May 18: Hide or be eaten

Possibly a Painted lichen moth (Hypoprepia fucosa).

I found a familiar little lichen moth caterpillar under a band today, but Dave believes it may be a different species that what I am used to. Last year I mainly found Scarlet-winged lichen moths (Hypoprepia miniata), but this specimen may be a Painted lichen moth (Hypoprepia fucosa). I collected one to rear so I’ll just have to play the waiting game now. Along with that were more Abagrotis and Haploa as well as a little brown geometrid that has not been identified. There have been a number of interesting adult moths resting on or hiding under the burlap too.

Unknown brown geometrid

A Raspberry Bud dagger moth (Acronicta increta)

A Curve-lined Angle (Digrammia continuata).

On my way down the slope, a particularly docile Duskywing offered me a good opportunity to practice close up shots of live lepidoptera with a Raynox macro lens attachment that I’ve acquired since last summer. I got some great pictures and when finally I became too prodding, the skipper took off, but it did something I’ve never seen one do before. Instead of erratically zipping away, it flew up above me to land upside down on a thin tree branch. It then relaxed its wings wrapping them around the branch making the animal blend in reasonably well. This behavior appeared very deliberate and from where I stood, it was hard to focus on the skipper any longer.

A final treat as I neared the bottom of the slope was a decent look at an Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) that was foraging in the treetops. To my great delight, it appears to be eating an invasive winter moth caterpillar (Operophtera brumata) in this picture.

May 16: Tree labeling and first check

Haploa ?clymene on red oak

Kevin and I returned to Great Blue Hill this morning to count and label all the banded trees using small pieces of numbered orange flagging tape. In the process, we checked all the burlap to see if any tenants have yet checked in. These surely are great hiding places because after less than 24 hours of being secured to the oaks trees, the burlap skirts housed a number of caterpillars. These included many Abagrotis sp., a few Haploa ?clymene, one very small Dasychira ?obliquata, and 3 Catocala ilia. The Ilia Underwing caterpillars were a thrill, especially one sizable individual that was a gorgeous pale green lichen mimic. The other two were impressively cryptic against the gray bark they rested on – I can’t imagine I’d find them very easily if they weren’t under the burlap – but the lichen morph was just superb. Aside from that, we also saw a very fresh Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis) that allows some very close photography. The total tree count was 96 white oaks and 49 red oaks which is acceptably close to our target number.

A cryptic Ilia underwing (Catocala ilia) resting on a red oak

A handsome green lichen morph Ilia Underwing (Catocala ilia)

A fresh and friendly Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis)

 

May 15: Burlap banding

We set up the burlap more than two weeks earlier than last year, and I’m quite hopeful it will pay off. Our efforts last spring showed that this is a successful method for sampling oak-feeding hairstreak larvae (see posts from June 1 and June 5). Again, our target was about 150 total trees, all white and red oaks of varying ages/diameters. With two teams of two, we were able to band nearly that many in under 3 hours. The banded trees will be counted and flagged with numbered orange tape tomorrow.

Dave and Katie banding a white oak with burlap.

Kevin slitting the burlap to create three easily liftable flaps per tree.

As we tromped through the underbrush, we saw the many tent caterpillars (Malacosoma americana) lazily emerging from their silken strongholds to ravage the cherry trees they were laid on. I also saw about 10 Pine Elfins (Callophrys niphon), 3 Tiger Swallowtails (Papilio glaucus), 2 Black Swallowtails (Papilio polynexes), a good number of Juvenal’s Duskywings (Erynnis juvenalis), 3 Garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) and Kevin chanced upon a late instar Red-spotted Purple larva (Limenitis arthemis) feeding on scrub oak. The most unusual find of the day was a sleek black spider with bright red markings on its abdomen. Could it be?! Yes, a black widow! A Northern Black Widow (Latrodectus variolus) we believe. Not as deadly as its famed and feared southern counterpart (Latrodectus mactans), but still capable of an unpleasant bite. One good reason to watch your step if you venture off the trails.

A cluster of Easter tent caterpillars (Malacosoma americana) feeding on black cherry (Prunus serotina).

Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophrys niphon)

Late instar Red-spotted Purple larva (Limenitis arthemis) feeding on scrub oak (Quercus ilicifolia).

Female Northern Black Widow (Latrodectus variolus).

May 10, 2014: A Leisurely Reconnaissance Stroll

Spring has finally returned after a particularly stubborn winter. Frogs and birds have resumed command of the airwaves, butterflies and insects are on the wing, and the hillsides and treetops are growing greener by the minute. Fieldwork for the Oak Hairstreak study will commence by next week with an early deployment of burlap bands on oak trees. We were a little late last year, so this spring we plan to band the trees quite early. I decided to take a leisurely trip with a friend to Blue Hills ski area to make some phenological observations of the floral and faunal progress.

White Oak (Quercus alba)

Scrub Oak (Quercus ilicifolia)

Red Oak (Quercus rubra)

The oak trees are slowly leafing out; the reds seem the furthest along in most places. As we walked along, I found a few burlap bands that I missed last year and one of them was hosting an impressive Giant Leopard Moth caterpillar (Hypercompe scribonia) preparing to pupate.  I’m amazed at the diversity of caterpillars, insects, and other arthropods that will take refuge under a simple strip of burlap attached to a tree. For any caterpillar aficionados out there, I would highly suggest burlap banding as a simple and fruitful way of observing a good variety of species. Leave it up for a full year and you’ll see suites of different taxa.

Giant Leopard Moth caterpillar (Hypercompe scribonia)

As for butterflies, I saw a good number of Eastern Pine Elfins (Callophrys niphon) on the wing. There is a blossoming apple tree among the pines along one of the trails down the hill (approx.: 42°13’1.62″N, 71° 6’54.48″W) that is a good place to view them. The familiar Juvenal’s Duskywings (Erynnis juvenalis) are also flitting about.

Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis)