Eudryas unio (Pearly Wood-nymph)

This gorgeous pair was sitting on an aster leaf in a Pike County Wetland.

Sundew Prairie II

I got to revisit Sundew Prairie last week. It was fun to see the seasons change from June.

Agalinus purpurea - purple false foxglove was one of the dominant flowers.

Bidens polylepis - tickseed sunflower was the other dominant flower.

Drosera intermedia - spatulate-leaved sundew has the scapes arising laterally before curving up.

Hypericum canadense - Canadian St. John's-wort was one of the several small St. John's-worts blooming in the sand.

Polygala polygama - Purple Milkwort

Agalinus tenuifolia - slender false foxglove was not as common as the other false foxglove.

Solidago rugosa - rugose goldenrod

Bulbostylis capillaris - dense-tuft hairsedge kept getting mistaken for Fimbristylis autumnalis.

Hypericum gentianoides - orange grass was an easier St. John's-wort to identify.

I'm a sucker for photos of Polygala sanguinea - purple milkwort.

I kept trying to identify Rhychospora capitellata from just the leaf color, with limited success.

Juncus brachycarpus - short-fruited rush was one of the many rushes present.

Juncus greenei - Greene's rush was a good looking rush.

Hypericum canadense - Canadian St. John's-wort

Hypericum majus - larger Canada St. John's-wort had rounder leaves.

Lycaena hyllus - Bronze copper

Gentiana andrewsii - bottle gentian has plaits between the corolla lobes that are distinctly longer than the lobes.

Palm Warbler

Spiranthes cernua - nodding ladies-tresses

Manduca Moth

I think this guy is a Manduca sexta (Carolina Sphinx). We found it at work, resting on a wall. I put it in the frig for a short bit so that I could get some pictures to help with identification. Carolina Sphinx is also known as the Tobacco Hornworm when it is a caterpillar. Despite the name "Tobacco Hornworm", this caterpillar is one of the hornworms frequently found on tomatoes. Tomato Hornworms are closely related and look very similar.

Manduca sexta = Carolina Sphinx Moth = Tobacco Hornworm
Manduca quinquemaculatus = Five Spotted Hawkmoth = Tomato Hornworm

Wikipedia had a mnemonic for separating the caterpillars; Tobacco Hornworms have straight lines (7) like cigarettes, while Tomato Hormworms have 8 "V's" like Vine rippened tomatoes. The specific epithets also help keep them straight; the M. sexta moth has six spots on its abdomen, while the M. quinquemaculatus has five.

The idea of being a victim of a parasitoid makes these caterpillars morbidly fascinating. It seems like more often than not, these caterpillars have wasp eggs on their back that will hatch and eat the caterpillar from the inside-out while it is living. It was nice to see one of the moths that survived up-close.

Cicada Emergence

I found this cicada on my red maple yesterday afternoon. I watched it for two hours. With luck, it will be able to avoid the cicada killers that patrol our yard.

Orange Wing

Orange Wing (Mellilla xanthometata) near Herrick, Illinois.


An Orange Wing checked me out while I was getting ready to work. Did my safety vest make him feel like he had found a fellow orange-loving friend, or was he just attracted to the sweat on the shoulder strap? My Peterson Field Guide to Moths lists them as common, and they most certainly are, but I had never noticed one before.

Kankakee Sands BioBlitz 2012

This weekend was the Kankakee Sands BioBlitz 2012 in Newton County, Indiana. It was a wonderful opportunity to see the land, learn about the flora, and spend time with other biologists. The weather was good, sunny with a breeze; the ticks and other pests weren't too bad, and tons of flowers were blooming. I didn't take near as many pictures of some of the amazing flowers as I should have, but I spent a lot of time taking notes and trying to absorb it all. Of course, I did not force myself to stay focused on only plants.

Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) was blooming abundantly in the wetter areas of the sand prairie at Unit D.

This Carrion Beetle (aka Burying Beetle or Sexton Beetle) caught my eye while walking through the sand prairie on Friday. These insects bury the carcasses of small animals. Apparently, they can release an awful smell when picked up, but I was not chosen. I did make sure it didn't crawl up my sleeve, though. This individual is possibly Nicrophorus marginatus.

Old Plainsmen (Hymenopappus scabiosaeus) was just about done blooming on the edge of the sand blow-out.

This strange little plant was something I had never seen before. Sand Jointweed (Polygonella articulata) was blooming in the sand blow-out.

I was taken aback when I spotted these Lark Sparrows Friday evening. Since these are prairie birds, I do not think of them in Indiana. I found out later from TNC staff that they breed on site.

We found a Fowler's Toad as we were heading in for the day on Friday.

I am pretty sure that this little fellow sitting in a willow clump is an immature Orchard Oriole.

The State Endangered Henslow's Sparrow welcomed everyone to the headquarters on US41. These birds serenaded us all day long, trying to get a song in edgewise with the Grasshopper Sparrows and Dickcissels.

Lobelia spicata confused us the first day when we found several plants in fruit, but not with flowers.

Great Basin Wildlife

There seemed to be less Pronghorn in the valley this year, but that could be as much to do with it being a drier year than last as the activity. Occasionally, one or two would walk by quite close.

I hardly saw any shrikes in the area in March, but they were quite common in April. The contrasting black and white wing patches and fluttering flight are eye-catching.

Sage Thrashers are the other common large perching bird. Rarely do I get a nice clear and close look. This look didn't last until the next frame snapped on a continuous photo burst.

I turned in this photo on bugguide.net to find out what it was. These beetles were gigantic and fairly common in the valley. It turns out that they are a kind of Darkling Beetle called a Desert Stink Beetle in the genus Eleodes. Maybe even E. obscurus.

I stopped by the Great Horned Owl nest the morning before I left to see how the owlets were doing. Both fuzzy nestlings, plus both adults, peaked out from their nest.

Bug Guide

I used bugguide.net for the first time today and was impressed with the how quick and easy it was. I had meant to try it out, since it had been highly recommended. I submitted a picture of some eggs I found on a twig and got a response fairly quickly. Turns out that they were katydid eggs. Check out the site here.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone to Mamoth to the Lamar Valley

I went for a short, easy run one evening at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. About five minutes in, I did a double-take to my left. A bright pink snake was along the side of the road. I stopped and knelt down to check it out more closely. I didn't know that Rubber Boa's (Charina bottae) were found at Yellowstone, so I wasn't even sure what it was at first. I picked him up to check out his yellow-green belly. I was so mad that I didn't have my camera, but such is life. I didn't want to move him from his habitat, so I reluctantly put him back and headed on down the road.

(This photo is from the State of Utah Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife Resources site)

I think this is a Metalmark.

After our last morning at the Canyon campground, we had one more trail that we wanted to take by the lower falls. We enjoyed this trail to the brink of the lower falls.
Joy found the only other snake on our trip. This Wandering Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans vagrans) was along the trail to the Sheepeater Cliff. I was a little sad that I didn't get to see Joy's snake dance. ;)

A view from a short trail in the Lamar Valley.