wildlife photography – Page 37 – A Thousand Acres of Silphiums

Synchlora aerata (camouflaged looper)

macro, native plants, wildlife, wildlife photography

Back in mid-June I discovered a number of Synchlora aerata (camouflaged looper, wavy-lined emerald moth) that were using our coreopsis as host. Not only are these spectacular adult moths in the family Geometridae, but they are obviously special while in the larval phase as well. These caterpillars are known for attaching bits and pieces of the plant tissues they feed on (often flower petals) to their backs as means of camouflaging against their predators.

The *Synchlora aerata*, on *Coreopsis sp.* in a suburban wildflower garden in St. Louis County, MO, USA

I often find these guys with their camouflage dull, dry and not very attractive. You can change this pretty easily by placing them in a container with a fresh native flower of your choice. Hopefully within a day or two the caterpillar will have adorned itself with a fresh and colorful coat!

Morning Chorus of the Prairie Warbler

birds, Nesting Birds of Missouri, wildlife, wildlife photography

A Prairie Warbler Singing in late April at Weldon Spring Conservation Area

Whoopers!

birds, wildlife, wildlife photography

From February – Pete and I took a trip to Kaskaskia Island to see if we could find the Whooping Cranes. We had great looks of these two adults and a juvenile.

Grasshopper Sparrow

birds, Nesting Birds of Missouri, wildlife, wildlife photography

Spring Migrant Wrap Up

wildlife, wildlife photography

A few leftover from my one day at Tower Grove Park on May 16, 2021.

Mississippi Kites in the Arkansas

Nesting Birds of Missouri, wildlife, wildlife photography

It is always nice finding your targets on a big photography trip but the icing on the cake is finding the unexpected. That is what happened here when Casey and spent some time at Moro Bay State Park in southern Arkansas. When speaking to a very friendly park ranger, he let us on to where a pair of these birds setup territory and were virtually oblivious to humans. These birds completely ignored us as they flew to and from their favorite perches, often flying mere feet over our heads. We watched the male handoff their insect prey a number of times and even witnessed a copulation, but those photos were ruined by branches.

Bay-breasted Warbler

birds, wildlife, wildlife photography

Dave and I found this Bay-breasted Warbler on May 20th this year at Creve Coeur Lake in St. Louis County. Always a pleasure to find a singing Bay-breasted.

False Map Turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica)

wildlife, wildlife photography

Two subspecies of the false map turtle are found in Missouri. Minor differences in the color and pattern near the eyes are used to distinguish between the two. Unfortunately, I did not get the shots that would allow this determination. This photo was taken in St. Louis County.

Blackpoll Warbler

Bird Species of Conservation Concern, birds, wildlife, wildlife photography

Swamp Metalmark (Calephelis muticum) – Larvae

macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

I previously shared photos of adult of swamp metalmark (Calephelis muticum). This spring, after a couple or three years of looking for them on their host plant, Cirsium muticum (swamp thistle), I finally found the caterpillar of this vulnerable species of conservation concern.