"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
Tulip Tree Beauty
Epimecis hortaria fam. Geometridae (Hodges#6599)
Host plant(s): Found on sassafras (Sassafras albidum) and pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
Date(s) and location(s): 23, 25 Aug, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: Other commonly used hosts include poplars and tulip trees.
Yellow-haired Dagger
Acronicta impleta fam. Noctuidae (Hodges#9257)
Host plant: Found on red oak (Quercus sp.)
Dates and locations: 23, Aug, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO; 06, Sep, 2026 – Babler State Park, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: Batesian mimicry, a form of mimicry wherein a harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species in order to benefit from these signals’ tendency to deter their mutual predators, is common among adult moths and butterflies. However, it has been found to be rare in caterpillars. The yellow-haired dagger seems to be a rare case of this defense in caterpillars as it seems to mimic tussock moth caterpillars (Dasychira, Orgyia) in both appearance and behavior.
Georgian Prominent
Paraeschra georgica fam. Notodontidae (Hodges#7917)
Host plant: Found on red oak (Quercus sp.)
Date found: 30, Aug, 2025
Location found: Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: This is the first from a series of caterpillars I will be sharing from a new survey project that will document the caterpillars of Tyson Research Center.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 