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Blog Archives
Identification Challenge #4 Reveal
As Ted C. MacRae correctly guessed, the chrysalis in the latest identification challenge yielded a specimen of Papilio glaucus, an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.
April 25, 2010 | Twelvestones, Roswell, GA, USA
The blue on the upperside of the hindwings indicates this is a female. Here’s the underside of the wings:
Underside of wings
If I’d had some daylight, I’d have tried to get something other than a black background. I saw she had emerged after arriving home one evening though, so I took these shots in my home office before releasing her.
Being a fresh specimen, I thought I’d try for some closeups of the wing scales.
Posted in Identification Challenges
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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]
Posted in Featured Photos
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Crypsis Challenge #5 Reveal
At least a few people found the caterpillar outlined below, from the last crypsis challenge.
January 27, 2010 | Caraça Natural Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil
I like how effectively it blends in. The dorsal markings match up pretty well with the damaged areas on the leaf.
It has spun a sort of silken lair across the entire leaf as well.
Closer view
Posted in Crypsis Challenges
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Glittery Micromoth
January 28, 2010 | Caraça Natural Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil
While less noticed and more difficult to identify, the majority of lepidoptera species are small and are collectively referred to as microlepidoptera or micromoths. Though small, this one’s glittery wing scales caught my eye.
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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Colorful Butterfly
January 28, 2010 | Caraça Natural Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil
I usually don’t have the patience to stalk butterflies. The colors on this one were just so vibrant that I spent about 20 minutes chasing after it.
Even the undersides of the wings, while definitely muted, are attractive (to me anyway).
Wings closed showing underside
Posted in Featured Photos
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Glasswing Butterfly
January 28, 2010 | Caraça Natural Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Glasswing butterflies lack scales on parts of their wings, leaving those parts transparent.
Though similar looking, this is not the species (Greta oto) commonly found in many of the butterfly houses I’ve visited. That one’s range doesn’t extend into South America. This is probably a closely related species. I was surprised there are so many that look very much alike. Check out this Florida Museum of Natural History page on the tribe Godyridini to get an idea.
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Identification Challenge #2 Reveal
What was this?
September 5, 2010 | Twelvestones, Roswell, GA, USA
As revealed in the comments, it is the rear end of a saddleback caterpillar, Sibine stimulea.
I neglected to take a good dorsolateral shot, but here’s a couple more shots of this individual.
More complete view
Front view -- head is tucked underneath
Posted in Identification Challenges
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Ant tending Caterpillar
January 27, 2010 | Caraça Natural Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Here’s an ant in the Formica genus tending a caterpillar in the Lycaenidae family. The ant has just taken a drop of a sugary substance produced by a gland at the rear of the caterpillar. Here’s a shot from about 10 seconds earlier where you can see the drop sitting atop the gland and the ant fast approaching.
Sugary drop produced for tending ants
I’m not sure what flowers these caterpillars are eating, but they are pretty well camouflaged settled in among the flower buds. Once I spotted the first one, I started looking for them and found quite a few wherever I spotted these flowers.
Posted in Featured Photos
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Crypsis Challenge #2 Reveal
January 26, 2010 | Caraça Natural Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil
I suspect most people didn’t have too much difficulty finding the caterpillar in the image above (upper right, in the middle of a fern leaflet). Here’s another shot.
Caterpillar Closeup
I like how the white bands help break up the body and coincide nicely with the gaps on the little fern leaves. Looking up from below, it just sort of disappears against the light filtering from above.
I first spotted this caterpillar the previous night by the light of a headlamp. It stood out under those lighting conditions, but I resolved to return the next day and try to take some photos under natural lighting.
Posted in Crypsis Challenges
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