Large Maple Spanworm Moth

Posted on August 2, 2024 by tspuckler

I’ve come across this cool creature only a few times – most recently one was attracted to our deck light one evening. This insect is of a decent size, with about a two-inch wingspan.

While the adult is a Fall-flying, nocturnal leaf mimic, its caterpillar is cleverly disguised as a twig. The caterpillar does not limit its diet to maple; it’s also found on woody plants like birch, willow, tamarack, aspen, blueberry, cherry, and dogwood, and on herbaceous plants like soybeans, sweet-fern, and members of the geranium family.

Most often seen in September, Large Maple Spanworms Moths are a sign that the days of Summer are numbered. They’re found around woodlots and swamps across southern Canada and the northern half of the United States. Adults are nocturnal, and may rest on the sides of buildings during the day.

Belonging to a group known as Geometrid Moths, geometrid means “earth measurer,” and the caterpillars are fondly nicknamed “inchworms,” “loopers,” and “spanworms” because of their gait.

This moth has a quite cool shape and color to it. It almost looks like a brown leaf, and often the edges of its wings are a little ragged-edged and wavy as well. It’s always neat to come across one!

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Greater Scaup

Posted on July 26, 2024 by tspuckler

While visiting Akron, (OH) I saw a few examples of this duck that is also known as a “Bluebill.” Males have a black breast, medium gray back, white sides, and yellow eyes. Their head appears black with a greenish sheen in good lighting. Females are brown overall, with white patch at base of bill and yellow eyes.

The only circumpolar (situated around or inhabiting one of the earth’s poles) diving duck, the Greater Scaup breeds on the tundra and in the Boreal Forest zones from Iceland across northern Scandinavia, northern Russia, northern Siberia and the western North American Arctic. It is estimated that three-quarters of the North American population breeds in Alaska. These examples were just passing through on their migration route.

The Greater Scaup dives to feed on aquatic plants and animals. In coastal areas, mollusks constitute their principle food. In freshwater habitats, seeds, leaves, stems, roots and tubers of aquatic plants like sedges, pondweeds, Muskgrass, and Wild Celery are important dietary items.

Like other ducks, they can dive completely underwater. Compared to dabbling ducks, their wings are smaller relative to their body weight. To take flight, they flap their wings and run along the surface of the water, patting their feet on the surface, gaining speed and lift until they are airborne.

The word scaup (pronounced “skopp”) may be related to the word scalp, akin to terms in northern European languages that mean “shell” or “shellfish bed”: In some regions, this bird feeds on clams, oysters, and mussels.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Cucumber Magnolia

Posted on July 19, 2024 by tspuckler

It hard to miss this fine tree that produces 2 to 4 inch slightly-fragrant, greenish-yellow, tulip-like flowers at the twig tips in late Spring. Handsome at close range, they are borne so high on the tree that they are sometimes missed.

Cucumber Magnolia a large forest tree of the Eastern United States and Southern Ontario in Canada that tends to occur singly as scattered specimens, rather than in groves.

Its flower buds and flowers are edible and may have provided a minor food source to First Nations and white settlers.

This tree’s bark is smooth and pale gray on a young tree, becoming brown, deeply furrowed, and ridged on mature trees. One of the fastest-growing Magnolias, Cucumber Magnolia is pyramidal when young but becomes broad, oval or rounded with age, ultimately it can reach 60 to 80 feet in height with a spread of 35 to 60 feet.

Cucumber Magnolia is named for the green, warty, cucumber-shaped fruits that follow the flowers, which turn from green to red and then open to reveal small red seeds in late Summer. This fruit becomes forage for Towhees, other ground-feeding birds and small mammals.

Its foliage of huge, ovate, deep green leaves, up to 10 inches long, has nice yellow-gold Fall color.

These trees cast dense shade, and are beautifully symmetrical making them a park, residential and golf course tree of preference.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Tall Flea Beetle

Posted on July 12, 2024 by tspuckler

While hiking in northwest Ohio along a marshy area, I came across a few of these neat looking insects. Tall Flea Beetles are found east of the Rockies and into Central America, wherever their food plants grow.

Flea Beetles are named because they supposedly jump around (like fleas) when they’re disturbed. I didn’t see any jumping though. To accomplish their jumping, they are aided by disproportionately large hind legs. They are also capable of flying.

Because some of their food plants grow on the edges of wetlands, Tall Flea Beetles are listed as semi-aquatic beetles by a few sources. I’m not sure how the “Tall” fits into their common name, but this is an attractively colored and marked insect.

