Saturday Hunting: Interesting Discoveries at Bois D’Arc Conservation Area

Saturday Hunting: Interesting Discoveries at Bois D’Arc Conservation Area
Text and photos by Kevin Firth, July 1, 2012

Hi Gang: I got up early Saturday and went to Bois D’Arc. It was a weird day. In three hours of walking, I did not see a single swallowtail, adult or larva. I don’t think that has ever happened at this time of year. The largest leps I saw were Great Spangled Frits. Even the Pearl Crescents were pretty scarce. But it wasn’t a total loss, I did see some interesting stuff.

The most unusual was this female Synanthedon exitiosa, the Peach Tree Borer, an obvious wasp mimic. This species is sexually dimorphic, the males lacking the broad orange band on the abdomen. The BAMONA coordinator for Missouri tells me that the males come readily to baits, but the females are rarely seen.

Photo #1

 

 

 

 

 

 
I also found a freshly-eclosed Hemaris diffinis, Snowberry Clearwing, which was nice because it was not yet ready to fly and therefore sat still for me while I got some pictures. Not that the wings are not clear–they are still covered in scales. When these moths first eclose, they still have scales on the wings. Once they begin to fly, the scales quickly fall off.

Photo #2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Next, I noticed some skeletonized leaves on a Hackberry tree and went to investigate. When I turned the leaves over, I discovered a group of several dozen Emperor larvae, Asterocampa spp.. They are too small at this point to tell if they are Hackberry Emperors (Asterocampa celtis) or Tawny Emperors (Asterocampa clyton)–they are about 1/4 inch. Normally ubiquitous at this time of year, I have seen very few Emperors this year, so I brought these guys home with me. I figured that I might be able to improve their rate of survival.

One species that I did see in abundance was the Red-Banded Hairstreak, Calycopis cecrops:

Photo #3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The caterpillars feed on sumac and they overwinter in the caterpillar stage.

I also found a few prominent caterpillars on oak:

Photo #4

 

 

 

 
These are probably Lochmaeus spp. I hope to raise them into adults, when I can be a little more certain of an ID.

I also found several Tussock larvae on Honey Locust. The first is Orgyia leucostigma, the White-Marked Tussock:

Photo #5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The second I am not sure of. It looks to be Dasychira spp., but I cannot at this point determine the species:

Photo #6

 

 

 

 

 
I’m not sure why I found them on Locust, though most Tussocks are polyphagous. I am offering them Honey and Black Locust, Indigo, oak, and birch. Hopefully that will be enough of a smorgasbord that they will find something they like.

Finally, I took a few non-lep photos. The first is a Katydid (Pterophylla camellifolia) that kindly sat still for me:

Photo #7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
This is a carrion beetle, Necrophila americana. I was amused when I looked this one up in my Audubon Field Guide, which lists its habitat as “Wherever carrion is found”.

Photo #8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
All the best, Kevin Firth