Color in the field!
As spring rains give way to warm, sunny days, the meadows of Mount Rogers come to life with the emergence of a plethora of insects. Among these creatures is a beetle with a striking iridescent blue body and a yellow-orange wash across its elytra (forewings).
As spring rains give way to warm, sunny days, the meadows of Mount Rogers come to life with the emergence of a plethora of insects. Among these creatures is a beetle with a striking iridescent blue body and a yellow-orange wash across its elytra (forewings). The elderberry borer beetle (Desmocerus palliatus) also has knots running up its long antennae, lending to its alternate name, cloaked knotty-horned beetle.
This species of long-horned beetle is an obligate specialist, requiring elderberry plants for larval development. Eggs are laid near the base of the stem. After hatching, larvae burrow into the stem and down to the root system. Here, they feed until they are ready to form a pupal cell in the pithy stem tissue. Maturation takes two years. As soon as the mature female emerges in the spring, her scent begins to draw in males and mating takes place immediately.
This individual was spotted near a cluster of elderberry plants in a Konnarock meadow.
Very distinctive, the elderberry borer was featured on a US postage stamp in 1999.
Lemon Plagodis
This morning I found three Lemon Plagodis and an Oak Besma perched on a Velcro strap that holds my moth sheet tight. Enjoy!
This morning I found three Lemon Plagodis and an Oak Besma perched on a Velcro strap that holds my moth sheet tight. Enjoy!
Cecropia
Hyalophora Cecropia isn't a moth that I expected to see at my moth light here in the mountains. I had a brief glimpse of one in Lake Waccamaw State Park in North Carolina fourteen years ago today (5/20/14). The only time I had one to examine up close and personal, I was a kid on the family farm in Delaware, 60+ years ago. Cecropias are the largest of our North American silkmoths and they are spectacular in their own right. Enjoy the pics!
Hyalophora Cecropia isn't a moth that I expected to see at my moth light here in the mountains. I had a brief glimpse of one in Lake Waccamaw State Park in North Carolina fourteen years ago today (5/20/14). The only time I had one to examine up close and personal, I was a kid on the family farm in Delaware, 60+ years ago. Cecropias are the largest of our North American silkmoths and they are spectacular in their own right. Enjoy the pics!
Calico Pennant
Last Wednesday (5?14/14) my wife and I found a number of active dragonflies at Bass Lake on the outskirts of Blowing Rock, Watauga County, NC. We saw eastern pondhawks, common whitetails, Carolina saddlebags, and Calico pennants. The pennants sat still long enough for me to get a decent photo. Enjoy!
Last Wednesday (5?14/14) my wife and I found a number of active dragonflies at Bass Lake on the outskirts of Blowing Rock, Watauga County, NC. We saw eastern pondhawks, common whitetails, Carolina saddlebags, and Calico pennants. The pennants sat still long enough for me to get a decent photo. Enjoy!
Io
The Io, Automeris io, is a Saturnid moth that has two adult forms. The dark morph is female and the yellow morph is male. The caterpillar, amply supplied with spurs for defense, feeds on an assortment of deciduous trees and plants including birches, elms, maples, oaks, and willows.
The Io, Automeris io, is a Saturnid moth that has two adult forms. The dark morph is female and the yellow morph is male. The caterpillar, amply supplied with spurs for defense, feeds on an assortment of deciduous trees and plants including birches, elms, maples, oaks, and willows.
Ailanthus
In my neck of the woods, Ailanthus is an invasive alien that looks like a native, but isn't. One of the reasons that homeowners like it is the flowers. Moth enthusiasts know about it because Atteva aurea, the Ailanthus webworm, uses it as its host plant. Here's the photographic evidence.
In my neck of the woods, Ailanthus is an invasive alien that looks like a native, but isn't. One of the reasons that homeowners like it is the flowers. Moth enthusiasts know about it because Atteva aurea, the Ailanthus webworm, uses it as its host plant. Here's the photographic evidence.
Crane Fly
Fortunately not everything that comes to lights is a moth. I get lots of beetles every spring and crane flies most of the here . Here is an interesting one from yesterday.
Fortunately not everything that comes to lights is a moth. I get lots of beetles every spring and crane flies most of the here . Here is an interesting one from yesterday.
