"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
The fellas and I spent a few hours this spring hunting for a few butterflies in Phelps and Franklin Counties. We finally had some success locating the rare golden-banded skipper after numerous attempts over the past two or three seasons. We were hunting in the right place, but not in the exact right spot. Thanks to our friends who shared the location of their original find.
The Golden-banded Skipper (Telegonus cellus)
In order to find and identify the rare skipper butterflies (Hesperiidae), one must first find and take lots of photos of the more common species. There are so many skippers that look very similar to each other and even with taking photos, I found it to be a painful chore to come to the correct identification on many of these. Many thanks to CA Ivy from Butterflies and Moths of North America for helping me get the proper IDs on the following.
Little Glassy Wing (Pompeius verna)
Northern Cloudywing (Thorybes pylades)
Bell’s Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes belli)
Delaware Skipper (Anatrytone logan)
Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor)
Zabulon Skipper (Poanes zabulon)
We found other leps besides skippers, including quite a few of the Ozark Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton ozarkae).
It was so nice to see something with these colors and patterns that wasn’t a dang Pearl Crescent. This one is the Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis).
I’ve struggled for years to get a photo of the Little Wood-Satyr (Megisto cymela). I finally found the trick to get them to stay put for a few seconds… 😉
Casey and I stumbled across this first for me – a gorgeous Tephra Tussock Moth (Dasychira tephra) caterpillar.
Not another lep, but we had a few of this fantastic species – the Saw-combed Fishfly (Nigronia serricornis) associated with a fen and creek we were searching in.
It has been suggested that we might be seeing a very good moth and butterfly season this year due to birds and other predators filing up and raising their young on the Brood XIX periodical cicadas. From my anecdotal experiences, this seems to be true. Hopefully I can find more caterpillars over the summer if this continues to be the case.
Early this month the WGNSS Nature Photography Group traveled to the southwest part of the state. Our primary destination, the Roston Native Butterfly House, is a real treasure that I never get tired of visiting.
Officially considered as an accidental species in Missouri, the Dianna fritillary (Speyeria diana) has a strong population in the mountains of northwest Arkansas.
The Roston Native Butterfly House was established to create a haven for local butterfly species and to educate the public about their ecological significance. Its history is rooted in conservation efforts and the desire to preserve native butterfly populations threatened by habitat loss and environmental changes.
Another fritillary, the great spangled (Speyeria cybele)
This native butterfly house, located within the Springfield Botanical Garden, was created and named in honor of Dr. Bill Roston, an MD of the small town of Forsyth, MO who had an avid interest in conservation and pollinators. Today this lovely location is curated by Dr. Chris Barnhart and his wife Deborah.
A couple individuals at slightly different stages of pupation. These are the larvae of the viceroy (Limenitis archippus) which resemble bird droppings.
Pictured above is a caterpillar of the silver-sided skipper (Epargyreus clarus).
The Barnharts and their staff of volunteers do an incredible job of rearing several native butterfly species and maintain a nice population of their required host plants within the house. The Barnharts welcome several thousand visitors each year and do an excellent job in educating the visitors on the life histories and conservation stories of the butterflies they raise. Chris and Deborah always eagerly support our small group visits and often go out of their way to help us get the photographs of the butterflies and caterpillars we are after.
The Roston Native Butterfly House is a great place to see many of the swallowtail species found in our region, like this newly emerged giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes).
Here are a couple of shots of the incredible larvae of the pipevine swallowtail (Papilio troilus). These cats are typically very conspicuous feeders, relying on their aposematic coloration to warn predators of their poisonous disposition.
Native to Florida, Cuba and the Bahamas, the Atala butterfly is an excellent example of a specialist. The Atala (Eumae atala) feed only on the coontie cycad (Zamia integrifolia). You might notice that this member of the Lycinidae (hairstreaks) family also shows aposematic coloration in both larval and adult forms. This is to warn predators of the neurotoxic secondary plant compound – cycasin, that they ingest from their cycad hosts and carry with them for their entire lives.
