A Field Guide to the North Side of Old Mill Hill, Atlantic Mine, MI
Archive for the ‘Moths’ Category.
Last year I had a picture of an adult Ctenucha virginica, a striking black-and-orange tiger moth with an unpronounceable name. Well, this spring (on May 10), I found the caterpillar of the same species, climbing up a grass stem.
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Back on March 30, there was a rare sunny, not-quite-freezing day, and we took the opportunity to take a walk down the road. On the shoulder of the road, right next to our yard, we spotted this caterpillar:
Continue reading ‘St. Lawrence Tiger Moth Caterpillar (?)’ »
Back in April, while planting some more rhubarb[1], I found this about an inch underground. It had evidently overwintered as a nearly-adult caterpillar
It was still dormant, and wouldn’t unroll for anything. In retrospect, I should have gotten a picture of its back, because it looks like there is a row of black dashes running along the back in this picture, but it is hard to tell for sure with only a side view.
S_ found this one back on June 1. It’s been a while, and she forgets the details of how she found it now[1], but she thinks it was hanging by a thread from one of the apple trees[2]. It was a bit over an inch long.
What’s worse that biting into an apple and finding a worm?
Biting into an apple and finding half a worm![1]
We never spray our apple trees, and so it is pretty common to have little fellas like this in the apples. This is one of the reasons I like to cut an apple into quarters to eat it, instead of just eating it whole. That way, I have a chance to see if there is a worm inside, and to separate it and its “frass”[2] from the part of the apple I want to eat.
Continue reading ‘Codling Moth Caterpillar (Worm from an Apple)’ »
These large moths were pretty plentiful back in June (as in, I saw about a dozen of them this year). This particular one was attracted by the light from our back door at the time. The blue on their body is actually very iridescent (an effect that I have a hard time capturing on camera).
Back in April, this moth was on our front window, and didn’t show any inclination to move. It had a wingspan of a bit under an inch, and as near as I can tell, it is in the genus Eupithecia, based on the way that the wings are held splayed out when at rest, rather than folded over the back. These overwinter as pupae, and so are one of the moth species that appear as adults very early in the season.
They change so much as they grow up!
In the middle of June, S. found this little caterpillar on an aspen tree
This week, we have another one that can be positively identified down to the species. It is an Indian Meal Moth, Plodia interpunctella. These are commonly referred to as a “pantry pest”, and we found this one (surprise, surprise!) in the pantry. They came in to the house originally in some infested birdseed from WalMart, and they’ve been around at a low level ever since. They feed on dry grains, flour, and similar materials.
There are two photos here, because of focusing issues with my setup for small items. The first one has the head in focus, while the second is focused on the trailing edge of the wings.
So, what is this all about anyway? Here’s the deal: We own 9 acres of property, and I’m going to try to document every macroscopic arthropod I can find on it. This includes insects, spiders, other arachnids, crustaceans, and pretty much anything I find that has an exoskeleton. The plan is to post at least one species every week, with photographs and a description both of how I found it and what I think it is. I expect this project to take some years, especially if I can manage to photograph all the eensy little guys that live in the leaf litter. So, in the spirit of having to start somewhere, let’s begin with this one:
