A Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) in a characteristic hunting posture. The bird is searching for its major prey, the caterpillars of moths. It has its head cocked upwards, searching the lower surfaces of the leaves above, as that's where many caterpillars hide during the day. Lepidopteran larvae - and those are OVERWHELMING moth caterpillars (not butterfly caterpillars) - are the vireo's major food source. During a long summer day, the roughly 130 million Red-eyed Vireos breeding in the U.S. and Canada consume something on the order of 4 billion caterpillars. Hard to believe but based on what is known of their foraging rate and dominant prey items, that's how the numbers shake out.A Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) with a freshly harvested caterpillar (unsure of species). Almost all of the 38 warbler species that breed in eastern North America eats scads of caterpillars, and so do most groups of songbirds. So do some nonpasserine species, most notably the cuckoos. Many of these birds are migrants that winter in more southerly haunts, often in Central or South America, and migrate northward during the breeding season to exploit the eastern deciduous forest region's vast bounty of caterpillars. As this is crop is only seasonally available, many of these bird species must travel back to warmer climes for the winter - where they undoubtedly also consume great numbers of caterpillars.
A romp through the diverse flora and fauna of Ohio. From Timber Rattlesnakes to Prairie Warblers to Lakeside Daisies to Woodchucks, you'll eventually see it here, if it isn't already.
Friday, September 13, 2024
Camo caterpillars and the birds that eat them
Monday, September 9, 2024
Epic caterpillaring results in many cool finds
Dozens of species of caterpillars were found and photographed, including this Cherry Dagger (Acronicta hasta). We brought lots of livestock back to the Arc's forest museum - our base camp - and from 10 am - 2 pm the public is invited in. Dozens of people got to see crazy larvae that they likely never knew existed. One should not underestimate the value of moth larvae (which the overwhelming number of caterpillars are). They are the primary organisms that convert plant matter into a digestible form of protein for birds and myriad other animals and underpin food webs.
We certainly do not ignore the occasional butterfly caterpillar that turns up, and this was a particularly interesting one. It is the caterpillar of the Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), which specializes on feeding upon species in the Pea Family (Fabaceae). These cats resemble Mike & Ike candies and are tiny and easily overlooked.
This one is feeding on a tick-trefoil in the genus Desmodium. Many hikers know this group of plants by their triangular loments (fruit) that are thickly beset with stout hooked hairs. They evolved for mammalian dispersal, and that includes the clothing worn by humans. Those loments can be tough to get off and will even survive trips through the washing machine.
Here's what that Gray Hairstreak caterpillar in the previous image will (hopefully) morph into - one of our showiest butterflies. I say "hopefully" because the survivorship of caterpillars is astonishingly low. Just about everything wants to eat them and for some species of moths, at least, probably only one percent or so of caterpillars make it through the complete life cycle and to the mature reproductive stage. The rest become part of a great food chain. To compensate for such high mortality, butterflies and moths lay enormous numbers of eggs; a carpet-bombing strategy if you will.Monday, September 2, 2024
Blanchard's Cricket Frog
The trick is to find a possible subject, slowly ease closer, then slowly drop to the mire and ever so gently worm your way towards the frog. Done with delicacy, one can get quite close - I was probably only a few feet from the animal in the photo. It's best, in my opinion, to have your camera on the ground. Eye level is usually best with small ground-bound organisms.
Sunday, August 25, 2024
Some juvenile birds: Tis the season
An immature White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus) peeks inquisitively from a grape thicket. It was part of a family unit of 3-4 young birds and two adults. I have found this species to be quite curious; nosy, almost. Nonetheless, they typically remain well-concealed in dense growth, peering at objects of interest from within the foliage. White-eyed Vireos are also accomplished mimics and insert snippets of other species' songs and calls into their repertoire. Gray Catbirds, Blue Jays, Willow Flycatchers, Eastern Towhees and other species in earshot are all fodder for copy-catting. This vireo family was in Ross County, Ohio, on August 22, 2024.This little streaked sparrow might throw one for a loop, especially as this species doesn't hold its juvenile plumage for very long. When the adult arrives to feed the little beggar (2nd photo), its identity is instantly clear. While searching out Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrels in a Ross County cemetery yesterday, I was temporarily distracted by a family unit of Chipping Sparrows (Spizella passerina), the youth noisily exhorting the hard-working parents to bring more food.
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel
The eastern "prairie dog", a Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) crouches at the entrance to one of its burrows. Like true prairie dogs, this species is a member of the squirrel family (Sciuridae) and is closely allied to the more westerly prairie dogs. Like the four species of prairie dogs, almost all of the 21 ground squirrel species (formerly in the genus Spermophilus) are westerners. Only the Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel and Franklin's Ground Squirrel ((Poliocitellus franklinii) range east of the Mississippi River, and the eastern terminus of the Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel range coincides with the former range of the great prairie ecosystem that once blanketed much of the midwestern U.S. The squirrels make it no further east than central Ohio. Franklin's Ground Squirrel barely makes it as far east as westernmost Indiana.
