Surprise, Surprise!

I knew there were still some out there, but was totally surprised when I spotted this monarch caterpillar on a particular woody milkweed plant where I rarely find any!

Soon, he will pupate, and after less than two weeks in his chrysalis, will emerge as a strikingly beautiful orange and black winged adult. Those wings will carry him thousands of miles down to his overwintering home in Mexico. --LKR

Releasing Monarchs

This is one of the last batches of monarchs we released, this year. They will be migrating down to Mexico to overwinter. Those that survive the long trip, as well as the winter months, will begin to head back north. Along the way, they will mate, lay eggs, and die. Their offspring will be the ones that continue the journey north. --LKR

Garden Visitors

You're going to have to click on this to see it better. What you will find is a hummingbird clearwing moth along with some sort of bee nectaring on phlox. Enjoy! --LKR

Bindweed Moth Caterpillars

I'm not sure which moth caterpillar this is, but I found them irresistible!

While weeding, I found these adorable, fuzzy moth caterpillars. Their host plant is bindweed, so there is some purpose for leaving some for these critters, although this vine is terribly invasive.I remember being astonished as one of these cats turned brown, then quickly spun a cocoon. I later found brown ones like these in the same spot in my garden, also on bindweed. I'm not 100% positive..., but these two fuzzy cats may be the same. Variations in same species caterpillars can be quite striking. I'm posting this to 1) see if anyone knows for sure, or 2) check in 2009 if this proves true!Here's one cocoon that's spun with silk and the hairs from the caterpillar's body.Voila!!! Isn't this a beautiful little moth? --LKR

Harlequin Moth Caterpillars

I just love these colorful little caterpillars! I find them almost every year as I'm searching for Monarch eggs and larvae, or gathering Milkweed to feed my babies.

These beautiful Harlequin moth caterpillars are communal feeders, whose eggs have been laid in large masses under a leaf of the Milkweed plant. They quickly skeletonize one leaf at a time and compete for food with the Monarch larvae.

Once they get to be about this size, they split up, feeding on nearby Milkweed plants. When they've matured, they crawl off their host plant. After finding a suitable spot (whatever that might be to a little caterpillar!) they begin spinning their cocoons along with surrounding debris and the hairs off their bodies. If they get loose in our house, they use dog fur!

Once they emerge as moths, they are known as the Milkweed Tiger Moth. We do not release any of these moths into the wild, but allow them live out their lives, destroying any eggs they may have laid. --LKR

Molting Monarchs

Have you ever watched a caterpillar molt or shed its skin? It's really cool! These are monarch caterpillars, but all species of butterfly and moth larvae do this at least five times.

First they spin a silken pad under themselves.Then, in muscular movements, after they've pumped enough fluid between the old and new skin, they wriggle out, head first.The head capsule soon falls off (the caterpillar often has to rub or knock it off), revealing a lighter face that will darken within a couple of hours. Usually, after it's "rested", the caterpillar will turn around and eat its old skin. Not all species do this, and not all species that usually do this will eat their skin every time.

The last time they molt, the pupa is revealed. Most moths, and only a few butterflies, will first spin a cocoon, pupating shortly after the cocoon has been constructed.

It's truly fascinating to watch! --LKR

American Painted Lady Eggs

The past few days, I've been collecting American painted lady eggs off of everlastings that are growing wild in our lawn. You can enlarge the image to see the little green eggs on these leaves.

Not once have I seen these butterflies flitting about, but obviously they are around! Soon these will hatch, grow, pupate, and emerge, and we will have more of these beautiful orange butterflies to enjoy!

