"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
Two-spotted Oak Punkie (Coastal Plain Meganola Moth)
Meganola phylla (Dyar, 1898) P-no. 931112, fam. Nolidae
Host plant: Feeds on any oak (Quercus spp.) within its range
Dates found: 18 September, 2025
Locations found: Council Bluff Lake, Iron County, MO
Notes: Know better as the “coastal plain meganola moth,” which is quite inappropriate. These little cuties are found as far as Missouri and into Michigan and will host on numerous oak species that are found in their range.
Baileya Caterpillar
Baileya sp. fam. Nolidae
Host plant: Not recorded
Dates found: 30 August, 2025
Locations found: Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: There are four to six Baileya species found in Missouri. Although host plant preference may help to distinguish species, physical characteristics are of little help.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 