Lots going on and lots of photos. These are mostly moths and caterpillars.
My caterpillars are all growing, and I’m finding new ones all the time.
I have 4 kinds of Sphinx moth this year.
A Modest Sphinx moth came to my lights a few weeks ago; I kept her overnight and she laid eggs. So now I have about a dozen caterpillars that are about 2 1/2 inches long and keeping me busy feeding them aspen leaves. They like to hang upside down.
Ian gave me 3 other kinds of Sphinx caterpillars – all of them are eating Virginia Creeper.
Nessus Sphinx – they pupated a few days ago. This was their final instar – much more colorful than the earlier ones.
Virginia Creeper Sphinx
Lettered Sphinx – these have also pupated
More interesting moths have come to my lights.
Bog Lygropia – although it’s not always found in bogs
Lappet Moth
A tiny one with distinctive coloring – Cream-bordered Dichomeris
An Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth – I saw lots of these – it’s a big year for them
A Tufted Bird-dropping Moth – a terrible name for a beautiful moth.
Snowy Urola Moth – this was actually taken at MJ’s in Iowa, but they came to my lights in Wisconsin too.
Large Lace-border Moth
Grape Leaffolder. It has two species names, because it’s not possible to tell the difference between the two species from a photo.
The largest insect I’ve seen recently was an Elm Sphinx. This female came to my lights. I kept her overnight, but she didn’t lay any eggs. I found out later that I should have kept her longer. She was about 3 inches long – you can see that she was as long as my forefinger.
A Green Leuconycta – I love green moths
Several creatures came to the lights that weren’t moths:
A cool beetle – I don’t know what kind
A Green Lacewing
And some frogs – maybe they were attracted by all the insects
Gray Tree Frog
Wood Frog
I found a large group of caterpillars eating Black-eyed Susan leaves in one of the prairies. I know they’re butterfly caterpillars, but I’m not sure which kind – I think they’re Silvery Checkerspots. I’m raising them in an aquarium, and they’re just starting to pupate.
Here’s a closeup of one of the caterpillars.
All my Promethea moths hatched. They came out very late this year – usually they hatch at the end of May. I had mostly males this time – only one female.
Here’s one of the males
And the female
Mated Prometheas
A mother raccoon came by one evening with her five babies.