A photo of an adult American Painted lady can be seen here: http://lezasleps.blogspot.com/2007/09/some-vanessa-butterflies.html

--LKR

Sphinx Moth

I couldn't believe it! My hubby went out early this Father's Day morning to get a paper at the local gas station before church, and came home with a moth!!! Of course, I was delighted! Hubby was afraid someone would step on or otherwise harm it. Hummm, this sounds reminiscent to my dobsonfly post!!! You can read about that here: http://naturemom.blogspot.com/search/label/Dobsonfly

Anyway, the above is what he brought home. Yup, a beautiful sphinx moth!!! You can tell by the thin antennae that it's a female. Males have wider, more feathery antennae that pick up the pheromone scent produced by females.

It's true identity is still unknown. The closest sphinx species it resembles is the big poplar sphinx moth, but they have not been recorded--or updated--as being this far east. --LKR

Monarch Eggs and Caterpillars

This morning, I found a creamy white colored monarch egg under one of the leaves of a small milkweed plant's leaf. Hearing of possible drenching rains in the forecast for later on, today, I headed over to the fields down our street on a mission to save other monarchs!!!

My youngest daughter came along to help gather up more. Pictured above are the 19 eggs we found in about an hour. We also found 15 very young caterpillars. At the beginning of the summer months, I used to check our milkweed garden two to three times a day for newly laid eggs. If I didn't get them first, the ants and spider mites often did!

These are first instar caterpillars. An instar is the period between molts. Caterpillars molt, or shed their skin, several times as they grow, just like a snake does.

These two larvae hatched a few days apart from each other. These two larvae are getting ready to shed their skin.

Smaller larvae are often found hidden among the newer, tightly packed leaves at the top of the milkweed.

This is how we've raised most species of butterflies for well over a decade with great success. (This method should not be used for swallowtails.) Eggs, as well as the first two instars of a caterpillar's life, need more humidity or they often quickly dry up and die. However third, fourth, and fifth instar larvae easily pick up diseases and die if kept in this much humidity.
--LKR

A Monarch Sighting!!!

Finally!!!

It seemed like forever, but our monarch butterflies are finally back!!!

This beautiful female fed from the flowers of chives found in one our butterfly gardens. She stayed here for a long, long time. When I stopped watching her feed and started walking away, she'd fly over to wherever I was going! This happened several times to the point where I began to feel like she was stalking me!!! But, I don't mind. I love having them back here in Eau Claire!
--LKR

Tent Caterpillars

Isn't this lovely?
As a child, tent caterpillars were among one of my favorites. I found, and still find, this colorful, fuzzy, predominantly iridescent blue caterpillar irresistible!

Driving six hours across the state of Pennsylvania, one year, was an eerie sight. Many small, leafless, lifeless looking trees had several of the familiar silken tent structures hanging in them. In large numbers, tent caterpillars can defoliate small trees, but rarely kill them unless these have already been compromised in other ways like having been through a drought or repeated defoliation.

This year, I brought in two small nests taken off of our sand cherry tree to raise indoors. The larvae have been fed sucker shoots growing from the bottom of this tree, so it's no great loss. This tree was in no danger of being defoliated. I brought these caterpillars in for several reasons, one being to see how many actually make it to adulthood (the moth stage). Many may be parasitized since they've spent most of their larval lives in the wild.

I must stress that I do not ever release insects considered pests back out into the wild. Instead, I allow them to grow, mature, and reach adulthood to observe them, but destroy any eggs that are laid.
--LKR

Tomato Hornworm

This is the time of year tomatoes are typically started by seed in our home. Many more are planted than we can use with the hopes of sharing them with a usually undesirable pest: the tomato hornworm, known as the Five-Spotted Hawk Moth in its adult stage.

These moths, part of the Spingidae family, have a wing-span of 4-5 inches. They are commonly called "hummingbird", "hawk", or sphinx" moths.

It's hard to believe, but I only ever remember seeing one of these my whole entire life. My mother would find them on our tomato plants and squish them before I could ever see--and rescue--them. The one pictured here is one that was found on a potted tomato plant of ours several years ago in IL.

We overwintered this little guy in a pot of soil on our front porch, and sadly, he never emerged. --LKR