When a digital photo really helps
Identifying insects (and other critters) is a reasonable method most of the time, but sometimes is impossible. An example is the Geometer moth genus Hydriomena. There are probably several species in our area, but the color and patterns on the wings are highly variable and cannot be used safely to distinguish species.
Identifying insects (and other critters) is a reasonable method most of the time, but sometimes is impossible. An example is the Geometer moth genus Hydriomena. There are probably several species in our area, but the color and patterns on the wings are highly variable and cannot be used safely to distinguish species. Last July I photographed a Zale that I was unable to identify at the time. This morning (April 23), I was recording the appearance of two species of Zale when I noticed an "unidentified" folder and took a peak. The moth was very dark at normal exposure/brighness and the pattern didn't show.
The above photo is a reduced version of the original. You can see a bit of the pattern in the wings but not much. So, I adjusted the brightness of the photo until the patter appeared. The result was a confirmed ID of
Zale aeruginosa
, Green-dusted Zale.
I spotted an
Orthosia rubescens
recently. The general color pattern was correct for the species, but the field guides indicate that the pattern on the wings is useless because it's so variable. In other words, pretty but useless.
However, unlike other similar Orthosia species, males of O. rubescens have bipectinate antennae (bristles on both sides). As you can see in the photo below, the antenna is clearly bipectinate and therefore the ID is proven.
Chasing Tigers in the Blue Ridge
In the Central Virginia Blue Ridge exists a phenomenal ecosystem, one that was probably shaped by raging braided mountain streams during the last iceage. It contains many disjunct species. In fact, over 90 species that are well outside their typical range have been documented here. It’s an odd mix of coastal plain, Appalachian and northern plants and animals. While several rare and endangered species exist here, today we focused on a well known Blue Ridge phenomenon: Salamanders.
The Blue Ridge harbors so many treasures.
In the Central Virginia Blue Ridge exists a phenomenal ecosystem, one that was probably shaped by raging braided mountain streams during the last iceage. It contains many disjunct species. In fact, over 90 species that are well outside their typical range have been documented here. It’s an odd mix of coastal plain, Appalachian and northern plants and animals. While several rare and endangered species exist here, today we focused on a well known Blue Ridge phenomenon: Salamanders.
The Rivanna Chapter of Master Naturalists hosted its annual salamander hike to this part of the Blue Ridge. With a strong group of nearly 30 people, we headed to the George Washington National Forest and into the heart of the 30,000 acre wildlife management area known as Big Levels. While we expected to see several species, the one that had our hearts was the State Endangered Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum). It has been documented at this site but rarely has it been seen.
We found a single Tiger salamander, along with two other species of the same genus, the Marbled and the Spotted. The tiger was just under 7 inches long, and thus a small one. They are typically anywhere between 7 and 14 inches in length! For all involved this was a very special day; a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you John Holden for leading the walk! Excellent, as usual.
For more information about the Tiger Salamander:
Other noteworthy plants and animals
observed on the walk:
- Hooded merganser
- Ring-necked duck
- Pine Warbler
- Marbled salamander
- Spotted salamander
- Northern redback salamander
- Northern dusky salamander
- Redbellied snake
- Cricket frog
- Red eft
- Fox scat
- Coyote scat
- Bear scat
- Citronella ants
- Trailing arbutus (tightly closed flower buds)
- Spotted wintergreen
- Eastern teaberry (in full fruit)
D. Floyd
Plethodon complex salamander
Yesterday, March 12, I photographed a salamander in the yard. After I did an initial search for an ID, I sent the photos to Bill Dunson. He forwarded them to a couple of experts and recommended that I send the pics to the president of the Virginia Herpetological Society, which I did.
Yesterday, March 12, I photographed a salamander in the yard. After I did an initial search for an ID, I sent the photos to Bill Dunson. He forwarded them to a couple of experts and recommended that I send the pics to the president of the Virginia Herpetological Society, which I did.
Slimy salamanders (Plethodon) are lungless and do not have an aquatic larval stage. They live under logs and wander leaf litter in wooded areas, feeding on insects and other small invertebrates. Their skin is covered with a gummy substance that is difficult to wash off if you get it on your fingers.
Here are the pics.
Snow and Birds on March 7
Today, March 7, was a good day to stay inside, enjoy the falling snow, and watch the birds. The first unexpected arrivals were red-winged blackbirds, three of them—a female and two first-winter males. The first photo shows the female.