Related to the common hairstreak butterflies seen in our own backyards, the Atala butterfly is a tropical representative of this family native to Florida.
The Barnharts go to great lengths to rear the Atala butterflies. They bring back larvae from cycad farms (that really don’t want them) in Florida and must make sure they raise and overwinter enough cycad plants for them to raise the cats to their adult forms.
Nothing against the typical butterfly houses that tend to showcase tropical species from around the world, but I would sure like to see more strictly native butterfly houses like the Roston Native Butterfly House. As I hope my photographs show, not only are the natives spectacular, but showcasing them in this type of setting helps to educate its visitors on the species they might see in their own neighborhoods or while out on the trails.
Chrysalises of the various native butterflies can usually be observed when visiting the Roston Native Butterfly House in Springfield, MO.
A great big thank you to Chris and Deborah for always being gracious hosts. We are looking forward to more visits.
Today I am showcasing an example of biological pest control that I came across in my own neighborhood in late April of this year. The image below shows a bronzed cutworm moth larvae (Nephelodes minians) in the Family Noctuidae that has been parasitized by a Braconid wasp in the genus Cotesia. This is a very species-rich genus of parasitoids, but there is a fair chance of this species being C. marginiventris. Thanks very much to Alex Soohoo-Hui for his assistance in narrowing down the identification of this minute wasp.
A deceased bronzed cutworm (Nephelodes minians) caterpillar in the final stages of hosting its parasitoid Braconid brood.
The bronzed cutworm is a very common moth that feeds on various grasses, including crops like maize and other cereals as well as turf grasses. I consistently find these cats or their chrysalis whenever I dig a new hole in the yard.
When I found and collected these animals, the last couple of wasp larvae were finishing up spinning their cocoons.
After the wasp deposits her eggs on the host, the wasp larvae feed on the caterpillar internally, being careful not to do much damage to vital organs. The host will never survive, but the parasitoids must ensure that it stays alive long enough for the brood to reach maturity. Often, the caterpillar will still be alive when the wasp larvae emerge and begin to spin their cocoons and will defend itself and its parasites from potential predators.
Three cocoons showing the doors that the adult wasps chewed their way out of.
In this case, the caterpillar seemed dead. I collected it and took it home with hopes of rearing out the tiny wasps to photograph and identify. In about four days, I came home to find 15-20 adult wasps had emerged.
The adult wasps are extremely tiny, measuring 2-3 mm. In order to have a chance at getting photographs, I placed their enclosure into the refrigerator for a minute or two. The wasps in the accompanying images might appear dead, but they perked up within a couple of minutes. After getting my photographs, I released the brood into my backyard to continue their pest control services.
A Braconid wasp in the genus Cotesia, potentially C. marginiventris.
A couple more looks at this diminutive but effective parasitoid.
In February, the Webster Groves nature Study Society’s Nature Photography Group headed to the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House in Chesterfield. We paid for after-hours access and were delighted with the opportunities presented to us. Many thanks to Casey Galvin, group leader for the Nature Photography Group, for organizing this visit, and to Chris Hartley from the Butterfly House for being a lovely host. Chris patiently dealt with our needs, requests and questions, while wrangling our subjects for us. He and the Butterfly House provided us a wonderful experience of photographing some remarkable arthropods from around the world. Here are some of my favorite photos from the evening.
Hercules Beetle (Dynastes hercules) F. Scarabidae. The hercules beetle, found in the neotropics, is the longest extant beetle species in the world.
Rainbow Stag Beetle (Phalacrognathus muelleri) F. Lucanidae. This beetle is found in northern Australia and New Guinea. The mites that can be seen on this beetle do no harm to it. They tag along to pick up a free meal from their sloppy host.
Death-Feigning Beetles (Asbolus verrucosus) F. Tenebrionidae. Found in the desert southwest U.S., these beetles feign death when harassed. After a minute or two they right themselves and continue on their business.
Flamboyant Flower Beetle (Eudicella gralli) F. Scarabaeidae. Found in tropical Africa, this beetle is a sure stunner.
