macro photography – A Thousand Acres of Silphiums

Allegheny Spurge (Pachysandra procumbens)

Pachysandra procumbens (Family Buxaceae), commonly known as Allegheny spurge or mountain pachysandra, is a species of flowering plant native to the southeastern United States. Many thanks to Pete, who turned us on to this small group of plants that was found in Forest Park in St. Louis City. Not native to this region, this was obviously planted there at some point.

A newly emerging inflorescence of *Pachysandra procumbens*.

Pachysandra procumbens has a delicate and unique appearance. Its leaves are larger and serrated, with a distinct purple-bronze coloration in the spring that matures to a glossy green throughout the growing season.

A prime inflorescence of *Pachysandra procumbens* against a backdrop of its leaves.

In the spring, Pachysandra procumbens produces small, white, bottlebrush-like flowers that are highly attractive to pollinators such as bees and butterflies. These flowers give way to small, berry-like fruits that add further interest. This plant prefers moist, well-drained soil and is partial to full shade. The inflorescence are small, but definitely worth a close look.

From the Garden – Manfreda virginica (False Aloe)

Backyard Gardens, macro, native plants

During the first couple of seasons in our front-yard wildflower garden, the deer took a liking to this Manfreda virginica (F. Asparagaceae). This prompted me to start spraying its foliage with deer deterrent last year. This had the desired effect and I was happy to see and photograph the blooms of this plant, which are primarily pollinated by large moths such as the sphinx moths. The blooms will also be visited by Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.

Inflorescence of *Manfreda* *virginica*.

This species is typically found in dry, rocky and alkali soils, so I was not sure how it would like the clay pan in our yard. I’m happy to say that it is putting on new leaves this spring. I’ve lost a few plants in the garden during the past winter and I’m glad to see this one coming back.

Closeup of individual bloom of *Manfreda* *virginica*.

Arthropod Miscellany – 2023

Hymenoptera, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

A few miscellaneous arthropods from 2023.

Tetraopes tetrophthalmus (red milkweed beetles) photographed in June of 2023. Location not recorded.

A sawfly (F. Cimbicidae), *Abia* sp., photographed at Hughes Mountain Natural Area in early April.

(*Antaeotricha schlaegeri*) Schlaeger’s fruitworm moth (F. Oecophoridae) photographed at Meramec State Park in May.

Giant Walking Stick (*Megaphasma denticrus*) photographed on a WGNSS trip in September at Pickle Springs Natural Area.

This salticid female *Phidippus clarus* (brilliant jumping spider), was photographed at Horn’s Prairie Grove LWR in July.

A *Mecaphesa asperata*, F. Thomisidae, crab spider feasting on a native bee at Paintbrush Prairie Conservation Area in June.

WGNSS Goes to the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House

coleoptera, insects, macro, WGNSS Field Trips, wildlife, wildlife photography

In February, the Webster Groves nature Study Society’s Nature Photography Group headed to the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House in Chesterfield. We paid for after-hours access and were delighted with the opportunities presented to us. Many thanks to Casey Galvin, group leader for the Nature Photography Group, for organizing this visit, and to Chris Hartley from the Butterfly House for being a lovely host. Chris patiently dealt with our needs, requests and questions, while wrangling our subjects for us. He and the Butterfly House provided us a wonderful experience of photographing some remarkable arthropods from around the world. Here are some of my favorite photos from the evening.

Hercules Beetle (*Dynastes hercules*) F. Scarabidae. The hercules beetle, found in the neotropics, is the longest extant beetle species in the world.

Rainbow Stag Beetle
(*Phalacrognathus muelleri*) F. Lucanidae. This beetle is found in northern Australia and New Guinea. The mites that can be seen on this beetle do no harm to it. They tag along to pick up a free meal from their sloppy host.

Death-Feigning
Beetles (*Asbolus verrucosus*) F. Tenebrionidae. Found in the desert southwest U.S., these beetles feign death when harassed. After a minute or two they right themselves and continue on their business.

Flamboyant Flower Beetle (*Eudicella gralli*) F. Scarabaeidae. Found in tropical Africa, this beetle is a sure stunner.

Spiny Stick Insect
(*Eurycantha calcaratta*) F. Lonchodidae. These giant phasmids are endemic to humid rainforests in Australasia.

Curly-haired Tarantula (*Tiltocatl albopilosum*) F. Theraphosidae. This handsome spider is native to Central America.

That’s all from this outing. Interested in joining in one one of these WGNSS outings? Feel free to contact me or check us out at http://www.wgnss.org to learn more.

-OZB

Banded Sphinx Moth Caterpillars

insects, Lepidoptera, wildlife, wildlife photography

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.

Odonates of 2023

insects, odonata, wildlife, wildlife photography

It’s February already and I’m still trying to wrap up photos from last year. Here are some photos of odonates from 2023.

Male Eastern Forktail (*Ischnura verticalis*) Family Coenagrionidae

Female Eastern Forktail (*Ischnura verticalis*) Family Coenagrionidae

Likely the smallest damselfly in the U.S., a Male Citrine Forktail (*Ischnura* hastata) Family Coenagrionid

Seepage Dancer (*Argia bipunctulata*) Family Coenagrionidae

Familiar Bluet (*Enallagma civile*) Family Coenagrionidae

Cobra Clubtail (*Gomphurus vastus*) Family Gomphidae

Falcate Orangetip (Anthocharis midea)

insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

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.

Nymphalids of 2023

insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

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.

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.

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.

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.

Famous for its migration, the painted lady hosts on numerous species of Asteraceae.

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.

Caterpillars of 2023 – The Rest

insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

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.

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.

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.

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.

Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) Papilionoidea
My favorite swallowtail species. It was a real treat finding this final instar cat back in September.

Caterpillars of 2023 – The Noctuidae

insects, Lepidoptera

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.

Speared Dagger Moth (Acronicta hasta) Noctuidae, Hodges#9229
Although I have found these cats on oak, they seem to highly prefer to feed on black cherry (Prunus serotina). They are quite small, but when in the right habitat, you can almost always find one when looking over lower limbs of black cherry.

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).

Have a good one!
-OZB