Japanese Beetles and Silver Linings

Whenever our daughter is within earshot we really watch our Ps and Qs. So when we discovered Japanese Beetles covering every surface of every plant in our yard I refrained from doing what I wanted to do, which was to let loose a string of profanity not heard since Al Pacino ripped it up in Scarface while taking a flame thrower to the yard.

Rather than curse our darkness of the infestationpalooza I lit a candle of discovery. The part of my brain that creates "teachable moments" (a term I don't want to hear again after this past week's "beer summit" thing) came up with a game of collecting as many Japanese Beetles as we could, and watching for other, less prolific, organisms. We'd rid ourselves of at least one wave of invaders while learning about ecology - you can see the first showcase, the butterfly and moth edition, here.

While patrolling the yard we discussed how everything has its place in the grand scheme of nature, why these insects were "bad" while others were "good," and how arbitrary it is when assigning those categories. Along with the JBs we found several insects and spent some time watching them, trying to figure out what they were doing and why.

Unfortunately, many went unidentified in spite of my attempts to navigate through BugGuide.net. I used my old point-n-shoot's macro setting to snap some up-close, and in some cases personal, shots. Here is a sampling of insects from our yard, of the bee, wasp, fly, and/or dragonfly variety. If you can identify any, or know a good resource to assist, please let us know!

Click on images for larger versions.

Maybe a worker Honeybee, Apis mellifera?

Common Eastern Bumble Bee, Bombus impatiens?

No idea, but these are common in our garden, you can see why.
We think it's a fly (Diptera) and not a wasp. Another view below.

I'm frustrated I haven't figured this one out, maybe the female
of something common? My best guess is one of the darners. Thoughts?
UPDATED: Identified as Blue Dasher, Pachydiplax longipennis.

Coming up, beetles and whatnots.


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The Good Thing About Japanese Beetles

You'd never expect to see a word like "good" relate to such a prolific and invasive insect, would you? But it turns out there is a silver lining when it comes to Japanese Beetle infestations.

Last Sunday Reina and I spent a huge amount of time outdoors, ignoring many of the various chores that beckoned. That's when we found one of our newly planted cherry trees was under siege by no less than forty beetles. To put that in context, this tree only has about twenty leaves. We then noticed many of the plants in our various gardens were hosting "JBs". We found our afternoon mission: eliminate JBs from our yard.

I wondered if I should turn a hose on these Japanese Beetles before
collecting them. I decided to let them have one last fling.

We set up the standard pheromone-and-bag traps, a solution that may or may not be the gardener-landscaper's best friend. On the plus side, everyone agrees they work brilliantly to attract all JBs in the neighborhood and beyond. On the down side, several would-be-trappers noted many of the beetles never make it into the trap. Instead, they're rumored to take up residence nearby, skeletonizing the very plants you were trying to save. Instead of reducing the population you've swelled it to immeasurable numbers.

We watched a pair of Song Sparrows collecting insects to feed their young.
Sadly, JBs are not a food source. I'm not sure what this one is holding.

In our experience the traps work extremely well. Each year we find the bags fill quickly and we note a huge, though never scientifically demonstrated, decrease in JB numbers in the yard. This year we couldn't sit idly by while our plants were suffering such an extreme bout of herbivory. We each grabbed a jar and headed for the garden. We were determined to collect as many as we could.

That's when we noticed the silvery outline of the black JB cloud. While capturing hundreds of JBs we discovered a good number of other interesting insects. Here's a showcase of butterflies and moths we found last weekend. I think I've identified most of them, save one. Any help and/or corrections appreciated!

Note: click on an image for larger version.

A first for our yard: a Black Swallowtail visits our Bee Balm patch.
I believe it's a female based on the amount of blue on the hind wings.

A newly-emerged Baltimore Checkerspot, the state insect of Maryland.
Wikipedia says they only lay their eggs on the Turtlehead
(Chelone glabra) (source), but I cannot verify that elsewhere. Anyone?

A side view of the newly-emerged Baltimore Checkerspot.
Brock and Kaufman write, "Beautiful, distinctive, unlike any other
eastern butterfly." Hard to find fault with that description!

A yellow-form female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. I've noticed a couple similarly
marked swallowtails this summer, I wonder if they are Canadian Swallowtails.

A Virginia Ctenucha, the largest and most
broad-winged wasp moth in North America (source).

UPDATE: Identified as a Confused Haploa (Haploa confusa).
Thanks, nishiki_85 and Meena!

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Butterfly Update: Two More Butterflies!

Reina and I have turned increasingly to watching insects, especially caterpillars and butterflies, in our continuing effort to explore and experience the natural world in our own backyard. In August we collected two Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars but released a single Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly. Then, in early September, we collected three Monarch caterpillars with the intent of releasing three Monarch butterflies.

Our remaining Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) chrysalis remains a Spicebush Swallowtail chrysalis. As I wrote in an earlier posts (linked above), some swallowtail caterpillars will emerge the same year, some overwinter and emerge the following spring.

Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) typically hatch some 9 - 14 days after forming a chrysalis.When the three caterpillars pupated on three successive days we expected three straight days of butterfly emergence.

Different rates of development: the youngest chrysalis (center) is still a
light green, the oldest (right) is dark. Look close, the butterfly is visible inside.

Yes, I made my daughter get all science-geeky with me. We got a calendar and marked off which dates each caterpillar (Rosemary, Kee, and Skinloser) formed a chrysalis. Next we counted off the earliest and latest expected emergence dates.

