Past Species of the Week: Insects

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June 3, 2010: Silver-bordered Fritillary - Boloria selene

The Silver-bordered Fritillary began emerging on the meadows a couple weeks ago, as reported to wisconsinbutterflies.org.

On Crex Meadows, this is the most common of the Fritillary butterflies and can be found in most open locations. Road sides are frequented by these nectaring frits, most often in moister areas. In 2008 Crex Meadows had an explosion of Silver-bordered Fritillary, with hundreds at single locations, including along Main Dike road near the pump house. The flowers in the ditches below eye sight held even more of these little beauties, with several Silver-bordered fritillary on each flower. In 2009 their numbers were much smaller, but this was only noticeable because of the previous years massive numbers.

This butterfly is found in the northern 1/3 of the United States. It is also reported in Europe across into Korea. It is known as the Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary in Europe. It is possible that DNA testing may prove these to be two separate species.

Smaller than the later Fritillary on Crex Meadows, the Silver-bordered Fritillary has a wing span of 1 3/8 - 2 1/8 inches (3.5 - 5.4 cm) but usually under the 2 inch mark on Crex Meadows. From above, this butterfly is most likely confused with the Meadow Fritillary. Its markings above are also similar to the other frits on Crex, but those butterflies are much larger in general.

From below, the silver-bordered Fritillary should not be confused for any other of the Crex Meadows butterflies.

Like most of our Fritillary butterflies, the caterpillar use violet leaves as its food source.

 http://tdserver1.fnal.gov/peterson/tom/Butterflies/SilverBorderedFritillary.html

May 9, 2010: Colletes inaequalis

 North America has over 4,000 species of bees working hard to pollinate our plants.  Wandering around the meadows, I have seen few honeybees, but many native species. Here's just one of those native bees that you will find on Crex Meadows.

One of the first bees of spring, Colletes inaequalis, one of the Cellophane bees; often will be found in groups of 5 - 20 bees foraging for minerals on the ground, or as individuals gathering pollen.  Like many of our native bees, this one is just as interested in the pollen as it is the nectar.  Depending on the weather, its appearance at the meadows will be mid-late April.  This can be helpful for identification of the bees identity, if its seen early in the spring.  Their flight range has been reported to be from .5 to 1.2 miles from their nest.

This bee has the overall shape and size of a honey bee, approximately 0.08 inch in length.  Eric Eaton of bugguide.net remarks " . . . they (the Colletes genus) are virtually indistinguishable from some of the Andrenidae mining bees. Colletes are honey bee size, and have dramatic black and white banding on the abdomen. Some andrenids have similar markings, but are usually slightly smaller. Colletes tend to nest in dense aggregations, while andrenids are not usually as populous."

These bees are solitary, but as Eric Eaton points out, they will nest in dense aggregations, mostly in sandy soils.  The burrows are dug and individual cells are created for the eggs to grow and overwinter.  The cell construction is where the reference "cellophane bees" comes from. The female bee secretes a clear, waterproof coating for the cell, and deposits an egg and the pollen and nectar to feed the larvae. Then the cell is sealed and she continues to make new cells for more eggs.

April 28, 2010: Olympia Marble Euchloe olympia

Also known as Rosy Marbles in some butterfly circles, the proper name is Olympia Marble. These butterflies of early spring are often the first butterflies to appear. They do not hibernate as some of the anglewings do; these butterflies hatch out of their chrysalis soon after the snow melts.

This is one of the smallest whites you will find in Wisconsin.  Their average wing span is 1 3/8 - 2 inches (3.5 - 5.1 cm) with most staying on the small end of that range in the Crex Meadows area.  The month of May is when you will see the majority of these guys in flight, dependent on how soon spring breaks each year.
 
They can be challenging to photograph, not setting down long to nectar from the few flowers available this early in the season.  Sometimes just waiting in one spot will allow a patrolling Olympia Marble to finally decide to land for a bit after circling an area for 5-10 minutes. They are low fliers, seldom higher than 4 feet off the ground and most often within 1-3 feet off the ground.

Their caterpillars food source are various rock cresses (Arabis species) in the mustard family.

