Family Noctuidae Hodges # 11110
Caterpillar foods: Smooth Blue Aster – Symphyotrichum laeve (Bugguide), S. linariifolius, S. spectabilis in the North-East (Wagner, Schweitzer, Sullivan, & Reardon), Aromatic Aster – Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, and Silky Aster – Symphyotrichum sericeum (personal observation) — these are all small purple asters
I found 6 or 8 of these moths on one bunch of Aromatic Aster plants on Sumac Prairie – our largest, steepest dry prairie remnant on 9/18/2014. Most were resting in the centers of the flowers; one was actively nectaring.
This is the bunch of plants where I found them. I took this photo before I realized the moths were there. There’s one moth in the center of one of the flowers in the center of the photo – pretty well camouflaged.
9/18/2014
9/18/2014
9/18/2014
9/18/2014
9/18/2014
9/18/2014
9/18/2014
9/18/2014
I went back several times and found caterpillars inside the flowers.
9/29/2014
10/9/2014 This caterpillar was curled up in the space where the seeds were. When I pulled the flower apart, it uncurled itself and crawled down the stem, away from the flower.
10/9/2014
10/9/2014
10/16/2014
9/10/2016 – I found 3 or 4 moths on Silky Aster (Symphotrichum sericeum), also on Sumac Prairie. Two were resting on the flowers, so I got photos. One (or maybe 2) were nectaring and not stopping for photos.
9/10/2016
9/10/2016
9/10/2017 I found at least 4 moths – 2 nectaring (possibly more – it was hard to keep track), 1 resting on a flower, 1 had just been caught by a spideer
9/10/2017
9/10/2017
9/10/2017 I hadn’t seen them nectaring on anything but purple asters before. This one is on Gray Goldenrod.
9/10/2017
9/10/2017 Nectaring on Heath Aster
9/10/2017 Jumping Spider (Phidippus clarus) hauling its prey away
9/4/2019
9/14/2020
9/15/2022
9/17/2023
9/17/2023
