Savannah Sparrows have been easy to find this year.
Savannah Sparrow
Author: Ceibatree
2024 Caterpillar Season – Hitched Arches
Hitched Arches
Melanchra adjuncta fam. Noctuidae
Host plant: Found on unrecorded herbaceous plant.
Dates found: 21, Sep, 2024
Locations Found: Meramec State Park, Franklin County, MO
Notes: Both larvae and adult forms are stunning. Sarah impressively found this cat walking along trail. Its positioning and camouflage, making it look like crinkled senescing vegetation, was so effective it took me quite a while to find it even with Sarah pointing directly at it.
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
It’s been close to 15 years since I’ve had the opportunity to photograph one of my favorite bird species, the Buff-breasted Sandpiper. This one was photographed on August 31st at Confluence State Park. Thanks a bunch to Diane Bricmont who first pointed this out to us!
2024 Caterpillar Season – Clemens’ False Skeletonizer
Clemens’ False Skeletonizer
Acoloithus falsarius fam. Zygaenidae
Host plant: Found on wild grape (Vitis. sp.)
Dates found: 24, Aug, 2024
Locations Found: Schoolcraft Prairie, Washington County, MO
Notes: Will also host on peppervine and Virginia creeper
2024 Caterpillar Season – Stinging Rose Caterpillar Moth
Stinging Rose Caterpillar Moth
Parasa indetermina fam. Limacodidae
Host plant: Nearly any native woody plant in the area
Dates found: 17, Aug, 2024; 14, Sep, 2024
Locations Found: Kaintuck Hollow, Phelps County, MO; Schoolcraft Prairie, Washington County, MO
Notes: Stings from this species are relatively minor, reminiscent of that received from wood nettle.
Bald Eagles of Lock and Dam #14
Still plugging away at making sure photos that I only posted to Facebook for a couple of years do get captured here on the blog. These photos were taken in January 2019 on one special and frigid day at Lock and Dam #14 along the Mississippi River near LeClaire, IA. I do mean it was a frigid day. I believe the high for this day might have reached 3 °F.
More Peacock Brenthia Moths
I ran into a large colony of one of my favorite moths back in July. The specific name of Brenthia pavonacella (fam. Choreutidae) means “little peacock.” These little ones were displaying everywhere on my hike through Kaintuck Hollow and being very cooperative for picture taking.
2024 Caterpillar Season – Black-waved Flannel Moth
Black-waved Flannel Moth
Megalopyge crispata fam. Megalopygidae
Host plant: This individual was found seemingly to be feeding on a Desmodium species. To my knowledge, this species has not been documented using these as host plants and have only been reported feeding on woody plant species.
Date found: 14, Sep, 2024
Locations Found: Kaintuck Hollow, Phelps County, MO
Notes: Caterpillars from all members of this family possess hollow poison-delivering stinging spines underneath the seemingly soft and innocuous hairlike setae. A sting from this species will be downright irritating and painful and may require a hospital visit. Wagner discusses an Amazonian relative that reaches lengths of more than 8 cm and has reportedly caused human deaths.
2024 Caterpillar Season – Shagreened Slug Moth
Shagreened Slug Moth
Apoda biguttata fam. Limacodidae
Host plant: Found on white oak (Quercus alba)
Date found: 21, Sep, 2024
Locations Found: Onondaga State Park, Crawford County, MO
Notes: Named for its resemblance to the bumpy texture of shagreen rawhide.
Shagreened Slug Moth
Apoda biguttata fam. Limacodidae
Host plant: Found on red oak species (Quercus sp.)
Date found: 5, Oct, 2024
Locations Found: Daniel Boone Conservation Area, Warren County, MO
Notes: Careful examination is needed to distinguish caterpillars of Apoda biguttata, A. y-inversum, and Lithacodes fasciola.
2024 Caterpillar Season – Red-fringed Emerald
Red-fringed Emerald
Nemoria bistriaria fam. Geometridae
Host plant: Found on white oak (Quercus alba)
Date found: 7, Sep, 2024
Locations Found: Kaintuck Hollow, Phelps County, MO
Notes: Although some reports suggest other host plants are used, it is likely that this species specializes on white oak.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 