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
A few random things from recent days, including a beautiful grass
A Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) strikes a pose on a wingstem leaf. Last night was hot, humid, with some showers and lots of the little frogs were out and about. This was at a recently acquired Arc of Appalachia property in Holmes County, Ohio, along Killbuck Creek. Our crew found lots of interesting creatures during our nocturnal foray. The peepers were especially notable, and we saw many. August 8, 2024.
A portion of the flowering spike of Side-oats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula). The orange appendages are the grass's anthers, which contain the pollen. The white feathery objects are the stigmas, which are the pollen receptacles. Rather than evolve fancy flowers to lure insect or other animal pollinators, grasses go for the simpler carpet-bombing strategy. These plants release thousands upon thousands of tiny windborne pollen grains in the hope that some land on the stigmas of other plants and thus cross-pollinate them. The multisyllabic scientific name is a mellifluous delight: Boo-teh-loo-ah ker-tih-pen-do-la. This Side-oats Grama is in my front yard in Worthington, Ohio.
Thursday, August 8, 2024
Two upcoming moth programs
Saturday, August 17. Startford Ecological Center, Delaware County, Ohio. 7 - 10 pm.
My coauthor on the Gardening for Moths book, Chelsea Gottfried, will be giving her moth program, then we'll head outside where sheets/light will be set up and luring moths. Stratford has a wide variety of native flora, and it should be very good for moths. Both Chelsea and I will be there for the mothing, which will last for a few hours. This one does have a fee: $25 for adults, $15 for children. The money goes to support the work of this excellent not-for-profit organization. Details are RIGHT HERE.
Saturday, August 24. Fernald Preserve Visitor's Center, Hamilton, Ohio. 7:30 - 11 pm.
I'm giving my talk entitled Mysterious Moths: The Darker Side of Butterflies and following that we'll go check out several nearby mothing stations. The 1,000+ acre site has an interesting history and should produce some noteworthy sightings. This public program is free and open to all.
Friday, August 2, 2024
Juvenile Osprey expels a stream of fishy guano
A juvenile Osprey strikes a pose. A pose that can mean only one thing: an impending fecal effluvium. I've got nothing at all against kayakers but couldn't help thinking how cool it'd have been if one had boated up to this fish hawk to ooh and ahh over the cute baby. Then, with no warning, the bird blasted that rope of fishy liquefied guano onto the unsuspecting admirer below. How quick the coos of adulation would change to screeches of horror and disgust! But what photo ops that would have made! Delaware County, July 31, 2024.
Sunday, July 28, 2024
Nature: Cast-off crimes must be prevented in the wild
We’ve all seen evidence of this: fishing hotspots peppered with various trash, not the least of which is abandoned fishing line. It’s not just Ohio fishermen that discard monofilament line. Worldwide, it’s estimated that up to a third of all fishing lines are pitched.
Cast-off fishing line is known as “ghost gear” and is among the deadliest forms of human debris to wildlife.
On Tuesday, July 9, photographers Shauna Weyrauch and Dutch Gordon ventured to the upper end of Alum Creek Reservoir to photograph the nesting ospreys found there. Arriving shortly after dawn, they prepared for what should have been a fun morning of photographing the “fish hawks” at their nest.
A good vantage point for osprey observation is also a popular area for bank fishermen, replete with the usual cast-off tackle. About the first thing that Dutch and Shauna noticed upon arrival was a barred owl dangling from a tree, one of its wings ensnared in fishing line.
Osprey photography forgotten, they quickly set about with rescue attempts. The difficulty of this was compounded by the fact that the owl was suspended about 6 feet above the water of the reservoir, unreachable from shore.
Fortunately, the main offices of Preservation Parks of Delaware County are just two minutes down the road. Another photographer that had arrived on scene, Dennis Roush, drove over to find some park employees preparing for the day.
Preservation Parks employees Lauren Richards, Zoe Swanson, Tyler Swartzlander and Adam Wilson dropped everything and rushed to the site. Richards and Swanson donned hip waders, entered the water and soon had the owl in safe hands.
They promptly took it to the Ohio Wildlife Center (OWC) near the Columbus Zoo, the largest wildlife rehabilitation facility in the state, as Preservation Parks is not equipped to take in and deal with injured wildlife.
Unfortunately, the owl, due to its struggles to escape the fishing line, had suffered a complete luxation (dislocation) of its left wing. There’s no recovery from that and the owl had to be euthanized.
Kudos to all involved in the rescue. They dropped everything and did their darndest for the owl. But deadly fishing line had claimed another victim. And that owl is by no means the only casualty of ghost gear.
David Donahue of the OWC informed me that so far this year, 22 victims of cast-off line have been brought to the center, 12 of which died. Some of the victims included a belted kingfisher, a great blue heron and a snapping turtle.