April 17 2010: Green Stink Bug Chinavia hilaris

The adult Green Stink Bug is 13-18 millimeters long (about a half of an inch).  It's body is bright green, about the same color as fresh green spring leaves, which works well as camouflage against predators.  The shape of the body resembles a shield, and the head is squarish, with black and red antanae.  The adult and the nymph has large stink glands on the underside of the thorax, which can discharge gooey, smelly liquid when disturbed, another protection from predation. 

Green stink bugs feed on the juices of plants, including liquids from the stems, flowers, fruits and leaves, most of the year.  They also feed on seeds and the actual plant material , and can damage seed crops and fruit crops alike. 

April 3. 2010: Slender Clearwing Moth Hemaris gracilis

One of the hummingbird moths, this one is a special treat to see. It is fast moving and not common in its known range. Wisconsin lists it as a special concern species with known locations mostly in the northeastern part of Wisconsin. This Slender Clearwing was photographed June 19, 2009 on Crex Meadows. All three hummingbird moths found in Wisconsin have been found on the meadows too!  The Slender Clearwing is the smallest of the three.

Its caterpillars are reported to feed on blueberry and laurel making its host plants readily available on Crex Meadows.  This butterfly is not much longer than a puccoon flower as you can see in the photograph. I photographed this individual at 5pm. It hovered for a bit, looking at me, then shot straight up into the air about 15 feet and took off out of sight. I could not find it again.

The Slender clearwing is most likely to be confused with the Hummingbird clearwing. The best way to identify the Slender clearwing is a good look at the band of reddish color running from the eye (darker there) through its legs (much redder under the wings). This band will be reddish like the wing tips are, but you need a good look for this identification. Without a camera, I would not have been able to identify this moth.  Another way of identification is the leg color.  The legs of the Slender clearwing are reddish, but the front legs may look a bit white like the legs of the Hummingbird clearwing. Some people say the band of red running over the top of the abdomen is another identification point, but this would be less clear in worn individuals.   The inside border of the forewing is also much smoother than in the other two Clearwing moths.

June 27 - July 3, 2009: Dogbane Beetle Chrysochus auratus

Order Coleoptera (Beetles) Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles) Superfamily Chrysomeloidea (Long-horned and Leaf Beetles) Family Chrysomelidae (Leaf Beetles) Subfamily Eumolpinae Genus Chrysochus Species auratus (Dogbane Beetle)

This tiny (about 3/8 to 1/2 inch long), iridescent beetle feeds mainly on plants in the genus Apocynum, herbaceous plants we refer to as dogbane, as well as milkweeds. 

The dogbane plant like its relative, the milkweed, is full of highly poisonous compounds known as cardenolides. These compounds are toxic to a variety of animals including humans. Cardenolides are also known as cardiac glycosides and they can have profound and lethal effects on the heart if ingested. It is likely that these compounds evolved to keep leaf-munching animals from eating dogbane. The clever Chrysocus has the ability of eat the leaves of dogbane and not be poisoned. Instead it ingests the cardiac glycosides, stores them in glands, and then secretes them when threatened by its own predators. It is believed that these toxic compounds confer protection from hungry predators that would otherwise devour Chrysocus. The conspicuous color and tendency for the beetle to feed and rest in full sight of its enemies are probably the beetle's way of advertising its nasty chemical defense.

It is about 3/8 to 1/2 inch long.  The scientific name Chrysocus auratus is derived from the Latin root that means “made of gold” and obviously refers to the fantastic metallic hues of blue, green, gold, and red on surface of the beetle.  The dogbane leaf beetle has a special type of color that shines and changes as the insect changes position or as we change position while looking at it. The beetles' iridescence is produced by special body structures and light. The surface of the body parts of this beetle is made up of stacks of tiny, slanting plates, under which is a pigment (substance that produces color). Some light rays reflect from the surface of the plates, and other light rays reflect from the pigment underneath. At different angles, the light reflects at different speeds, causing interference that result in our seeing different colors that shine.

This species is presented by a Friend of Crex, mn_windchill.  You can find more from her at http://sci.windwolf.org/crexMain.htm

Black Swallowtail Papilio polyxenes

Wing span: 3 1/4 - 4 1/4 inches (8 - 11 cm).

Larvae feed on plants of the carrot family (Apiaceae = Umbelliferae). Commonly found on Dill, Parsley and Fennel in gardens, and Queen-Anne's-Lace in the wild.

Female lays eggs singly on leaves and flowers of the host, which are then eaten by hatching larvae. Hibernates as a chrysalis.