The second-oldest chrysalis is as dark as the oldest, you can also
see the butterfly inside. The caterpillar skin stuck to the chrysalis.

We discovered the expected emergence dates fell after school started, not a great situation if it happened while no one was home. Reina brought them to school for an extended show-and-tell, then they came home for the weekend.

Sunday afternoon two of the chrysalids were deep, dark green, but also transparent: you could see the butterfly inside (click on the images for a larger image). We'd read that was a sure sign they'd be emerging in the next 24 hours. We were happy they held on for the school week to begin so the students could witness the event.

I have no idea what function that alien-like pattern on
the chrysalis performs, is that where it will split? The
caterpillar skin sticks to the side of the chrysalis.

Seven-o'-clock Monday morning I came downstairs and immediately noticed a chrysalis was cracked open and a boldly colored Monarch was hanging from the branch - not a bad pre-coffee observation for me. Reina came over and pointed out there were two Monarchs, highlighting that my pre-coffee observation skills are questionable.

The older butterfly (Rosemary) took off as soon as we
uncovered the vase, landing in a nearby oak. Kee,
the second oldest, rested on Reina's finger for awhile.

One butterfly started slowly flexing its wings. Afraid it would damage itself by rubbing the wing on the branch we decided we had to release them before we got to school.

Eventually Kee rested on a Trumpet Creeper - sheltered
from view and the remnants of Hurricane Ike. After a
rest she'll be off, Monarch migration is underway!

Happily there is still one to go, by my estimation it will emerge Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest, and hopefully after 9:00 AM when the kids are there. Look close on the following image and you'll see the wings.


For the scientific minded, 13.5 days from chrysalis formation to butterfly emergence (n=2).

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Do It Again

We're at it again. It's only been a few weeks since we took two Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars into captivity to witness the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly. In another post I mentioned one emerged and was released, the other looks as though it'll be spending the winter months with us and we won't see the final product until next year (but what a way to start the spring!).

Now we've adopted a few new "pets," three Monarch caterpillars (Danaus plexippus) found on our Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), one of the best plants to attract Monarchs.

Monarch caterpillar feeding on Swamp Milkweed. Which end is which?

Feeling inspired by the swallowtail experience we decided to take all three into captivity and watch the chrysalis development, and when Reina starts school next week hopefully they can go with her. They can listen in on some geography to learn their migration route, but more to the point I suspect her class, including the teachers, would love the chance to witness the emergence of a butterfly.

We placed them in the same container we used for the swallowtails, not necessarily due to superstition, but it's the biggest and gives the clearest view.

Three caterpillars in a jar (wasn't that a song by the Cure? No?).
Note the one in the lower-left, already in the pre-pupating "J-shape."
Chrysalis formation should follow in about 24 hours.

We discovered them on a "yard exploration" last Saturday morning, that evening we stocked the jar with fresh milkweed leaves and we clipped a suitable branch for crawling and the eventual chrysalis attachment. On Sunday two of the caterpillars we active, chomping on newly added leaves, the third (spontaneously named "Rosemary") was serenely lining the top of one of the branches. By evening Rosemary had formed a small, silk button and attached to the underside of the branch, hanging upside down in a classic J-shape.

When I took this photo I noticed "Rosemary" was slowly but
rhythmically pulsating, looking as though the milkweed it
ate was about to come back up. I should have stayed to watch!

Monday was Labor Day, that evening I checked in on the caterpillars as I went out to cut the lawn. Forty-five minutes later, when I returned, I glanced over - there was a chrysalis instead of the J-shaped caterpillar. And we missed it. But the second caterpillar, cryptically named "Kee," was now hanging in a J.

The chrysalis, hardened and with very interesting golden
decorations - that line of beads near the top and a few spots elsewhere
on the chrysalis. If anyone knows what they're for I'd love to hear!

Next day, Tuesday, and I was at work. Seems a similar series of events played out: Reina checked on the caterpillars, went outside to play and when she came in thirty minutes later there were two chrysalids. Missed it again, but we got the idea of when to expect it and how fast it occurs. One last chance: the third caterpillar, not named, was now in its J-shape.

Wednesday morning: two chrysalids complete,
caterpillar three (soon to be named) should be pupating
this evening. The light-green chrysalis is about 15
hours old, the dark-green one is about a day and half old.

The third time was a charm, just not for me. The caterpillar jar was moved in the living room before I went to work. Reina planned to check on the final caterpillar periodically, especially during and following her afternoon snack. Sure enough, she and Donna witnessed the event in the late afternoon. I got the excited, not-so-coherent second-hand accounts: apparently it was cool, it involved a lot of wiggling, or maybe it was wriggling, but that's all I really understood about the process. Maybe this gives a clue: after watching the caterpillar pupate Reina promptly named it "Skinloser." Of course, you can always check out numerous examples on YouTube, but it's not the same. Assuming the Swamp Milkweed comes back, my consolation is that there's always next year.

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Eggs On a Stick

Urgent help needed: what are these eggs??

Eggs on a Stick: sounds like something you'd order at a Renaissance Festival.

We found this branch in our brush pile covered with tightly-packed, very decorative beads. Out of curiosity we put it in a jar and now they're hatching. Tiny, tiny inchworm looking things are all over the inside of the jar and we'd like to feed them something.

Anyone with any ideas, please let us know! Please?

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