
- This northern pearly-eye is near the eastern extend of its range perhaps due to feeding on an exotic grass
- This Horace’s dusky wing is just about the dullest butterfly out there
- The question mark is very bright on the inside of its wings but does not often feed on nectar
- The light colored “question mark” is seen on the outer wings of teh question mark distinguishing it from the related comma
- The red admiral has a colorful mosaic on its outer wing surfaces that camouflage it well
- This male spicebush swallowtail is basking and resembles the toxic pipevine swallowtail very closely
- The zebra swallowtail is very obvious when flying but camouflaged when perches.
- Tiger swallowtail males and some females are ye;llow and black
- Some black tiger females only are a mimic of the pipevine swallowtail
- The toxic pipevine swallowtail has one row of brigth orange spots on the outer wings
- The red spotted purple is unrelated to the swallowtails but is a member of the pipevine mimicry complex. This one is drinking salty sweat from my ankle- sodiu, is lacking in their plant diet
- The hummingbird clear winged sphinx moth mimics a bumblebee to minimize predation
- The tiny but predaceous variable dancer has an aquatic larval stage
- The flying adult phase of the mayfly lasts only a few days whereas the aquatic larva may live for years
- The pine sawyer or long horned beetle feeds on pine wood
In middle to late June insects become abundant and butterflies are probably the most exciting to observe and try to identify. Here at our new summer home in the Piedmont of NC I have planted some native and exotic species of flowers that are especially attractive to butterflies. Our native coral honeysuckles and viburnums are still too young to bloom much so I am dependent on the blooms of exotic lantana and butterfly bushes to attract butterflies. Now I agree that it would be more desirable to plant only natives, but this is simply impractical if you really want to see many butterflies. Consider a similar problem faced by bird watchers- they put out feeders of many types which are clearly primarily designed for human watching convenience and pleasure. Purists could argue that instead of feeders native plants should be used to attract birds and they would be right, but that is simply impractical for most people.
So here are some butterflies, moths, a mayfly, a damselfly and a beetle seen on our property or nearby recently. How many of these can you identify or have you seen this year?
This northern pearly-eye (caterpillar feeds on woodland grasses) is an example of many butterflies which incorporate eye spots into their wing coloration. The prevalence of spots indicates that they must be very effective in confusing predatory birds. Our location is quite close to the eastern-most occurrence of northern vs southern pearly-eyes; it is very interesting that the spread of northern pearly-eyes may be linked to the widespread invasion of Japanese stilt grass.
A much more obscure and dull colored (on both inner and outer wing surfaces) butterfly relative is the Horace’s duskywing. The caterpillars feed mainly on oaks. When they perch after flying they can be very difficult to find, which is likely their main defense against predators.
A much more flashy butterfly is the question mark which can be a brilliant orange and black on the inner wing surfaces but much more cryptic on the outer wing surfaces. It does not nectar on flowers but finds nutrients in decaying fruit, tree sap, dung, mud, etc. The light colored marks on the outer wings separate it from the related comma.
Although the red admiral is brilliantly colored on the inner wing surfaces, the outer wings are an intricate mosaic of colors that are remarkably cryptic. It is often seen basking on cool days and caterpillars feed on nettles. This species migrates long distances both in eastern N America and in Europe to avoid cold weather.
One of the most distinctively appearing butterflies is the zebra swallowtail. The caterpillars feed only on paw paw which has become more common as deer overpopulate forests and the unpalatable paw paw thrives. The striped black and white pattern is visually disruptive when the butterflies are perched. The swallow-tails are believed to be a system of head mimicry which would lead predators to strike away from the most vulnerable head and body.
The “black and blue” swallowtails form a confusing and impressive mimicry group based on resemblance to the model toxic species, the pipevine swallowtail. The male spicebush and female “black tiger” are especially similar in coloration to the pipevine swallowtail. But there is a yellow morph of the female and male tiger with no resemblance at all. To add to the confusion the red spotted purple (not a swallowtail at all but in the “brush foot” family) is closely related to the northern white admiral. This red spotted purple is perched on my ankle drinking sweat for the sodium it contains.
Another example of extreme mimicry is the hummingbird clear winged sphinx moth which flies in daytime like a hummingbird, but its coloration resembles that of a bumblebee, which has a severely protective sting. There seems no end to the remarkable ability of evolution to modify one species to resemble another.
The odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) are wonderfully diverse and will be covered at another time. But I have been seeing large numbers of damselflies in our yard, especially the variable dancer. This bluish male seems tiny and fragile but these are beautiful and ferocious predators at their tiny size, both as aquatic larvae and aerial adults.
Another insect with a long aquatic larval stage is the mayfly. They may spend years as tiny aquatic detritovores or predators in the river or wetlands before emerging for a very brief breeding cycle without feeding. I find these mainly on window screens when they are attracted to house lights.
The largest family of insects are the beetles, due presumably to their occurrence over very long spans of time. This Carolina pine sawyer or long-horned beetle came to our window at night. The larvae occur in living pine trees and the adults can carry pine wilt disease via a nematode. It represents a host of insects that feed on trees of various types and on which predatory birds may feed. Indeed it has been suggested that oaks are among the best trees for birds since they have hundreds of species of insects that eat them. So put away those insecticides and let the birds have their meals.
If you take the time to examine the insects in your yard you will be richly rewarded with a large variety of species that have amazing forms and colors and strange life cycles. If your purpose is to stimulate your mind, there is not better way than to keep a list of insects seen. On-line identification services such as iNaturalist.org and BugGuide.net are fantastic resources for those of us who are not expert insect taxonomists. Similarly the PictureThis app has revolutionized identification of plants for the lay person. So go forth into your yard and ENJOY the amazing biodiversity that occurs there.