Wednesday, October 28, 2020

EOA Nature Nuggets

 


Love is in the air for these two stick insects (the female is the paler and slightly thicker of the two). Northern Walkingsticks (Diapheromera femorata) are relatively common to the eastern woods and feed primarily on the leaves of oak tree species once mature. After mating, this female stick insect will lay hundreds of tiny seed-like eggs which simply drop to the forest floor to overwinter in the leaf litter. In the spring, the eggs hatch and tiny green colored stick insect nymphs emerge and feed on a wide variety of woody vegetation. By the time late summer and early fall rolls around, most of these incredible twig mimics are happily ensconced in the canopy of an oak tree. Strong winds and encounters with predators can cause the insects to fall to lower levels of the forest. Luckily for us it is in these instances when we can catch a glimpse of these magnificent creatures!

Friday, October 23, 2020

EOA Nature Nuggets

 


This spicebush swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio Troilus) is busy eating its fill of its host plant, spicebush (Lindera benzoin). Very soon it will stop eating and leave the plant to find a suitable place to pupate. It will spend the winter as a chrysalis and if all goes well, will emerge in the spring as a stunning adult butterfly. While many butterflies and moths over winter in the pupa stage, some like the Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) and the Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) are able to survive the winter months as adults. They can often be seen flying on warm winter days.