Unexpected Tiger Moth Caterpillar Hunt

Last year, this patch of Butterflyweed at the back of my vegetable garden supported a large population of Unexpected Tiger Moth larvae, Cycnia inopinatus, which are an endangered species in Ohio.  According to the literature, the larvae should have pupated at the base of the plants and the late spring hatch of adult moths should have laid their eggs on this clump of plants.  I’ve been making casual observations of the flowers in hopes of finding more larvae, but have seen none.  I decided a more thorough search was in order.

Larvae begin their lives feeding on the blooms, so I began to search flower by flower.  The larvae coloration trends towards bright orange, so they can easily hide among the flower clusters.  Examination from the top revealed no larvae.

Examination from the side revealed no larvae.

Examination from below revealed no larvae.  There was no sign of feeding or of fras anywhere on the plant.  I have to conclude that there are no larvae there. 

I did find many other neat animals making their homes on or otherwise using the Butterflyweed.  This jumping spider wasn’t at all curious about me and did its best to escape my sight.

Soldier Beetles, Chauliognathus marginatus, were busy at the flowers.  I would guess they were after nectar.  Each had its head buried down in the flower and was not moving.  Apparently the black on the wing covers can be quite variable in this species.  All of those I found last week on the Indian Hemp had black patches that extended the full length of the wing cover.  These just have black tabs.

Bees were the most frequent visitors to the Butterflyweed.  The Honeybees moved slowly from flower to flower.  They must have been taking every drop of available nectar.  Since they are not a native species, but don’t cause any particular problems, Honeybees have no status in the Blue Jay Barrens management plan.

A couple of these small green bees left the flowers and took sweat from my hands as I moved foliage aside in my search for larvae.  I’ve found these same bees on about every flower species I’ve looked at during the past week.

This bee was the most active of the different species I observed.  Its head would just pass low over the flower as the bee crawled across the bunch.  This looks like the same species that I saw swarming back in March.  Oddly, I didn’t find any butterflies visiting the Butterflyweed.

I’ll keep watching for the Tiger Moth larvae.  The Butterflyweed is still producing new clusters of flower buds, so suitable larvae food will be available for quite some time.  Hopefully the plants will once again support a good population these unusual larvae.

Small Milkweed Bug

The Butterflyweed is in full bloom and the bright orange flowers have attracted a collection of Small Milkweed Bugs, Lygaeus kalmii.  When I was in school, I raised Milkweed Bugs by the bucketful for the entomology lab, but I prefer to see them individually in the wild.

Milkweed bugs are seed eaters known for their ability to eat milkweed seeds right through the thick seed pod wall.  Their long piercing mouth parts are highly effective at reaching those hidden seeds.  The fact that an adult is present this early in the season, suggests that they are not totally dependent on seeds for their sustenance.

This individual was busily probing the base of the flowers.  The target may have been nectar or material from the ovary.  This species visits many species of milkweeds, but its coloring seems especially suited to the Butterflyweed.

It’s fortunate that the bugs can survive on other milkweed components besides the seeds.  It’s going to be awhile before any seed pods are available.

By the time seed pods form, these adults will be laying eggs and preparing to raise a family.  If they are successful, seed pods may be completely covered by orange and black nymphs.  Milkweed bugs are attractive and fascinating creatures.  I hope to see a lot of them this year.

Prairie Garden - Late August

The Prairie Garden is beginning to look a little bit raggedy. The tall plants can’t contain themselves within the confines of the garden and are spilling out into the yard. Trying to maintain an abrupt transition from tall prairie to mowed yard is impossible. The tall plants at the interface between wilderness and civilization can’t help extending beyond their intended bounds.

Western Sunflower has amassed an unwieldy collection of blooms. The Thursday morning storm wove the tall flower stalks into an inseparable mat. Many of the stalks are still reorienting the flowers into an upright position. They may no longer stand tall and proud, but their ability to produce seeds has not been diminished.

Indiangrass is at full flower and has formed a screen that effectively hides many parts of the garden.

This Butterflyweed has produced a fresh batch of flowers. At the bottom of the photo you can see seed pods produced from an earlier batch of blooms. I wonder if the rainy weather is responsible for this second blooming season.

The Baptisia seed pods are almost ripe. In another month, the pod covering will lose much of its shine and the seeds will come lose and rattle in the pods.

There will be no shortage of Baptisia seeds this year. A fungus typically destroys about ten percent of the seeds, but the rest will be just fine.

Despite floods, heat and drought, the Nodding Wild Onions have managed to produce some seed. I’ll be planting these in a special bed with hopes of having many new plants next year.

Gray-headed Coneflower rushed rapidly through its blooming period and quickly produced seed. It’s been many years since this species has had such a short blooming season.

For some reason, the Red Footed Robber Flies have declared the Prairie Garden a prime hunting ground. Dozens of these big predatory flies were perched around the perimeter of the garden. There was a constant drone of robber flies changing positions and darting out to capture insects flying across the lawn. After the initial disturbance from my approach to the garden, the robber flies settled down and behaved as though I wasn’t there. They put on a very interesting show.

Butterflyweed and Non-Butterflies

Butterflies are not the only creatures attracted to the Butterflyweed. The plant is certainly a stopover for any animal that has a taste for nectar. Bee species easily outnumber butterflies as frequent visitors. Bumblebee colonies are still building their numbers, so these large bees are only moderately abundant right now.

Leaf Cutter Bees, which were very plentiful last season, seem even more abundant this year.

The Honeybee population fluctuates yearly and at present seems to be on the rise. Since it’s a non-native species, I don’t have any special interest in its management at Blue Jay Barrens.

The black and orange of the Milkweed Bug blends quite well with the Butterflyweed flowers. These bugs tend to visit all milkweed species on an equal basis. The black and orange coloration is common to several species of milkweed dependent insect species.

