Butterfly Boom at Magee

Red Admiral butterflies were all the talk of the butterfly and bird list-serves two and three weeks ago.

Red-Admiral butterfly

 These little beauties were everywhere.  They were literally "blowing in the wind."  A south wind, or south-west wind had enabled them to emigrate to Ohio in record time.  They had arrived in waves of color and taken up residence everywhere- even at the famous birding trail at Magee.

The understory at Magee is also early this year.  Those warm temps and plentiful degree days pushed our flora into full leaf at a record pace.  It is not just the trees that leafed out, but the vegetation on the ground is well advanced too.

 Watch for these twisted leaves as you botanize and bird this week.  You just may find a surprise inside the leaves of the members of the nettle family.

 I opened up several along the Magee walkway and found small caterpillars feeding inside.  These are the larva stage of the Red Admiral.  Just as the butterflies were prolific a couple of weeks ago, now the caterpillars will be feeding on nettle plants everywhere.

They are about 1/4 inch in size now, but it wont be but a few days and they will double in weight and size. 

Prothonotary Warbler

Just think... they will make wonderful "warbler food" for the last of the spring migrants and the Prothonotary Warblers which annually nest at Magee! No doubt there will be plenty of caterpillars that will make it to adulthood, and I am betting we see another Red Admiral boom in about 4 weeks.

Butterfly Bouquet

Lest you think I have lost my mind and taken up floral arranging on a "botany" blog, hear me out! I have decided to do some home experimentation to find out if Black Swallowtail caterpillars prefer native or non-native plants.

The best way to provide them with a complete selection of host possibilities is to put them in a bouquet. Who says a "nature-nut" can't be a classy gal?

So, if you sit down with a lovely arrangement at my table...

... you might want to know your dinning companions.

This fellow seems to prefer the Queen-Anne's-lace, Daucus carota. Hard to believe such a lovely, delicate flower is considered a noxious weed! The non-native plant arrived in the states with the European settlers and some say it is the genetic ancestor to the carrots they planted. One has to wonder when Black Swallowtail larva decided "lace" can be ... delicious!
...
I'll try to monitor and photograph each of the butterflies-to-be on this bouquet and maybe we can learn something about their food preferences.





Normally, I keep these bouquets in a glass case with a large stick for caterpillars in their crawling stage. The six caterpillars can pretty much consume a bouquet in a couple of days. Fresh- predator free- flora is constantly provided for their enjoyment.
...
Many caterpillar "crops" can turn into a nightmare of larva wandering off, or losses to predators, or other failings. Generally, I prefer to leave the guys in the garden where they belong, but my today curiosity is out of hand.
..
I certainly hope that same curiosity doesn't kill the cats!

Herding Cats

Facebook fans have recently been posting about some of these scary looking caterpillars commonly found in southern Ohio. These boys are voracious and well known for chowing-down on plants in the pipevine family. I saw some tonight on my travels through Adams County...


............................................................ photo Cathy Knoop

...and I am looking forward to finding more Pipevine Swallowtail "cats" this weekend. Pipevine is said to make the butterflies poisonous, and while I do not know which chemical is at play here, I will resist the urge to eat either plant, caterpillar or butterfly on the off chance that "they" are right!

.............................................................photo John Howard

The adult Pipevine is a striking swallowtail. I have planted its host plant in my yard with great hopes for the future.

...................................................................photo Dave Reipenhoff

This crop of caterpillars are steadily working on a willow. Willow is a host plant for several species of butterflies, including the Mourning Cloak (shown above), and Viceroy caterpillars.

.................................................................C. Harner

Mourning Cloak butterflies overwinter as adults and are often the earliest species seen each year. They may seen dull and dark on a quick fly-by, but if you are lucky enough to see one close up, the blue spots and yellow banding make quite a contrast with the dark, sometimes nearly burgundy-tinted hues.

...

Early summer is a great time to look for caterpillars, but remember, even if you find them, it is virtually impossible to herd a "cat"!

Viceroy Cats

Viceroy is one of our better known Ohio butterflies. These denizens of wetlands, their host plant is the willow, are often confused with the similar looking Monarch. Their coloring is the same- providing some safety in mimicry of the toxic Monarch butterfly. Viceroy's are a bit smaller, faster in flight and have the distinctive postmedial line in the hindwing.

And what could be cuter than a kitten? This Viceroy caterpillar is so small-think sunflower seed size here- it is hardly more than a hatchling! Thanks to Kim Kaufman for sharing these amazingly tiny caterpillars with folks visiting the Black Swamp Bird Observatory. Their gift shop carries a huge assortment of desirable insect and natural history books- along with the expected birding accouterments.

Another of Kim's kitties (Viceroy caterpillars) a bit further along in the transformation to butterfly. That bird-dropping camouflage make them devilish hard to find in the wild, and less tasty looking to predators.

This is what the final larval-stage product will look like, four or five instars later.

Check out those horns! This particular jumbo sized (about 1.5 inches) caterpillar was found in Ashland University's wetlands and is found immortalized in the Butterflies and Skippers of Ohio - a handy field guide distributed by the Ohio Division of Wildlife. Call: 1-800-WILDLIFE for your free copy.

Botanical Detectives: Case of the Mysterious Caterpillar

A recent visit to Davis Memorial, a DNAP preserve in Adams County, offered some fine views of many rare and unusual plants, and I hope to cover some of them in the near future. But today's blog focuses on a mystery caterpillar and the way botanical clues can be used to discover its identity.

A prickly looking beasty, isn't it? Sometimes those "stingers" pack a wallop- so my policy is not to touch the scary looking ones. Get Janet to do it!




The best guide for sorting caterpillars is Wagner's, if you don't have it- get it. Even a novice can sort "cats" by these incredible photos. Once you have a little experience you'll know which group to head for, straight away. And learn to rely on the botanical hints in the back of the book. Your caterpillar is on Milkweed? Could be a Monarch or a Tussock Moth.

Our botany, which appeared to be a mint, did not provide a very good clue. Since this caterpillar was quite large- probably last instar- he could be on the walkabout many take just prior to metamorphosis. Don't jump to hasty conclusions, chrysalises are often found on something other than the host plant.

Our mystery solved: The caterpillar's appearance, along with the host plant in the area, plus its preferred location of a swampy area next to a steam, all add up to this beautiful creature.

Photo by John Howard

Look closely- this is not a Pearl Crescent, but rather a Silvery Checkerspot. Sightly larger than the crescent, look for that "open" white spot on the lower wing. This Southern Ohio specialty is being seen more frequently towards the north, and it makes me appreciate the common host plant Wingstem, Verbesina alternafolia just a little bit more!