"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
Today’s cat is the tephra tussock moth (Dasychira tephra) in the Family Erebidae. This one was found feeding on hickory (Carya sp.) in July at Meramec State Park in Franklin County, MO. This guys has somehow lost the long dorsal lash on the eighth abdominal segment – a feature that is key in identification. All other characteristics seem to match. This species seems to prefer oaks but can be found on a variety of deciduous woody species. Members of Dasychira exhibit variable patterns and coloration and seem to vary geographically.
Tonight we have a common, but fantastic member of the Notodontidae Family. The black-blotched schizura (Schizura leptinoides #8011) is most often found on hickory and walnut, but can be found on other woody plants as well. The two cats I found this season were both found on low hickory branches.
Schizura leptinoidesSchizura leptinoides
The protuberances and warts found along the length of its body come in handy as it mimics damaged and senescent portions of the leaf blade as they feed openly, taking the place of the leaf tissue that they consume.
Today’s caterpillar is one of a few amazing Noctuids that specialize on greenbrier (Smilax sp.). As fantastic as the larval stage of Phosphila miselioides (Hodges #9619) is, the adult is even better and I hope to find it one day.
Phosphila miselioides in its typical body position when disturbed.
Two caterpillar species today, each commonly found on the native grapes (Vitis sp.) in Missouri. First up is the Noctuid species Alypia octomaculata (eight-spotted forester moth). These guys are stunning as both larvae and adults.
Next up is the grapeleaf skeletonizer moth (Harrisina americana) in the Family Zygaenidae. Both H. americana and the eight-spotted forester moth, pictured above can be found visiting flowers during the day. This species is gregarious and are often seen lined up side by side.
Today’s caterpillar is one of two species of Notodontid in the genus Symmerista. This is one of those frustrating cases of two species being so similar that confirming an identification is near impossible. Most of the literature suggests that the caterpillars of S. canicosta (red-humped oakworm) and S. albifrons (white-headed prominent) are indistinguishable as larvae and are so similar as adults that the only way to distinguish the two is by dissecting the genitalia. Both species are found in Missouri and both feed on the same host plants – beech, chestnut and oaks (any members of the Fagaceae). These are common and attractive cats that are gregarious in early instars but go solo when they get to this stage.
Found at Young Conservation area on 30, June, 2024.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Here are a few of the members of the Noctuidae family of moth caterpillars we found in 2023. Commonly know as “owlet moths,” this is a very diverse clade that is still continuing to be revised and divided. Until recently, this was the largest lepidopteran family. A number of economically important members are found in this family, such as armyworm and cutworm species.
American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana) Noctuidae, Hodges#9200 Rarely a day on the hunt goes by without finding one or more of these little beauties. This guy was not perturbed at all by us stopping to watch. It continued to chow on the leaf as I photographed it.
Two-spotted Oak Punkie (Meganola phylla) Noctuidae, Hodges#8983.1 Found on Quercus alba (white oak).
Eclipsed Oak Dagger (Acronicta increta) Noctuidae, Hodges#9249 Not that I keep great records but I am pretty certain that this one is by far the most abundant caterpillar we come across while looking on oaks. I probably find five of these to one of other species on oaks. There are a few similar species. The second one may be a different species of Acronicta.
Noctuidae (Acronicta sp.) This is what I get for not taking photos of some of these from multiple angles. Not even the experts on iNaturalist could get this guy to species using this one image. It was a gorgeous and large caterpillar.
Gold Moth (Basilodes pepita) Noctuidae, Hodges#9781 Finally – I am sharing a cat that does not feed on woody plants. Also, a rare case of a moth that is gorgeous in both adult and larval forms. Unfortunately, this was a pretty early instar and does not show the bright and contrasting colors of older caterpillars. The gold moth feeds exclusively on Verbina species (wingstems, crownbeards).
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 