Today, March 7, was a good day to stay inside, enjoy the falling snow, and watch the birds. The first unexpected arrivals were red-winged blackbirds, three of them—a female and two first-winter males. The first photo shows the female.
The second photo shows a first-winter male. It's basic plumage is so dark that, with snow as the background, what is left of its juvenile striping doesn't show.
Here at the house song sparrows are infrequent visitors because the habitat isn't right. Any time I really want to see them I can drive several miles to her place, complete with pond, tall grass, and brush. I was happy this morning to photograph this one.
Starlings are a nuisance and a small flock has been around for a month or more. One showed up today with a flock of brown-headed cowbirds, the first of the year for my wife and me.
In case you're interested in photography, I took these photos through the window in my study. The feeder is maybe ten feet away, enabling me to use my standard zoom lens to provide more depth of field than my telephoto zoom provides.
FINALLY...The Elusive Red Crossbill
In the birding world, folks talk about their nemesis bird, the one that got away, that elusive, irritating species that everyone else sees but you. Bragging rights and chest pounding are not uncommon.
In the birding world, folks talk about their nemesis bird, the one that got away, that elusive, irritating species that everyone else sees but you. Bragging rights and chest pounding are not uncommon.
So it has been for me, after many many forays to the highlands of our area, my search for the red crossbill has been but a bitter disappointment. Not anymore.
Some background and one good story should precede today's successful discovery. Prior to Glen Eller's moving back to his home turf in Tennessee from Grayson County, he (among others) was a great birding mentor to me. For him as well, the crossbill was for years a nemesis bird. These finches move around a lot, seeking the high pastures of red-spruce and other pine species cones, flying about in small flocks, not staying put in one place for dependable observation. Their presence in our area is exclusive to where an abundance of heavy cone crops occur, mostly in our highlands. They are more of a boreal species, but as we should all know by now, the Blue Ridge is a relict community extension of that ecosystem. Glen and I spent hours searching for this bird, but I never hit pay dirt.
Our son's good friend, Jessica Cheng, painted me a picture of a red crossbill for this year's Christmas.
For inspiration (and with Damien's help), Jess looked up a former blog post describing my quest and gifted me 'my red crossbill'. I am not one big on luck, but somehow Jess's gift encouraged me to not give up.
Yesterday afternoon, Joyce and William Roberts made a spontaneous run to Whitetop, after which they emailed their sighting of crossbills. That was all it took, so I called Allen Boynton, and the two of us headed up this morning to make good on the expectation of my first life bird in over three years. Half way on the service road to Whitetop, we found our first flock of at least five, flying about, but eventually landing in good light on the high tips of red spruce. At the very top of Whitetop, we found another small flock, minimum of three, but much lower down and close enough for Allen to photograph. Here are the results!
Thank you Damien, Jessica, Joyce, William, Glen and Allen. We form our own societies around shared pleasures...even though for some...might seem peculiar.
SJR
Fox Squirrel
The fox squirrel that first appeared in the yard on December 12 continues to return periodically. This morning, Christmas Eve, it came to the pole feeder in front of the study window, enabling me to take a photo in spite of the cloudy weather.
The fox squirrel that first appeared in the yard on December 12 continues to return periodically. This morning, Christmas Eve, it came to the pole feeder in front of the study window, enabling me to take a photo in spite of the cloudy weather. Enjoy!
Caterpillars and Pupae
Now that the weather has turned hostile to insects and other arthropods, it's time to empty my folder of stuff to post. I collected a number of caterpillars this fall and have a box of moist potting soil that has the resulting pupae. Some I identified and some not. Here's one that I couldn't decipher.
Now that the weather has turned hostile to insects and other arthropods, it's time to empty my folder of stuff to post. I collected a number of caterpillars this fall and have a box of moist potting soil that has the resulting pupae. Some I identified and some not. Here's one that I couldn't decipher.
The second one I saw crawling down a red maple and coaxed into a box. It spun a cocoon in some maple leaves I provided.
Antherea polyphemus
.
The major danger to collected pupae is dehydration. I check the potting soil weekly and keep a damp paper towel on top of the soil. The Polyphemus is in a separate (vented) container. After puzzling over the humidity issue I placed an ordinary kitchen sponge in the container. I keep the sponge wet but not drippy. Time will tell.