It would be interesting to count the number of different species that visited a single Butterflyweed clump during a 24 hour period. First I’d have to be able to identify the various tiny bees that swarm the blossoms. In the case of this particular field, I’d have to classify a Butterflyweed visitor census as a hazardous undertaking. In the 15 minutes I spent crouching next to this plant, I accumulated about three dozen chigger bites.

Don’t restrict your viewing to just the flower tops. There’s also a lot going on in the lower levels. You can find the most interesting things by looking at an object from a slightly different angle.

It doesn’t seem possible to have a cluster of flowers that has no Ambush Bug lurking beneath the petals. The camouflaged predators are nearly impossible to see, but once you learn the shape, they start to turn up everywhere.

Heavy forelegs with hooked tips are perfect for snagging a nectaring bee or butterfly. I’ve been fooled many times into stalking an insect with my camera only to find it dead in the grip of an Ambush Bug.

The Milkweed Leaf Beetle also displays the black and orange pattern. This isn’t a very common species at Blue Jay Barrens. The literature describes it as being most commonly associated with the Swamp Milkweed, a species that is very uncommon here. Maybe the barrens are just too dry for this beetle.

We can’t forget other small creatures that make their homes on the Butterflyweed. Jumping Spiders are the lapdogs of the spider world. Doesn’t this guy make you want to scoop him up and pat his head. I had a hard time getting a focused shot because the spider kept crowding up to the lens. The actions of the Jumping Spider make it look more intelligent than most dogs I’ve met. It’s a shame we can’t grow them to at least hamster size.

Butterflyweed and Butterflies

The Butterflyweed is joining the list of plants that are displaying an excess of vigor this growing season. Bright clusters of orange blossoms are popping up all over the field. I’m not a great fan of the flower itself. It just seems a little garish to me. What I admire is its ability to gather a large number of butterfly species in one place for easy viewing.

I don’t know how butterfly vision responds to this display, but if I can see a clump of blooming Butterflyweed from across the field, I’m sure the butterfly can do the same. There was a definite reason for putting butterfly in the plant’s name. If you want to stay in one place and have the butterflies come to you, beside a Butterflyweed is a good place to be. I could sit for hours watching the butterflies come and go.

Edward’s Hairstreaks have made a successful emergence. I saw several over the weekend.

Coral Hairstreaks can’t resist the flowers of the Butterflyweed. The orange spots on the hindwing might indicate the Coral Hairstreak’s preferred color.

The flowers sometimes get a bit crowded. Some butterflies spend long periods of time drinking nectar from these blooms. It’s almost impossible to get a picture of a butterfly that’s not drinking.

Great Spangled Fritillaries are around in moderate numbers. It’s nothing like the masses of fritillaries that emerged in 2009.

Clouded Sulphurs are not yet abundant. They seem to reach their peak later in the summer.

Not all of the butterflies are present as adults. This clump of Butterflyweed averaged two Monarch larvae per stalk. I once found a Monarch larva on a milkweed growing in the fence row of the elementary school. It was the first day of school and also my birthday. I was excited about seeing it, so I told my sixth grade teacher that I had seen a Monarch Butterfly larva. She told me it was correctly referred to as a caterpillar and that it wouldn’t be a butterfly until later. I patiently explained that it was still a butterfly, that it was just another stage of development. There ensued a scholarly debate which culminated in my winning a trip to see the principal. He agreed with my view, but said I should not argue with the teacher. I don’t know how he ever expected her to learn.

Prairie Garden - Mid June

June is when the prairie garden goes through the green weedy stage. Of course I don’t consider it weedy. I call it that because now is when I’m frequently asked why I don’t mow that patch of weeds in the middle of the yard. The most noticeable feature at the moment is the Prairie False Indigo, Baptisia lactea. This tall perennial legume dominates everything, at least as far as height is concerned.

Prairie False Indigo begins growth in the late spring and suddenly shoots up tall spikes that produce creamy white flowers. A healthy plant can reach 6 feet or a little better. The pea-like flowers are attached singly to the central stalk. Leaves develop more slowly, but become an impressive display themselves later in the season. Leaf height is typically half that of the full plant.

It won’t be long before the prairie garden becomes more colorful. Butterflyweed isn’t a common plant in the more established prairies of Blue Jay Barrens, but I scattered a few seeds here to make this project a little more palatable to the uninformed public.

There may not be a lot of color, but the prairie garden is full of interesting plant features. The False Gromwell flower stalks are beginning to unfurl. The curled stalk straightens a little bit with each flower that matures. The entire stalk will be held up straight by the time the seeds are ripe.

Dwarf Plantain, Plantago virginica, is one of those plants that needs open soil in which to grow. Being an annual means that this plantain must produce a good crop of seed in order to guarantee a population next year. It’s odd that the species is so rare here, since there are so many areas of bare ground. Populations don’t seem to last for more than a few years in any one spot before dieing out. The frequency of the plant seems to stay relatively constant, but the locations keep changing.

Except for the absence of dead plant material from last year, you wouldn’t know that this area had been burned in the spring. When left unburned, the old plant residue disappears through the course of the summer as it’s consumed by soil organisms. I wonder how much the soil biota suffers when we deprive them of this organic feast.

The prairie grasses are putting on some rapid growth this spring. Excessive rainfall and above average temperatures seem to really encourage the growth of this Sideoats Gramma.

The Spider Milkweed has managed to produce one seed pod. The Milkweed Bugs are already probing for a taste of the developing seeds.

Another of the uncommon milkweeds, Green Milkweed, Asclepias viridiflora, is preparing to bloom. This is a rather inconspicuous species that only shares its charms with those who are willing to get their eyes up close.