"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
Spotted Apatelodes
Apatelodes torrefacta fam. Apatelodidae
Host plant: Found on white oak (Quercus alba)
Date found: 02, Sep, 2024
Location Found: Hawn State Park, Ste. Genevieve County, MO
Notes: Adults of this species are as unique and fantastic as the larvae.
I forgot to post the following adult imperial moth from our black-lighting night this year in the previous post. As you can see, it was a worthwhile night! I photographed this species once before and they do commonly show up on black-lighting occasions, but I never get tired of them showing up! All of these images were taken at Engelmann Natural Area in Franklin County, MO.
This imperial moth caterpillar was found on a night cat hunt in late September.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 