Habitat: Open areas, meadows, fields, and gardens where caterpillar host plants grow.

This species is presented by a Friend of Crex, mn_windchill.  You can find more from her at http://sci.windwolf.org/crexMain.htm

Silvery Blue Glaucopsyche lygdamus

The various Blues have begun to show themselves in the last two weeks with numbers increasing as warm days lengthen.

It is difficult to separate males from females in this particular species, but the various websites indicate the females are darker with a wider black band.

Wing span: 7/8 - 1 1/4 inches (2.2 - 3.2 cm).

Caterpillar hosts: Members of the legume family including Astragalus, Lotus, Lupinus, Melilotus, Oxytropis, Lathyrus, and Vicia.

Caterpillars feed on flowers, seedpods, and young leaves and are tended by ants; fully-grown caterpillars hibernate.

The Blues present a difficult challenge to photograph with wings open most days. What seems to work is being ready to take a picture soon after the butterfly lands.

Large groups of Blues tend to show open more frequently.

2008

(July 5-11, 2008) American CopperLycaena phlaeas (Gossamer-wing Family Lycaenidae)

 The American Copper is a small butterfly with a 1 to 1 1/8 inch wingspan.  The forewing is orange with black median stripes and black spots in the center.  The hindwing is mostly black or dark gray with an orange submarginal stripe with black spots along the edges.  Underneath, the forewing is light orange with white-encircled black spots.  Males and females are similar.

American Coppers have two to three broods each year in this area.  The flight periods are from late May to mid September.  It overwinters as a chrysalis under leaves and rocks.  It's favorite foods as a caterpillar are curly dock and sheep sorrel.  The adults prefer clovers, yarrow, orange hawkweed, ox-eyed daisy, buttecups, goldenrods and black-eyed susans. 

(June 21-27) American LadyVanessa virginiensis (Brushfoot Family Nymphalidae)

 The American Lady is a medium-sized butterfly with a 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 inch wingspan.  It is orange-black above and gray and pink below.  The forewing is orange with black median spots that are not connected.  The hindwing is mostly orange with four black submarginal connected spots.  Underneath, the forewing has a large pink patch and the hindwing has two large "eyespots" within a mask-like pattern.  There is a saying about this butterfly "American Ladies have big eyes and an open mind" which refers to the large pale patch inward from the eyespots. 

The similar Painted Lady lacks the black spots on the upper hindwing and has four eyespots on the lower hindwing, as well as a different overall orange and black pattern on the forewing above. 

American Ladies have two to three broods each year in this area.  The flight periods are from early May to mid June and again Mid July to October.  It overwinters as a chrysalis.  It's favorite foods as a caterpillar are pussytoes, burdock and everlasting.  The adults prefer clovers, fleabane, chokecherries, lilac, milkweeds, hawkweed, asters, and goldenrods.  Newly emerged males often congregate at puddles.

(June 14-20) Rusty Snaketail Ophiogomphus rupinsulensis (Clubtail Family Gomphidae)

 The rusty snaketail is a medium-sized (2 inches long) dragonfly with a bright green thorax with small, brown shoulder stripes and no bold side stripes, only a small, dark, incomplete thoracic stripe.  The abdomen is brown without distinct top spots, and appears rust colored in flight.  The face and occiput are green. 

This dragonfly prefers clear, moving streams and rivers.  It prefers grassy open banks for perching.  Juveniles are often seen in forest openings (this one was probably a juvenile as it was a bit out of it's normal habitat) while adults perch on rocks and twigs along the riverways.

2007

(August 25-31)  Atlantis Fritllary, Speyeria atlantis (Brushfoot family Nymphalidae)

The Atlantis Fritillary is a medium-sized fritllary with a 2 to 2 3/4 inch wingspan.  They are orange above with numerous black lines and spots through out the wing black wing margins.  Males have darkened veins.  The lower wing is mostly orange with some black spots and orange spots near the tips of the otherwise black edges.  As with most of the other fritillaries, there is a very light edging to both wings, more yellow than white in this case.  The back of the wings appear light brown with black spots towards the body above and white spots below.  The outer white spots are triangular in shape, and the light sub marginal band is much narrower than in the Great-Spangled Fritillary and absent in the others. 