In all, the OWC received 117 victims of fishing line over the last decade, representing 23 species. Fifty-four of those patients could not be saved. Canada geese and mallards were the most common, and turtles of six species represented 27 individuals.
Particularly sad losses included another barred owl, an eastern screech owl, a mudpuppy (large salamander), a red-shouldered and red-tailed hawk, a redhead duck and a pileated woodpecker.
The OWC patients represent the tip of the iceberg regarding fishing-line mortality. All of the other rehab facilities would probably report similar data, and the vast majority of victims never receive treatment and are not reported.
Cast-off line typically occurs in high-use wildlife habitat: the interface between water and land. The problems caused by fishing-line litter are well documented and indisputable. The solution is simple, and completely in the hands of the fishermen that have caused the problem. Dispose of your fishing line properly, not in the wild. Scores of creatures would be grateful.
Naturalist Jim McCormac writes a column for The Dispatch on the first and third Sundays of the month. He also writes about nature at jim mccormac.blogspot.com.
Friday, July 26, 2024
Say's Mantidfly
This oddity is a Say's Mantidfly (Dicromantispa sayi). It's as if the thing was assembled by a mad scientist: part lacewing, with the body of a paper wasp, the forelegs of a praying mantis, and the beak of a bird, with giant jewels for eyes. Its life cycle is equally bizarre, involving hitching rides as larvae on female spiders, then preying on her eggs. Mantidflies are occasional nocturnal visitors to moth sheets and will sometimes prey on small moths and other insects when they appear. Glenn Crisler put much effort into wrangling this one for photos ops, with success. Mothapalooza, Pike County, Ohio, July 20, 2024.
Monday, July 22, 2024
Orchids and Moth Eyeballs
These are the leaves of one of our more interesting - and overlooked - orchids, the Cranefly Orchid (Tipularia discolor). It, along with the Puttyroot Orchid (Aplectrum hyemale), sends its photosynthetic leaves up well after flowering, and they photosynthesize over winter, withering away before the following summer's flowering period rolls around. It's generally far easier to detect the plants by their leaves on the barren leaf litter of late fall and winter, than the spindly flowering stalks in the shady understory of July/August.The flowering spike of a Cranefly Orchid, imaged on August 3, 2023. I purposely chose a more open backdrop to better showcase the flowers. When in dense forest understory with dappled light filtering through the canopy, it's much harder to see the plants.
It was time for me to pull out the bizarre but effective Canon MP-E 65mm mega macro lens. It's like shooting through a microscope and can drill down on tiny details. To use it well requires twin-lite flashes mounted on the front of the lens, and a tripod for maximum stabilization. This moth was perched on the side of a building and only a foot or so above ground level. So, I used a micro tripod, and a two-second timer delay so I wasn't even touching the camera when it fired. Settings were f/16, ISO 200, and 1/200 second (the camera's sync speed). While I had to crop the resulting image somewhat, it would have had to have been cropped FAR more if I had used my 100mm macro lens. The result would have been a pixelated blob, with details hard to decipher. See CAMERA NOTES at the end of this post for details on the MP-E 65 lens.
Thursday, July 18, 2024
Moth Night Part II
A Black-waved Flannel Moth (Megalopyge crispata) stares rather inscrutably into the camera. Yes, they're cute. And quite common.
The flannel and the following moths were imaged on July 13, during the foray described in the previous post.
One of the many, many silkmoths to come into our sheets on this night was this spectacular male Polyphemus Moth (Antheraea polyphemus). It looks like it's got two ferns bolted to its head. These antennae are packed with pheromone receptors, and they can pick up airborne trace pheromones emitted by females from incredible distances. This means they may have to fly long distances to reach her, which pits the moth against dangerous aerial foes: bats. This may be why Polyphemus Moths have evolved a crazily erratic, almost violently yo-yo'ing flight - it makes it much harder for the bats to successfully strike them.
I must confess to liking face shots of moths This is a Rosy Maple Moth peering into the camera, and side view in the following photo so you can better see what one looks like. RMM's are one of the most common silkmoths and easily identified.Sunday, July 14, 2024
Major Moth Night
John Howard created this artful display of some heavy hitters that visited our sheets. They are Ash Sphinx, Elm Sphinx, Virginia Creeper Sphinx, Pandorus Sphinx, Imperial Moth, Regal Moth (2), Tuliptree Silkmoth, and Rosy Maple Moth. This was just a fraction of the moths that we saw. There were over 20 Imperial Moths, 6-8 Regal Moths, many sphinxes of various species, and scores of other interesting moths. We finally left at 2 am, and things were still going strong.
These sorts of moth numbers and diversity speaks to a very healthy local ecosystem full of native plant diversity, and largely free of light pollution and other deleterious factors that cause moth declines.