"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
Virginia Creeper Sphinx Moth
Darapsa myron fam. Sphingidae
Host plant: Found on wild grape (Vitis sp.)
Date found: 13, Sep, 2024
Locations Found: River’s Edge Park, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: Other common name is hog sphinx.
Lace-capped Caterpillar
Ianassa lignicolor fam. Notodontidae
Host plant: Oaks and other Fagaceae members
Date found: 21, Sep, 2024
Locations Found: Onondaga Cave State Park, Crawford County, MO
Notes: Adult moth is named white-streaked prominent.
Nason’s Slug Moth
Natada nasoni fam. Limacodidae
Host plant: Found on oak (Quercus sp.)
Date found: 07, Sep, 2024
Locations Found: Kaintuck Hollow, Phelps County, MO
Notes: Named after William Abbott Nason, American entomologist (1841-1914).
Variable Oakleaf Caterpillar
Lochmaeus manteo and L. bilineata fam. Notodontidae
Host plant: Found on oaks (Quercus sp.)
Date found: Multiple dates in August – September, 2024
Locations Found: Hawn State Park, Ste. Genevieve County, MO; Onondaga Cave State Park, Crawford County, MO
Notes: Highly variable and larvae are apparently impossible to distinguish between the two species.
First, a glimpse of the variable patterns and colors of these cats.
The adult photographed at Schoolcraft Prairie in Washington County, MO in mid-August, 2024.
While beat-sheeting lots of trees this year looking for cats, a number of other arthropods would inevitably show up, including spiders, walking sticks, mantids, and treehoppers (fam. Membracidae). Some of these treehoppers were too cool not to setup for some photography.
Microcentrus perditus
Platycotis vittata nymphs
White-dotted Prominent
Nadata gibbosa fam. Notodontidae
Host plant: Found on white oak (Quercus alba)
Date found: 02, Sep, 2024
Location Found: Hawn State Park, Ste. Genevieve County, MO
Notes: One of the most common finds while searching oak trees.
Monkey Slug Moth (Hag Moth)
Phobetron pithecium fam. Limacodidae
Host plant: Found on oak (Quercus sp)
Date found: 02, Sep, 2024
Location Found: Hickory Canyon Natural Area, Ste. Genevieve County, MO
Notes: One theory to explain their appearance is that they evolved to mimic the shed exoskeletons of tarantulas.
Maple Spanworm
Ennomos magnaria fam. Geometridae
Host plant: Found on ash (Fraxinus sp)
Date found: 02, Sep, 2024
Location Found: Hickory Canyon Natural Area, Ste. Genevieve County, MO
Notes: While caterpillars of this species are perfect twig mimics, the adults of this species look amazingly like autumn-turned maple leaves.
Spotted Apatelodes
Apatelodes torrefacta fam. Apatelodidae
Host plant: Found on white oak (Quercus alba)
Date found: 02, Sep, 2024
Location Found: Hawn State Park, Ste. Genevieve County, MO
Notes: Adults of this species are as unique and fantastic as the larvae.
Harvey’s Prominent Moth
Litodonta hydromeli fam. Notodontidae
Host plant: Found on gum bumelia (Sideroxylon lanuginosum)
Date found: 24, Aug, 2024
Location Found: Washington State Park, Washington County, MO
Notes: Beating Sideroxylon lanuginosum trees within the glades of Washington SP proved fruitful in finding several of these fascinating caterpillars. Using Weller, 1987 these can be identified as a third instar and fifth instar larvae. Last year we found a forth instar of this species.
Third instar Litodonta hydromeli.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 