The Atlantis Fritillary has one brood each summer with a flight period from mid-June through August.  It overwinters as a caterpillar.  It feeds on several common flower species, incuding common milkweed, Joe-Pye weed, thistles, knapweed, hawkweed, and several others. 

(August 18-24)  Goldenrod Crab Spider, Misumena vatia (Crab Spider Family Thomisidae) flower spider

The Goldenrod Crab Spider is a small spider, females grow up to 10 millimeters and males to 5 millimeters. Females are white or yellow (they change color based on the flower they are on), and males are brown.  They are most commonly found on goldenrod, primrose, and asters.

The color change that occurs in females is quite fascinating.  It is made possible by secreting a liquid yellow pigment into the outer cell layer of the body. On a white base, this pigment is transported into lower layers, so that inner glands become visible. If the spider dwells longer on a white plant, the yellow pigment is often excreted. It will then take the spider much longer to change to yellow, because it will have to produce the yellow pigment first. The color change is induced by visual feedback; spiders with painted eyes were found to have lost this ability.  The color change from white to yellow takes between 10 to 25 days, the reverse about six days.

Crab spiders are also commonly called "flower spiders" because they are most often found on flowers, lying in ambush for prey. Crab spiders do not build webs to trap prey, but are active hunters much like the jumping spiders (Salticidae).

They are called crab spiders because of their first two pairs of legs, which are held out to the side giving them (with their flattened, angular bodies) a crab-like appearance. Also, like crabs, these spiders move sideways and backward more easily than forward¹¹.

(August 4-10)  Hummingbird Clearwing, Hemaris thysbe (Sphinx or Hawk Moth Family Sphingidae) a.k.a Hummingbird Moth, Lobster Moth

The Hummingbird Clearwing is a large moth that resembles a hummingbird in flight (although it is smaller than the bird)  It lack scales on the wings except for a dark border around the edge, giving rise to the common name for this moth group, clearwing moths. The hummingbird clearwing has a furry greenish-yellow or tan body with a wide reddish-brown band across the abdomen, and a wingspan of 1½ to 2¼ inches.  It's tail resembles a lobster's tail, explaining another of it's nicknames.

Hummingbird Clearwings feed on nectar-producing flowers during the day, unlike many other moths.  It has a long proboscis which it uses to gather the nectar.  The proboscis coils up when not in use. 

These moths have one generation in this northern region, but have two in the southern parts of it's range.  Adults can be seen throughout the summer here.  The caterpillar is green and hairless with a horn at it's rear.  It's chrysalis is a dark-brown, thin walled cucoon.

Hummingbird Clearwings may be found feeding on Joe-Pye-Weed, Coneflowers, Bee Balm, and other flowers that hummingbirds would be found at. 

(July 7-20) Monarch Butterfly Danaus plexippus (Brushfoot Family Nymphalidae)

The monarch is the most well-known butterfly in the mid-west.  It has a wingspan of 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches, an overall orange color with black patterned veins and edges.  White spots along the edges of the wing complete the monarch's costume.  The make is told from the female only by a small oval spot on it's hindwing (this one is a male - see the spot where the arrow is pointing to). 

The monarch is told from it's smaller mimic, the Viceroy, by it's size and wing pattern.  The Viceroy has a solid black line vertical line from the top to the bottom of the wing. 

Spring Monarchs arrive from the south usually in mid-May.  Their first brood of caterpillars by mid-June and pupates in  July.  The next generation of caterpillars appear by mid-August and pupate in late August.  They begin their migration south in September.  They overwinter in the Sierra Madre Mountains of central Mexico. As they move north again, they lay eggs in Texas.  This generation is the one that migrates to this area in May. 

The Monarch caterpillar's favorite food is milkweed, which is abundant in this area.  Adults feed on milkweed and many other flowering plants that grow abundantly here, such as Joe-Pye Weed, Knapweed, thistles, sunflowers, asters, and the many varieties of Blazing Star.  Watch for them along the many roadsides throughout all of our wildlife areas.

(July 7-20) Halloween Pennant Celithemis eponina (Skimmer Family Libelluludae, Genus Celithemis; small skimmers)

Named for it's black and orange/yellow wings, the Halloween Pennant is a small dragonfly that grows to an average 1.5 inches long.  Mature males and some females have a orange-red face and body markings, and most females have yellow marks.  No other band-winged species has the tinted wings that this dragonfly has, so it is difficult to mis-identify the Halloween Pennant.  It's flight is bouncy and butterfly-like.  It seems to enjoy flying on windy days when other dragonflies seek shelter.  They are even active in light rain and on cooler days. 

