"What a thousand acres of Silphiums looked like when they tickled the bellies of the buffalo is a question never again to be answered, and perhaps not even asked." -Aldo Leopold
Skiff Moth
Prolimacodes badia fam. Limacodidae (Hodges#4671)
Host plant(s): Found on chinquapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii)
Date(s) and location(s): 31 August, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: This poor cat is host to a tachinid fly larvae. A closeup image is included showing the egg as well as the larvae that has pierced the skin of the caterpillar in order to breath.
I missed getting photos of Mydas clavatus (fam. Mydidae) on group photo outings, I believe, for three straight years. I seemed to be somewhere else and my “friends” failed to let me know… 😉 Well, back in July, I finally got lucky and found this one nectaring on some Pycnanthemum at Prairie Garden Trust in Callaway County, MO on a WGNSS Photo Group trip.
These are downright fascinating insects. The larvae of mydas flies feed on beetle larvae that reside in soil or rotting wood. The adults, who are Batesian mimics of spider wasps (Pompilidae), apparently feed solely on nectar and can be found in the heat of the day skimming across the prairies to find their favorite flowers.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 