Flea Beetles are members of the Leaf Beetle Family. This species feeds on plants in the genus Polygonum – knotweed, smartweed and bindweed – which are invasive species in the United States. Other species eat agricultural crops.

Flea Beetles live through the winter as adults in leaf litter, hedgerows, windbreaks and wooded areas. Adults become active in early spring. Most Flea Beetles are very small (1/16 –1/8 inch long). An exception is the Spinach Flea Beetle, which is 1/4-inch long.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Bluet

Posted on July 5, 2024 by tspuckler

While hiking in the woods near Youngstown, Ohio I noticed a bit of color on the forest floor.

Large drifts of Bluets can be visible from afar. Nonetheless, this is a plant that warrants dropping to the ground to better appreciate the nuances of its tiny flowers.

With the Latin Name of Houstonia caerulea, the genus name commemorates Scottish botanist William Houstoun (1695-1733), who spent time in the American tropics exploring and collecting plants.

This small, delicate perennial is often found growing in compact tufts, about 8 inches high. The plants may cover broad expanses. Its tiny flowers are pale blue with yellow centers.

There are two flower types: “pins,” with long style and short stamens, and “thrums” with short style and long stamens. Such flowers are called distylous.

Bluets are native to eastern Canada (from Ontario to Newfoundland) and the eastern United States (from Maine to Wisconsin, south to Florida and Louisiana, with scattered populations in Oklahoma).

This plant is found in a variety of habitats such as cliffs, alpine zones, forests, meadows and shores of rivers or lakes.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Beach Morning Glory

Posted on June 28, 2024 by tspuckler

While walking along the California shoreline last month, it was hard not to notice this plant. This species of bindweed is a perennial vine which grows in beach habitats on the west coast and in selected areas on the east coast of North America, and across Europe into Asia.

The plant bears fleshy stems, kidney-shaped leaves, and attractive flowers with corollas that are delicate pink to vivid lavender. Its showy flowers are insect-pollinated and attract bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps and ants.

Beach Morning Glory is also called Railroad Vine due to its scrambling nature and ability to cover less-used tracks and roadsides. It is adapted to coastal areas where sand is plentiful and the soil is well-draining. Salt, heat, and wind don’t bother this plant and it is common to see it splayed across sand dunes.

Its leaves are succulent and rounded, with a notched tip resembling a cloven hoof, hence its species name, pes-caprae, which means “goat’s foot” in Latin. The roots of this plant often go for more than 3 feet into the sand.

Like other members of its family, its flowers are ephemeral; they bloom in the morning and begin to wilt and close up by afternoon, hence the common name “Morning Glory.” Beach Morning Glory typically blooms in Summer and Fall, but may bloom year-round.

Life is tough for a plant on the beach side of a sand dune. The wind is always blowing, battering stems and leaves with salt spray or burying them under layers of sand. There’s plenty of sun for photosynthesis, but no shade when rays get too intense. But Beach Morning Glory finds a way to thrive in this hostile environment.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Western Gull

Posted on June 21, 2024 by tspuckler

While visiting California, I saw several examples of this conspicuous bird in different counties. The Western Gull is the only gull nesting along most of the Pacific Coast from Washington to Baja.

This is a large (24 to 27 inches), stocky bird with a stout bill. Adults have rather dark gray upperparts and bright pink legs. Both sexes have the same type of plumage, but the male is larger than the female.

Western Gulls are found mostly near the coast and also found regularly offshore. They are not typically found far inland. Many types of habitats are used, including estuaries, beaches, fields, garbage dumps, and city waterfronts.

Like most gulls, the Western Gull is an opportunistic feeder, capturing its own prey, scavenging trash, or stealing food from seals and other gulls. Sometimes they even steal milk from mother seals while they’re asleep.

These birds nest in colonies on islands, offshore rocks, and abandoned piers. Their colonies are often located near nesting seabirds or Sea Lions. Western Gulls build their nests on the ground, and the pair often starts as many as three nests, and then chooses one to finish and use.

Like many other gull species, they drop hard-shelled items from the air to break them on hard surfaces. They are also often seen following fishing boats and feeding on scraps thrown overboard by fish cleaners. The intelligence and resourcefulness of Western Gulls is rather impressive.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Ornate Tiger Moth

Posted on June 14, 2024 by tspuckler

While exploring California, I encountered this insect that is commonly found in late Spring and early Summer. It is a medium-sized (about 1 inch) moth. Its forewings appear black, typically with a net-like pattern of extensive yellowish or rosy off-white transverse lines and thinner pale veins.