Spiny Stick Insect (Eurycantha calcaratta) F. Lonchodidae. These giant phasmids are endemic to humid rainforests in Australasia.
Curly-haired Tarantula (Tiltocatl albopilosum) F. Theraphosidae. This handsome spider is native to Central America.
That’s all from this outing. Interested in joining in one one of these WGNSS outings? Feel free to contact me or check us out at http://www.wgnss.org to learn more.
Here’s one from 2018 that I only posted on Facebook for some reason. As you can see this is too fantastic of a caterpillar not to capture in the blog. These are caterpillars of the banded sphinx moth (Eumorpha fasciatus, Hodges #7865) that were photographed on their host plant – primrose willow (Ludwigia sp.). Many thanks again to Kyran Leeker who turned me on to these guys.
Here are a few handsome Orthopterans from the 2023 season.
Syrbula admirabilis, is known by the common name – admirable grasshopper. Photographed at Horn Prairie Grove LWR.
Orchelimum nigripes, the black-legged meadow katydid prefers wetland habitats. This individual was found at Marais Temps Clair C.A. in St. Charles County, MO.
This American bird grasshopper (Schistocerca americana) was also photographed at Marais Temps Clair C.A. in St. Charles County, MO.
These are not the photos I envisioned getting when going after the falcate orangetip (Anthocharis midea). Casey and I must have spent more than a couple of hours running around Hugh’s Mountain Natural Area, waiting for one of these gorgeous males to land at a flower to nectar. Unfortunately, this rarely happened, and when they did finally set they were up again within seconds.
A female falcate orangetip perched with abdomen raised, presumably to better release pheromones that announce her readiness to mate.
These guys were definitely not interested in feeding while we were there, instead they incessantly roamed the glades and woodland edges hunting for females. This is where I finally got a little bit of luck by finding a stationary female. She had drawn the attention of several males who were fighting for a chance to breed.
Members of the Pieridae family, the falcate orangetip’s host are members of the mustard family (Brassicaceae). The caterpillars feed mostly at night on the flower tissues of these plants.
I was happy to final start working on getting some butterfly and skipper photos in 2023. I joined the local North American Butterfly Association and really enjoyed getting out on a few of their counts. I’m still learning the diurnal moths (butterflies) and have a ways to go before I can call myself competent. Here are a few photos from the Nymphalidae family to share from 2023.
Gemmed Satyr (Cyllopsis gemma)
This gemmed satyr was an unexpected find while visiting St. Francois State Park in September. Not long ago this species was restricted to extreme southern Missouri. They now seem to be continuing a northern expansion in their range. Quite a few butterflies have eyespots that are found on different locations of their wings, presumably to make them look like much larger organisms as well as to persuade would-be predators to attack something beside the vulnerable true heads. I have recently read that some have hypothesized the spot on this species wings developed to mimic certain jumping spiders. In my photo I think this looks to be highly plausible – with the two primary eyes centered around a grey backdrop that looks very much like a jumping spider to me.
Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)
Once believed to be a pure example of Batesian mimicry in a complex with the monarch and queen butterflies, some evidence now suggests that the viceroy may be distasteful to predators, providing evidence that this is instead should be considered a case of Müllerian mimicry. This is turning out to be quite the complex case to understand, with some reports suggesting that the host plant that a particular individual viceroy was raised on determines whether or not it is distasteful. Other work has suggested that gene complexes that may differ between populations of viceroys determines distastefulness. More work is needed to determine what exactly is going on here. This photo was taken on a NABA walk ate Marais Temps Clair C.A. in September.
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Photographed at Marais Temps Clair C.A. in early October, the red admiral is a lover of nettles, feeding solely on members of the Urticaceae family.
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
Famous for its migration, the painted lady hosts on numerous species of Asteraceae.
American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
Being strictly found in the new-world, the American lady can be distinguished from the painted lady by the number of spots on the ventral sides of the hindwings. As seen in the photo above, the American lady has two large eyespots whereas its cousin, the painted lady, has four. Photographed at Horn’s Prairie Grove LWR in July.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 