Blog Archives

Easter Flowers

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Troy Bartlett

For Easter, I thought I’d post photos of some Pink Lady’s Slippers. These were all taken at a local nature center almost a year ago. This orchid is generally difficult to find, but abundant where conditions permit.

Posted in Featured Photos | 1 Comment

Identification Challenge #14 Reveal: Arched Hooktip

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Troy Bartlett

27mm wide | March 24, 2012 | Twelvestones, Roswell, GA, USA

No one commented on the latest identification challenge. Despite showing just the tip of the forewing, the image provided showed the distinctive feature of a subfamily of moths commonly called hooktip moths. If you got that far, it’s a pretty simple process of elimination since there are only a handful of North American species, each one easily distinguished from the other. This species is the Arched Hooktip, Drepana arcuata.

This individual appears to be a male, based on the widelyÂ bipectinate antennae. read more

Posted in Identification Challenges | Leave a comment

Identification Challenge #14

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Troy Bartlett

March 24, 2012 | Twelvestones, Roswell, GA, USA

Today I found my first moth in the overwintering container I keep outside. Can you identify it from this wing fragment? I’ll keep the comments hidden for awhile, but this should be an easy one.

Posted in Identification Challenges | 1 Comment

Identification Challenge #13 Reveal: Spotted Apatelodes Proleg

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

Spotted Apatelodes Caterpillar | October 2, 2011 | Twelvestones, Roswell, GA, USA

Did you guess that the caterpillar above was the critter featured in Identification Challenge #13? Both commenters for this challenge were on the right track, guessing that it was a caterpillar. Here’s the photo again from the challenge.

Proleg closeup

Here’s an even closer look at the proleg so I can point out a few interesting things.

Proleg showing crochets in two different sizes

All those little claws on the proleg are called crochets. This particular species, Apatelodes torrefacta, is one of just a handful of species in my area that belong to the family Bobycidae. The most famous member of that family is the domesticated silkworm moth. One feature of caterpillars in this family is that they have crochets of two different lengths, as shown above. read more

Posted in Identification Challenges | 4 Comments

Identification Challenge #13

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

October 2, 2011 | Twelvestones, Roswell, GA, USA

Despite appearances, I promise this is not an underwater shot of some strange anemone. I brought this critter home from a recent walk in the park.

This could be a difficult challenge. Nonetheless, I bet someone will be able to identify the species shown here. To give you some sense of scale, I had my 65mm macro lens maxed out at 5x for this shot.

Posted in Identification Challenges | 4 Comments

Lacewing Eggs Comparison

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

9mm high | July 5, 2011 | Victorio Siqueroli Park, Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil

I assume these are hatched lacewing eggs, though I think there are other critters that lay stalked eggs as well. What I found interesting was how long the stalks are relative to the eggs. The lacewing eggs I usually find have relatively shorter stalks. Compare the hatched ones above with some unhatched ones below that I found in a park close to home.

5mm high | August 27, 2011 | Twelvestones, Roswell, GA, USA

Searching around the internet I see two common explanations for why eggs are laid on stalks. First, the stalks make it more difficult for predators such as ants to reach the eggs. The stalks are sometimes even coated with a repellent substance. Second, lacewing larvae are cannibalistic and the stalks serve to keep keep newly hatched larvae away from each other. read more

Posted in Featured Photos | 1 Comment

Crypsis Challenge #12 Reveal: Frog

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

January 21, 2011 | Finca La Isla, Limon Province, Costa Rica

Three commenters successfully identified the frog from the last crypsis challenge.

Here’s a closer look.

Frog closeup

That wraps up all my posts from my January trip to Costa Rica.

Posted in Crypsis Challenges | Leave a comment

Crypsis Challenge #12

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

January 21, 2011 | Finca La Isla, Limon Province, Costa Rica

As I was shooting the last crypsis challenge, the critter hidden here caught my attention. If it hadn’t moved, I probably would never have noticed it. Can you find it?

Posted in Crypsis Challenges | 7 Comments

Crypsis Challenge #11 Reveal: Moth

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

January 21, 2011 | Finca La Isla, Limon Province, Costa Rica

Did you find the moth in the image above? If not, don’t feel bad. I might not have seen it either, except I originally spotted the moth in a more conspicuous location. After a few shots (below), I deliberately spooked it in hopes that it would land in a location suitable for a crypsis challenge. Here’s an outline if you still need a little help finding it.