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Blog Archives
Tree Sharpening Caterpillars
~30mm long | January 5, 2013 | Panga Ecological Reserve, Minas Gerais, Brazil
What appears to be a flower here is actually a group of caterpillars working their way down a sapling trunk.
They look like they could do a decent job sharpening a pencil, about the same width as this tree(?) trunk.
Side view | Trunk ~5mm wide
Despite the black background, this was taken a few hours before sunset. At the time there was probably a few feet of the trunk left. I marked the location and returned after dark. I found no trace of the trunk or the caterpillars. They apparently ate the whole tree.
I know there are defoliating caterpillars. I know there are wood boring caterpillars. I never imagined there are caterpillars that consume an entire tree though. That’s assuming they eat leaves, which I didn’t observe.
Posted in Featured Photos
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Strawberry Poison Dart Frogs
January 21, 2011 | Finca La Isla, Limon Province, Costa Rica
The botanical garden is home to many of these colorful little strawberry poison dart frogs, Oophaga pumilio. Unfortunately, they seem to prefer hanging about in the plastic planters. Above, you can see some of the little fertilizer beads. Below, one was just inside the container.
Inside a plastic plant containerI would have been preferred a more natural setting.
Although they were easy to spot amongst the plantings, I would have preferred a more natural setting.
One more
As you might expect, the bright coloration is a warning to not touch these little frogs.
Posted in Featured Photos
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Green and Black Poison Dart Frog
January 21, 2011 | Finca La Isla, Limon Province, Costa Rica
I spotted another of these relatively large frogs, Dendrobates auratus, in the botanical gardens. Unlike the one I spotted a few days before, this one wasn’t carrying a tadpole.
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Green and Black Poison Dart Frog
20mm | January 19, 2011 | Armonia Nature Preserve, Limon Province, Costa Rica
Unlike the drab poison dart frog I posted recently, this one lives up to my expectations of having bright warning colors.
Do you notice anything strange about this frog’s back? Take a closer look.
Hitchhiking tadpole
All Costa Rican dendrobatids lay their eggs on the forest floor. Parenting behaviors beyond that vary by species. One or both of the parents care for the eggs, keeping them moist until they hatch (sometimes by the male urinating on them). After hatching the tadpoles are carried by one or both of the parents, sometimes singly, sometimes en masse, to suitable sites to complete their development.
Posted in Featured Photos
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Gold Moth Caterpillar on Wingstem
October 8, 2009 | Twelvestones, Roswell, GA, USA
I found this caterpillar last fall. It was munching away on the flowers of what I believe to be wingstem. The plant was growing beside a walking trail at a forest edge.
Here are a couple of other views.
Head
Dorsal View
I’m basing the identification on similar photos of Basilodes pepita on BugGuide and in Wagner.
I like the bold colors. Wagner states that the combination of colors, behavior and foodplant suggest it might be unpalatable.
Reference:
[book:0691121443]
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Velvet Ant
January 27, 2010 | Caraça Natural Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil
I like finding velvet ants, but boy are they tough to photograph in the field. They don’t stand still unless they’re hidden. This crop is the best I could do for this one. I saw one other one like this.
Posted in Featured Photos
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A Caterpillar to Avoid
January 28, 2010 | Caraça Natural Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil
I found a couple of these large caterpillars very near to each other. First the one above and then the one below. I believe they are a species of Automeris.
With those spines and colors, it’s pretty obvious they are to be avoided. Each one of those spines is like a little hypodermic needle bearing venom.
Here are some closeups.
Head
Spiny cluster
And here’s a particularly intimidating display.
Back off!
So what would mess with this spiny critter? I discovered while reviewing photos of the latter caterpillar that there was a small fly up to no good. Sorry for the photo quality. These are extreme crops.
Posted in Easter Eggs, Featured Photos
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White-marked Tussock Moth
I often encounter the easily recognized White-marked Tussock moth, Orgyia leucostigma. I found this one feeding on maple at the end of May in my front yard.
May 31, 2010 | Twelvestones, Roswell, GA, USA | ~30mm
I grabbed it for some closeup shots and to attempt to rear it.
Tussocks
Head
Defensive glands
It must have been a final instar, because it pupated just five days later. It spun the cocoon at the top of a container, but I carefully removed it to take some photos.
Cocoon | June 6, 2010 | ~40mm
A flightless female emerged ten days later.
It's a female! | June 16, 2010 | ~15mm
Portrait
Females cling to the cocoon until mated. That night, I carefully pinned the cocoon with her on it to a post on my deck. When I checked an hour later, mating was already in progress. The male that found her was rough looking, having lost many wing scales.
Posted in Featured Creatures
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