"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
When it’s a Sawfly.
Did you know that there is a primitive group of the hymenoptera with free-living larvae that look very much like the caterpillars of the lepidoptera? Known as the Sawfly, there are morphological distinctions between them and the caterpillars and they can also be distinguished by this defensive posture adapted by the Sawfly larvae (Arge sp.) pictured here.
Just a few planthoppers/leafhoppers to share.
-OZB
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.
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?).
-OZB
References
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.
The final two photos show a sweat bee (Halactidae). These are quite challenging to photograph, but worth the effort.
-OZB
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.
OZB
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.
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.
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.
The Bruchids are a subfamily or “tribe” found within the quite large family – the Chrysomelidae, known as “Leaf Beetles”.
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
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.
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.
Thanks for stopping by!
OZB
This species of soldier fly (Ptecticus trivittatus) is attracted to rotting vegetation and can often be found around compost heaps. This guy was seriously into some cucumber scrap I threw into the yard.
Found within the family Berytidae, the Stilt Bugs seem to me to be quite the intimidating predator. Eat your heart out H.G. Wells.
Thanks for stopping by…
OZB