The Ornate Tiger Moth’s habitats include coastal grasslands adjacent to the ocean, coastal rainforests, low elevation grasslands west of the Cascades, oak woodlands, mixed hardwood-conifer forests in the mountains, and Ponderosa Pine forests at middle elevations.

Its caterpillar looks like a typical “wooly worm” and like other types of Tiger Moth larva, it is a feeding generalist that consumes a wide variety of vegetation. The bright warning coloration displayed by Tiger Moths is associated with distastefulness, thus protecting it from predation.

The antennae of the Ornate Tiger Moths have an interesting toothed pattern. They normally perch with their wings held roof-like over their bodies. These insects are nocturnal as adults and may be attracted to lights at night. There are about 11,000 species of Tiger Moths in the world, residing in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Although moths are stereotypically drab, most Tiger Moths are quite colorful and attractive and this one is no exception. A British airplane serving in the Royal Air Force in the 1930s took its name from this species.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Monterey Pine

Posted on June 7, 2024 by tspuckler

While looking for reptiles and amphibians in the Golden State, I came across a small stand of these fine trees. This stately pine starts as an upright tree with a pyramidal shape; with age, it will develop a broad rounded crown that flattens at the top. When growing on a windy site with ocean influence, it develops a picturesque spreading growth habit that is asymmetrical and often with multiple trunks.

Under ideal conditions, it can grow to a height of over 100 feet with a branch spread of over 60 feet and a trunk diameter of over 4 feet. Again, under ideal conditions – and if it escapes a lethal attack from insects and diseases – it can live up to 150 years; however, its normal life span here is relatively short for a conifer, only 80 to 100 years.

Its needles are one of its most distinguishing features. The needles (3- to 6-inches long) occur at the ends of branches in dense clusters of 3 needles per cluster. These clusters persist on the tree for up to 3 years, before turning brown and dropping off. The needles also have a distinctive fresh fragrance when brushed or crushed.

This pine is adapted to cope with stand-killing fire disturbances. Its cones are serotinous, that is, they remain closed until opened by the heat of a forest fire; the abundant seeds are then discharged to regenerate on the burned forest floor. The cones may also burst open in hot weather.

The bark is thick and rather rough, with deep vertical fissures. It is a light gray brown when young; as it ages, it turns dark gray to black, with reddish brown within the fissures.

Although Monterey Pine is extensively cultivated around the world for lumber, the version of the tree used in the lumber industry is vastly different from the native tree. In its natural state, Monterey Pine is a rare and endangered tree; it is twisted, knotty and full of sap/resin and not suitable for lumber.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Whimbrel

Posted on May 31, 2024 by tspuckler

While walking along the California Coast, I spotted this large shorebird with a long body, long neck and small head. It had a distinctive long, downward curved bill and a striped head. It is found in mudflats, beaches, and coastal marshes.

Whimbrels probe with their long bills into mudflats or wet sand for invertebrates such as crabs; they walk slowly through areas where water is very shallow. Flocks moving in migration, or between roosting and feeding areas and vocalize often.

Some migrating Whimbrels make a nonstop overwater flight of 2,500 miles from southern Canada or New England to South America. One bird in particular, named Hope, was captured on the coast of Virginia in 2009 and fitted with a satellite transmitter. Over the next three years, researchers tracked for her more than 50,000 miles traveling back and forth between her breeding areas for five seasons.

In many regions, the primary winter food of the Whimbrel is Fiddler Crab. The curve of the Whimbrel’s bill nicely matches the shape of Fiddler Crab burrows. The bird reaches into the crab’s burrow, extracts the crab, washes it (if it is muddy), and sometimes breaks off the claws and legs before swallowing it.

Whimbrels tend to concentrate in flocks at a few favored spots in migration, so that the observer sees either many of them or very small numbers. Belonging to the genus Numenius, the given scientific name for this bird means “new moon” in Greek, a reference to the bird’s bill shape, which resembles a crescent moon.

Seeing this elegant, intricately patterned shorebird added another example to my list of cool creatures that I encountered while visiting the Golden State.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Tim Spuckler's Blog

Reptile Ramblings and More

Large Maple Spanworm Moth

Greater Scaup

Cucumber Magnolia

Tall Flea Beetle

Bluet

Beach Morning Glory

Western Gull

Ornate Tiger Moth

Monterey Pine

Whimbrel