"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
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.
The WGNSS Nature Photography Group headed to the St. Louis Zoo during a frigid winter spell this past weekend. Light could have been better and we struck out on a few things we were targeting, but I am pleased with a few images I was able to make. Everyone was well bundled for the conditions and I think had a nice time.
The takin, one of my favorite animals, is a large ungulate classified as vulnerable to extinction. It can be found in the eastern Himalayas.
The closest living relative of the giant panda and equipped with false thumbs used for grasping bamboo stalks, the red panda can also be found in the eastern Himalayas. Its conservation status is currently endangered.
Listed as vulnerable to extinction, the Red-naped crane can be found in eastern Asian countries of Mongolia, China, Russia, Korea among others.
With a current population in the wild of around 100 individuals, the Amur leopard is critically endangered.
Classified by the IUCN as endangered, the Swan Goose can also be found in feral and domesticated populations outside its original north and east Asian distributions.
The St. Louis Zoo also contains a number of species native to Missouri, most of which are rescued animals that have poor chances of survival in the wild. Some, like the eastern grey squirrel and eastern cottontail, along with some waterfowl and wading birds are wild species that stick to the zoo grounds looking for easy meals.
Bald Eagle
Trumpeter Swan cygnet Trumpeter Swan adultAmerican White PelicanAmerican White Pelicaneastern cottontaileastern grey squirrel
Despite being a pretty disappointing season for winter birds so far, due to not being much of a winter season, one saving grace has been the unprecedented appearance of a number of Short-eared Owls that have set up shop in the grasslands at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. It seems as though every birder and photographer in the bi-state area has heard about this and show up regularly to view the spectacle.
Finding the opportunity to be there in good light with the birds cooperative has been a challenge for me over the past month or so they have been here. But, I did have some luck under less than optimal skies. Despite poor lighting and the birds being a little further away than I would like, I was able to manage a few images I can live with. I’m hoping to have a few more opportunities before the season is over.
Today I’m finishing up with the remaining cats of late summer and autumn hunting trips of 2023 from an assortment of families.
Walnut Sphinx Moth (Amorpha juglandis) Sphingidae, Hodges#7287 These are among my favorites. Not only are they quite handsome when viewed up close, but they are one of the few caterpillars with a voice! Be prepared if you handle or otherwise disturb them; they will let out a surprising squeak when they feel threatened.
Walnut Sphinx Moth (Amorpha juglandis)
Curve-lined Angle (Diagrammia continuata) Geometridae, Hodges#6362 Casey and I observed that the juniper hairstreaks (Callophrys gryneus) had a bumper year this year while hiking in glades early in the season. We thought this might be the year to finally find the fantastic larvae of this species. We spent several hours beat-sheeting the red cedars in these areas in late summer and early fall. No luck in finding that species, but we did find another inconspicuous cat that uses this plant as its host. You can probably see that, like the hairstreak, the caterpillars of this moth species would be next to impossible to find without the use of a beat-sheet.
Curve-lined Angle (Diagrammia continuata)
Undescribed Flower Moth (Schinia nr-jaguarina) Noctuidae, Hodges#11132.01 I shared photos of this yet to be described species before. These are photos of the cats we found at a new location, Horn’s Prairie Grove LWR, in central Illinois.
Red-lined Panopoda(Panopoda rufimargo)Erebidae, Hodges#8587 An interesting cat we found while beet-sheeting a hickory thicket on a friend’s property in St. Francois County.
Red-lined Panopoda (Panopoda rufimargo)
Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) Papilionoidea Conspicuous and distasteful due to the absorbed secondary chemicals of their pipevine host, it seems like we always find these guys in low-light situations, making the use of supplemental light a necessity.
Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)
Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)Papilionoidea My favorite swallowtail species. It was a real treat finding this final instar cat back in September.
Today I am featuring the more interesting larvae we found of the Notodontidae Family, commonly known as the prominent moths. This is a widely distributed and diverse family with close to 4,000 species described worldwide. Hosts for this family are mostly woody plants and we often find these feeding on oaks and hickories.
Variable Oakleaf Caterpillar (Lochmaeus manteo) Notodontidae, Hodges#7998 Finding a lot more than I decided to photograph, this aptly-named species feeds primarily on oaks (Quercus sp.) and is highly variable in coloration and pattern. This is a species you may get tired of finding when focusing on oaks during your searches.
Mottled Prominent (Macrurocampa marthesia) Notodontidae, Hodges#7975 We found a few of these guys this year and I find these to be very handsome little cats.
Heterocampa pulverea, Notodontidae, Hodges#7990.1 Until recently, this was a pretty large genus, containing close to 50 species. A couple of years ago, armed with molecular data, this genus was split and now contains 18 species. This one was found on a WGNSS group outing at Pickle Spring Conservation Area in early September.
