Tag: noctuidae

2025 Caterpillar Season – Yellow-haired Dagger

2025 Caterpillar Season, Caterpillars of Tyson Research Center, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Yellow-haired Dagger
Acronicta impleta fam. Noctuidae (Hodges#9257)
Host plant: Found on red oak (Quercus sp.)
Dates and locations: 23, Aug, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO; 06, Sep, 2026 – Babler State Park, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: Batesian mimicry, a form of mimicry wherein a harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species in order to benefit from these signals’ tendency to deter their mutual predators, is common among adult moths and butterflies. However, it has been found to be rare in caterpillars. The yellow-haired dagger seems to be a rare case of this defense in caterpillars as it seems to mimic tussock moth caterpillars (Dasychira, Orgyia) in both appearance and behavior.

2025 Caterpillar Season – Spotted Phosphila

2025 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, WGNSS Field Trips, wildlife, wildlife photography

Spotted Phosphila
Phosphila miselioides fam. Noctuidae (Hodges#9619)
Host plant: Found on greenbrier (Smilax sp.)
Date found: 16, Aug, 2025
Location found: Council Bluff Lake, Iron County, MO
Notes: Two species of Phosphila can be found in Missouri. This was found during the WGNSS joint Entomology and Nature Photography Groups’ outing to Council Bluff Lake.

2025 Caterpillar Season – Tufted Bird Dropping Moth

2025 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, WGNSS Field Trips, wildlife, wildlife photography

Tufted Bird Dropping Moth
Cerma cerintha fam. Noctuidae (Hodges#9062)
Host plant: Host plant not recorded but species is known to feed on Rosaceae Family members
Date found: 16, Aug,, 2025
Location found: Council Bluff Lake, Iron County, MO
Notes: As should be obvious by the common name, the adults of this moth are bird dropping mimics. These caterpillars tunnel into soft wood at the end of the season where they overwinter as a pupa.

2025 Caterpillar Season – Cherry Dagger

2025 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, WGNSS Field Trips, wildlife, wildlife photography

Cherry Dagger
Acronicta hasta fam. Noctuidae (Hodges#9229)
Host plant: Two individuals at different instars were found at this location and date – both on black cherry (Prunus serotina)
Date found: 16, Aug, 2025
Location found: Council Bluff Lake, Iron County, MO
Notes: This was found during the WGNSS joint Entomology and Nature Photography Groups’ outing to Council Bluff Lake.

2025 Caterpillar Season – The Hebrew

2025 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, WGNSS Field Trips, wildlife, wildlife photography

The Hebrew
Polygrammate hebraeicum fam. Noctuidae (Hodges#9285)
Host plant: black gum (Nyssa sylvatica)
Date found: 16, Aug, 2025
Location found: Council Bluff Lake, Iron County, MO
Notes: Common and specific names come from apparent resemblance of adult moth’s pattern to Hebrew characters. This was found during the WGNSS joint Entomology and Nature Photography Groups’ outing to Council Bluff Lake.

2025 Caterpillar Season – Radcliffe’s Dagger

2025 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Splendid Radcliffe’s Dagger
Acronicta superans radcliffei fam. Noctuidae (Hodges#9226)
Host plant: black cherry (Prunus serotina)
Date found: ~09, Aug, 2025
Location found: Cuivre River State Park, Lincoln County, MO
Notes: Edit 2/Jan/2026. Science is learning and correcting our mistakes when possible. There have been no confirmed collections of A. superans in MO per Heitzman’s catalogue. The larva of A. superans looks quite similar to the penultimate instar of A. radcliffei, which I now believe this larvae should be labeled as. The primary differences are that A. superans will have black snowflaking on the head, whereas A. radcliffei will have this patterning in red. Another potential option is A. hasta, but I think less likely. All three are cherry/rose specialists. That said, it would not be out of the question for A. superans to be found in Missouri. If any who may have found this post has reason to disagree with my determination, I’d appreciate hearing from you.

2025 Caterpillar Season – Harris’s Three-spot

2025 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, WGNSS Field Trips, wildlife, wildlife photography

Harris’s Three-spot
Harrisimemna trisignata fam. Noctuidae (Hodges#9286)
Host plant: buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Date found: ~16, Aug, 2025
Location found: Franklin County, MO
Click here to see the adult moth
Notes: Part spider and part bird dropping, this caterpillar is absolutely astounding. Note the empty head capsules that the caterpillar retains with each successive molt. It has been shown that these caterpillars use these to thrash at potential parasitoid wasps and flies that approach while attempting to deposit eggs on their would-be hosts.

Special thanks to Eva Wiedeman who found this individual in her neighborhood and brought it to our WGNSS fieldtrip at Council Bluff Lake. Photographing this caterpillar was a prime objective for me this season. Now I just need to find one on my own and hopefully a larger 4th instar!

2025 Caterpillar Season – Greater Oak Dagger Moth

2025 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Greater Oak Dagger Moth
Acronicta lobeliae fam. Noctuidae (Hodges#9238)
Host plant: Found on white oak (Quercus alba)
Date found: 09, Aug, 2025
Location found: Cuivre River State Park, Lincoln County, MO
Notes: Our second largest dagger moth species, the erroneously named A. lobeliae is a specialist feeder on oaks.

2024 Caterpillar Season – Radcliffe’s Dagger

2024 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Splendid Dagger Radcliffe’s Dagger
Acronicta superans raddcliffei fam. Noctuidae
Host plant: Not recorded
Dates found: 17, Aug, 2024
Locations Found: Schoolcraft Prairie, Washington County, MO
Notes: Edit – 2/Jan/2026. Science is learning and correcting our mistakes when possible. There have been no confirmed collections of A. superans in MO per Heitzman’s catalogue. The larva of A. superans looks quite similar to the penultimate instar of A. radcliffei, which I now believe this larvae should be labeled as. The primary differences are that A. superans will have black snowflaking on the head, whereas A. radcliffei will have this patterning in red. Another potential option is A. hasta, but I think less likely. All three are cherry/rose specialists. That said, it would not be out of the question for A. superans to be found in Missouri. If any who may have found this post has reason to disagree with my determination, I’d appreciate hearing from you.

2024 Caterpillar Season – Hitched Arches

2024 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Hitched Arches
Melanchra adjuncta fam. Noctuidae
Host plant: Found on unrecorded herbaceous plant.
Dates found: 21, Sep, 2024
Locations Found: Meramec State Park, Franklin County, MO
Notes: Both larvae and adult forms are stunning. Sarah impressively found this cat walking along trail. Its positioning and camouflage, making it look like crinkled senescing vegetation, was so effective it took me quite a while to find it even with Sarah pointing directly at it.