its colorful iridescence, the Larger Elm Leaf Beetle can be found in the eastern and southeastern US, from Florida west to Kansas and north to Pennsylvania. Elm is a favorite tree that this beetle feeds on, but it also skeletonizes the leaves of Hawthorn, Hazelnut, Flowering Dogwood, River Birch, Pecan and Plum. It’s most often spotted in hardwood forests and woodlands that have a lot of elm trees.

The larvae of Larger Elm Leaf Beetles start out just after emerging from their eggs at 1/8 inch long and greenish-yellow to 3/4 inch long and looking like this photo.

Adult Larger Elm Leaf Beetles chew holes in leaves and lay their eggs on the leaves. The larvae aren’t shy though and don’t hold back, they consume everything but the veins of leaves as they feed.

A view from below. Looking up at the larvae of Larger Elm Leaf Beetles

The Tachinid Fly, and parasitic wasps use Larger Elm Leaf Beetles as their hosts controlling to some extend their population.

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Red-eyed Vireo

The Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) is a summer resident here at my Virginia cabin. They are constantly reminding me that they’re around, though I seldom see them. Their normal place to be is high up in the tree tops while hunting for their meals, out of sight. Their summer diet is predominantly insects of all sorts, including mosquitoes, flies, caterpillars, as well as spiders and small snails. They’ll also eat plant materials like small fruits, and an occasional flower or leaf bud.

They remind me that they’re up there in the tree tops by singing to me. I use a mnemonic to remember the males’ song. They sing over and over again, “Here I am! Where are you?” Keeping that mnemonic in mind makes it easy to recognize their song. Both the male and the female will participate in their calls which are a Catbird-like “myaah.”

The Red-eyed Vireo spends its breeding season across forests of southern Canada and throughout the woodlands of the northwestern, central, and eastern US. As they migrate they fly long distances at night in groups of up to thirty, sometimes including other species like warblers, tanagers and flycatchers. Their fall migration destination is northern South America and the Amazon Basin.

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.

False Crocus Geometer

This last day of National Moth Week I’m bringing you the False Crocus Geometer (Xanthotype urticaria). They can be found from Nova Scotia to southern British Columbia, south to Colorado and Georgia. Host plants of this moth include Red Osier Dogwood, Ground Ivy, Catnip, Rhodora and Goldenrods. The larvae look much like little branches or twigs of the plants they’re crawling on.

Black and Yellow Lichen Moth

A moth that flies during the day, diurnal. A Black and Yellow Lichen Moth (Lycomorpha pholus). Though the name implies the color yellow you can see that this one, above, is reddish-orange along with the striking black with a subtle blue sheen. Many of this species of moth come in shades of not just yellow but also red and orange along with that black.

Black and Yellow Lichen Moths are found in North America from Ontario and Quebec down into the eastern United States. In my photos you can see these moths enjoying the nectar of Goldenrod and Apple Mint.

The larvae of Black and Yellow Lichen Moths eat lichens and blue-green algae. From these meals they pick up chemical compounds produced by the lichen which provides protection both for the caterpillars but also for the adult moths. Predators beware! These Black and Yellow Lichen Moths are poisonous!