"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
Comma
Polygonia c-album fam. Nymphalidae (Hodges#4421)
Host plant(s): nettle (Urtica sp.)
Date(s) and location(s): 17 Sep, 2025 – Little Creve Coeur Ecological Area, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: This poor caterpillar has fallen prey to one of its many enemies, in this case a nymph of Podisus maculiventris (spined soldier bug).
Spun Glass Slug Moth
Isochaetes beutenmuelleri fam. Limacodidae (Hodges#4675)
Host plant(s): northern red oak (Quercus rubra)
Date(s) and location(s): 23 Aug, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: The feathery appendages of this slug moth caterpillar do not contain urticating spines and do not sting. These dense and soft setae may act as a deterrence to potential wasp and fly parasitoids in blocking easy access to the body of the caterpillar in placing or injecting eggs.
Gray Furcula Moth
Furcula cinerea fam. Notodontidae (Hodges#7937)
Host plant(s): willow (Salix sp.)
Date(s) and location(s): 15 Sep, 2025 – Creve Coeur Lake Park, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: The specific name, cinerea, is from the Latin “cinereus” (ashy), referring to the gray color of the forewings of the adult.
Ruddy Dagger Moth
Acronicta rubricoma fam. Noctuidae (Hodges#9199)
Host plant(s): hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)
Date(s) and location(s): 07 Sep, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: Also known to host on elm and sumac.
Shagreened Slug Moth
Apoda biguttata fam. Limacodidae (Hodges#4669)
Host plant(s): pin oak (Quercus palustris), red oak (Quercus sp.)
Date(s) and location(s): 31 Aug, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO; 19 Sep, 2025 – Don Robinson State Park, Jefferson County, MO
Notes: Like most of the limacodids seem to be, this species can be found in a wide variety of habitats and utilize nearly any native woody plant for hosts.
Drab Prominent
Misogada unicolor fam. Notodontidae (Hodges#7974)
Host plant(s): sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
Date(s) and location(s): 23, 30 Aug, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO; 27 Sep, 2025 – Caney Mountain Conservation Area, Ozark County, MO
Notes: The drab prominent is the only species in the monotypic genus Misogada. Named for the relatively plain looking adult, the caterpillar of this species in anything but drab. In addition to sycamore, this species also hosts on cottonwood.
The Laugher
Charadra deridens fam. Noctuidae (Hodges#9189)
Host plant(s): chinquapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii)
Date(s) and location(s): 13 Sep, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: My first find of a caterpillar of this species.
Streaked Dagger Moth
Acronicta lithospila fam. Noctuidae (Hodges#9266)
Host plant(s): red oak (Quercus sp.), shingle oak (Quercus imbricaria)
Date(s) and location(s): 30 Aug, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO; 6 Sep, 2025 – Babler State Park, St. Louis County, MO; 13 Sep, 2025 – Don Robinson State Park, Jefferson County, MO
Notes: This species host primarily on Fagaceae (oaks, beech) and is stunning in both larval and adult forms.
Banded Tussock Moth
Halysidota tessellaris fam. Erebidae (Hodges#8203)
Host plant(s): Three individuals found at this date and location, all found on hickory (Carya sp.)
Date(s) and location(s): 23 Aug, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: A very common and highly polyphagous species. The attractive adults are usually found during blacklighting nights.
Goatweed Leafwing
Anaea andria fam. Nymphalidae (Hodges#4554)
Host plant(s): Found on prairie tea (Croton monanthogynus)
Date(s) and location(s): 16 Sep, 2025 – Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park, Reynolds County, MO
Notes: Tonight I feature another target species that I had the good fortune of photographing this season. After finding a number of these caterpillars during a botany trip, Pete Kozich guided me back to the location several days later. Many thanks, Pete! We feared we may have been too late this season. Most of the host plants had severely senesced. But, after a hard search, we were able to find two larvae that had not yet pupated.
The goatweed leafwing is an extreme specialist, feeding only on members of the Croton genus. The apparent distribution of this species is something I find interesting and would love to find out more. I searched in several places this year that had an abundance of several Croton species but with no luck. Looking at the iNaturalist map shows this species to be most abundant in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. They are regularly found in Missouri up to the Missouri River.
We also found a hairstreak caterpillar on the prairie tea. This is most likely a grey hairstreak (Strymon melinus).
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 