"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
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.
Saddled Prominent Cecrita guttivitta fam. Notodontidae (Hodges#7994) Host plant(s): Found on hickory (Carya sp.) Date(s) and location(s): 30 Aug, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO Notes: A highly polyphagous species, known to feed on a wide variety of woody plants across many families.
Imperial Moth Eacles imperialis fam. Saturniidae (Hodges#7704) Host plant(s): Found on sassafras (Sassafras albidum) and redbud (Cercis canadensis) Date(s) and location(s): 16 Aug, 2025 – Council Bluff Lake, Iron County, MO; 25 Aug, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO Notes: A wide-ranging species distributed across the Americas from Argentina to Canada.
Tulip Tree Beauty Epimecis hortaria fam. Geometridae (Hodges#6599) Host plant(s): Found on sassafras (Sassafrasalbidum) and pawpaw (Asimina triloba) Date(s) and location(s): 23, 25 Aug, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO Notes: Other commonly used hosts include poplars and tulip trees.
Georgian Prominent Paraeschra georgica fam. Notodontidae (Hodges#7917) Host plant: Found on red oak (Quercus sp.) Date found: 30, Aug, 2025 Location found: Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO Notes: This is the first from a series of caterpillars I will be sharing from a new survey project that will document the caterpillars of Tyson Research Center.
On the 24th of July, during the new moon and National Moth Week, the WGNSS Entomology Group set up several blacklighting stations at Tyson Research Center as a start of an entomological survey. Between WGNSS members, TRC staff and students from Washington University, I estimate there were 25-30 people in attendance until around midnight. Overall, I think the evening was a success and the numbers and diversity of insects was good. We had a few nice highlight species, but because of the number of people, I did not spend time trying to remove moths from the sheet and onto a natural background. I still have a few to process, but this post covers the moths I cared to photograph.
Many thanks to Katie Westby and Rich Thoma for organizing this event. I’d also like to thank jwileyrains at butterfliesandmoths.org for confirming and helping me with some identifications.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 