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)
Oak Hairstreak Study 