Category: macro

When a Dropping isn’t a Dropping

macro, wildlife
Bird Poop?
Bird Poop?

The mimicry that insects exhibit can be astounding.  Walking around Shaw Nature Reserve this summer, I noticed quite a fresh and disgusting looking bird dropping on a small bush near the trail.  Something made me take a closer glance and I discovered it wasn’t a poop at all, but a caterpillar.  The caterpillar was an early instar of the Giant Swallowtail Butterfly (Family Papilionidae).  These caterpillars feed on member of the citrus family, the Rutacea, and this individual was found on a small hop bush.  Youngsters like this one will most often be found directly on the surface of a leaf (as poops are most likely to be found), while older stages are likely to be found on leaf petioles or slender branches.  In citrus production areas of the south, these guys have the nickname “Orange Dogs” due to their dietary needs.  They can be considered a pest in such situations.  Unfortunately, I forgot that, if harassed these guys will evert a pair of bright red structures called osmeterium.  The function of these organs appears to be defensive in multiple ways.  Often brightly colored, they can look quite like the forked tongue of a snake, and go along with other morphological adaptations in some members of the swallowtails in making them appear like a snake.  In addition, numerous chemical compounds can be released with the osmeterium that have been shown to repel ants and other potential insect predators.

Giant Swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail

Moving from bird droppings to the droppings of a caterpillar we come to this fascinating creature that is most often found on raspberry bushes.  A member of the diverse family of beetles – the Chrysomelidae, this Warty Leaf Beetle (Pacybrachis nigricornis), will tuck in its appendages and drop, looking exactly like a caterpillar’s droppings, or “frass” (anyone remember the action figures from the 80s, the Rock Lords?).

Warty Leaf Beetle
Warty Leaf Beetle

-OZB

References

  • Marshall, S.A. 2006. Insects Their Natural History and Diversity. Firefly Books Ltd.
  • Evans, A.V. 2014. Beetles of Eastern North America. Princetone University Press.
  • Damman, H. 1986. The osmeterial glands of the swallowtail butterfly Eurytides Marcellus as a defense against natural enemies. Ecol.Entomol. 11: 261-265.

SNR – A Few Natives

macro, wildlife

 

Mining Bee
Mining Bee

Tonight we have a couple of native bees photographed this summer at Shaw’s Nature Reserve.  I may very well be incorrect, but I believe the bee pictured above is a Mining bee in the family Andrenidae.  I would love to know how much pollen is taken away in a season by these guys.

Sweat Bee
Sweat Bee

The final two photos show a sweat bee (Halactidae).  These are quite challenging to photograph, but worth the effort.

Sweat Bee
Sweat Bee

-OZB

 

From the Garden – Lacewings

macro, wildlife
Brown Lacewing
Brown Lacewing

The Lacewing (order Neuroptera, roughly translated to “nerve-wings”) insects are important predators of economic pests.  Lacewing larvae are voracious predators that prey upon soft-bodied arthropods such as aphids, scale and whitefly.  I have not yet been able to photograph one of these killer larvae yet, and that may be due to their tendency to cover themselves in pieces of trash (including parts of their victims) they find in their environment as camouflage.  Another interesting bit of information about these insects is how their eggs are deposited.  The photograph below shows the eggs deposited on long thread-like stalks, which have been hypothesized to be deterrents to not only predation, but cannibalism as the larvae hatch and immediately begin to look for something to eat.

Lacewing Eggs
Lacewing Eggs

OZB

From the Garden – Redbud Bruchid

Backyard Gardens, macro, wildlife
Redbud Bruchid
Redbud Bruchid

The Redbud Bruchid (Gibbobruchis mimus), as its name suggests, is one of those perfect examples of insect-plant specialization.  The larvae of this species will only grow on the seeds of Redbud trees and perhaps on those of a relative or two.

Redbud Bruchid
Redbud Bruchid

Being extremely small (2.5 – 3 mm), these cute guys are quite the challenge to photograph.  Adults feed on plant tissues (flower petals, pollen, nectar, etc…) and I typically have seen them feeding on my Echinacea flowers.

Redbud Bruchid
Redbud Bruchid

The guy above can be seen creating or adding to a hole in a flower petal.  I much prefer them to the exotic invasive Japanese Beetles that tend to leave nothing behind.

Redbud Bruchid
Redbud Bruchid

The Bruchids are a subfamily or “tribe” found within the quite large family – the Chrysomelidae, known as “Leaf Beetles”.

Redbud Bruchid
Redbud Bruchid

If you know the size of an individual blossom of the Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), the image above will give you a good idea on just how small these little guys are.

Thanks for stopping by.
OZB

From the Garden – Bumble Bee

Backyard Gardens, macro, wildlife
Bumble Bee
Bumble Bee

Even with a couple great guides, I still am having troubles identifying the Bumble Bees.  Getting the right image makes a big difference and I need to remember to take photos from multiple angles in order to get sure IDs.  Missouri is home to ten species of bumblebee and I imagine identification will get easier with practice.

Bumble Bee
Bumble Bee

The native wildflowers in my yard are huge attractants for all bees, and especially bumblebees.  The long-tongued bumblebees and honeybees cover the Echinacea and Silphium in the garden, while the smaller, shorter tongued species are mostly attracted to the Rudbeckia.

Bumble Bee
Bumble Bee
IMG_3685
Bumble Bee

Thanks for stopping by!
OZB

One Fascinating Beetle – Orange Blister Beetle

macro, wildlife
Orange Blister Beetle
Orange Blister Beetle

How fascinating a beetle.  Did you know this group of beetles begin their lives as kleptoparasites – stealing food from the the nests of solitary bees?  As adults these beetles are primarily nectar and pollen feeders and use the specialized mouth parts visible in this photograph to collect their food  – primarily from the flowers of Asteraceae.  If that were not enough, these guys get their names from a defensive chemical they produce called cantharidin which can produce severe chemical burns and blisters when sprayed on skin and severe poisoning if ingested.  This chemical has proven an effective treatment against diseases such as cancers and leishmaniasis.  This guy was found at Shaw Nature Reserve.

Thanks for visiting.
OZB