Orange-banded Prominent (Litodonta hydromeli) Notodontidae, Hodges#7968 We found this guy on another WGNSS outing while looking for the bumelia borer beetle (Plinthocoelium suaveolens). We did not find our target that day but I was thrilled to find this cat that previously I did not know existed. This is another specialist that only feeds on the gum bumelia (Sideroxylon lanuginosum).
Saddled Prominent (Cecrita guttivitta) Notodontidae, Hodges#7994 This is a very common species that feeds on oaks and until recently belonged in the genus Heterocampa.
White-streaked Prominent (Ianassa lignicolor) Notodontidae, Hodges#8017 Also known as the lace-capped caterpillar, this is one of many caterpillars in this family that hide in plain sight. You will almost always find these sitting on the section of leaf they have previously eaten, using their coloration and patterns to look like a diseased or senescent portion of the leaf. These can be quite tricky to find until you get the right search engine installed in your brain.
Red-washed Prominent (Oedemasia_semirufescens) Notodontidae, Hodges#8012 Although considered fairly common, this was the first year I was finally able to find one of these outstanding cats. This species is quite polyphagous, feeding on almost any native woody plants. One of the two we found this year was feeding on pawpaw (Asimina triloba).
Datana Caterpillars (Datana sp.) Notodontidae Most notodontids are solitary. But certain groups, like these Datana are gregarious and can be found in large groups even in later instars.
Contracted Datana Caterpillars (Datana contracta)
A group of datana caterpillars (Datana sp.)
Symmerista Prominents (Symmerista sp.) Notodontidae Another gregarious taxa, the Symmerista are notoriously difficult to identify to species in both larval and adult phases.
Symmerista sp. caterpillars
White-dotted Prominent (Nadata gibbosa) Notodontidae, Hodges#7915 Perhaps the most common caterpillar we find on our hunting trips, the white-dotted prominent can be found in large numbers on oaks. We find these so often that I rarely even tell the others in the group when I find them. But here we find a common species in a not so common situation. We came across this one on its way to find its pupation spot that would likely be in the ground or leaf litter. You can tell this was the case by the reddish or maroon coloration. Many caterpillars will change to this type of coloration immediately before they begin the pre-pupal stage. Unfortunately for the caterpillar, some southern yellowjackets (Vespula squamosa) found it as well. We watched the drama unfold as the wasps continued to sting and bite at the poor creature that will not likely make it to adulthood.
To continue with the Halloween week theme, tonight I am presenting an image that represents something that nearly became a horror story. Not that I am considering any of these spiders, snakes or any native creatures I photograph to be scary at all. It just happens that I have several of these “spooky” critters lined up in the photo queue at the right time, so to speak.
This nearly became a horror story for me because I was literally one step away from standing on this snake. Casey and I were walking the the Lost Valley Trail at Weldon Spring Conservation Area in St. Charles County, looking for late season caterpillars. On the way back to the car, not far from the parking lot, I just happened to catch the outline of this snake lying across my path before taking a step that would have put my sandal-clad foot down right on top of it.
It tuned out to be a really chill snake, allowing us to photograph it where it laid. I tried to coax it into a coiled position with a stick but it instantly retreated into a burrow underneath some leaf litter just off the trail.
As I mention frequently, I absolutely love this area. It is so rich and diverse. It has beautiful hills and forest structure and lies a mere thirty minutes from our house.
We found this little one on a cat hunting trip at Horseshoe Bend Natural Area in Texas County, MO in mid September. Check out the little flies hanging around hoping to scavenge some bug juice, much like the the vultures and other scavengers that might be found around a lion’s kill.
From my count, there are at least ten members of this genus that could be found in Missouri, but I think I have got the correct identification. Please let me know if you would suggest otherwise.
On a cat hunting trip to St. Francois State Park in September, Casey and I had the great fortune of finding one of the coolest spiders in the state – the toadlike bolas spider (Mastophora phrynosoma). Females of this species are well known for their unique hunting method. By day, they sit around, often out in the open, looking very much like a bird dropping. At night, instead of building webs, they move to the edge of a leaf or twig and hang a single line of silk with one or more sticky globules attached – their “bolas” that they use to ensnare moths and other flying prey. See this great video by the BBC for a demonstration of this.
This is the second year in a row I’ve had the fortune in finding one of these girls. If I’m lucky enough next year, I’ll be sure to try my hand at catching her hunting behaviors with the camera.
Time to get into the season by sharing a brilliant spider for October. This brilliant jumping spider was photographed back in July at Horn’s Prairie Grove LWR. This is one of several jumping spiders that are believed to be mimics of the Mutillidae family of wasps, better known as “velvet ants.”
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 