Halloween Pennants can be found usually near water where they lay their eggs into the water, even on windy days.  The mated pair flies straight up into the air fifty feet before speeding to the water to drop their eggs.  They often feed and forage away from water in grassy areas.  Look for this dragonfly throughout Crex Meadows.

(June 30 - July 6)  Twelve-spotted Skimmer Libellula pulchella (Libellulidae family (skimmers))

 The Twelve-spotted Skimmer is a medium sized dragonfly, about 2 inches long.  It has three large, black patches on each wing.  The males also have white patches between the black patches on all four wings and at the base of each hindwing.

Male Twelve-spotted Skimmer's flight is accented by bursts of speed and sudden hovering stops, followed by a hasty retreat in a completely different direction⁸.  They fly irregular patrols and drive off all other dragonflies of all species that enter it's territory.  They guard the female while she is laying her eggs (ovipositing), otherwise other males may harass her.  The female lays it's eggs by tapping it's tail onto the water above vegetation.

The Twelve-spotted Skimmer is a common dragonfly in our area, preferring waterways with marshy borders and soft bottoms.  Look for the Twelve-spotted Skimmer feeding near water throughout Crex Meadows and Fish Lake Wildlife Areas.

(June 23-29)  Great Spangled Fritillary Speyeria cybele (Brushfoot family Nymphalidae)

Great Spangled Fritillary is the largest of all fritillaries with a 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inch wingspan.  They are orange above with black stripes and spots through out the wing and white or silver spots at the edges of the wing.  The inner part of the wing closest to the body is darker.  The hind wing is orange to light brown with light brown markings and white spots.  There is a light yellow band towards the outer edge of the hindwing.

This Fritillary differs from others similar to it mainly by it's larger size and the hind wing's yellow band.  The Aphrodite Fritillary has a much darker band at the outer edge of the hind wing and lacks the darker coloring near the body.  The Atlantis Fritillary has a solid black border on the outer edge of the wing.

The males emerge first, in late June and early July, and the females emerge about 4 weeks later.  The ones in the above photo are most likely two males.

Look for Great Spangled Fritillary feeding on milkweeds throughout Crex Meadows and Fish Lake Wildlife Areas.

(June 16-22)  Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Brushfoot family Nymphalidae)

The Mourning Cloak is a sap-eating butterfly with Black wings lined with blue dots and a light yellow to white band around the lower wings.  It's wingspan measures 3-4 inches long. 

This is one of the earliest butterflies seen each year and can be spotted throughout the spring, summer and fall.  It has one brood each season.  Adults hibernate in hollow logs, woodpiles or loose bark through winter and mate in April and May.  Their young emerge in late June and alternately feed and estivate (go into dormancy) in July and August.  They wake again in late August and September and feed again until late fall when they go into hibernation or migrate south.  Mourning Cloaks are one of the longest-lived butterflies, living up to 11 months. 

Look for Mourning Cloaks in the wooded areas in Crex Meadows and other GLG-managed properties.

(June 9-15)  Canadian Tiger Swallowtail Papilio canadensis (Swallowtail family Papilionidae)

The Canadian Tiger Swallowtail is a beautiful yellow butterfly with a 3-4 inch wingspan.  It has black striping that resembles tiger stripes at the forewing and broad black striping around the outer wings with blue and red spots at the tail.  Swallowtails are so-named for the "swallow-like" long tail that most other butterflies lack.

The Canadian Tiger Swallowtail and it's closely related cousin, the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail are nearly identical, and their range overlaps in this part of Wisconsin.  They will sometimes mate and produce hybrids where they overlap.  One of the major differences between the two species is that the Canadian Tiger produces only one brood each year while the Eastern Tiger produces two.  A yellow swallowtail observed in August here is most likely the Eastern Tiger, but May through July it could be either.  The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is larger than the Canadian Tiger, and there are subtle differences in markings.  Both species overwinter as a chrysalis.

Look for Canadian Tiger Swallowtails feasting on Hoary Puccoon or many of the other wildflowers growing throughout all of the GLG-managed properties. 

See main Species of the Week page for references.

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