Field Biology in Southeastern Ohio

I've posted on Dragonflies and Damselflies before, but they are always mixed with other subjects. I was going to include these in my next post, but that would make for far too large a read. Maybe come winter, when topics are slim, I'll put all the Odonata together. This is the Slaty Skimmer, Libellula incesta. The body is bluish-purple, and the head and eyes are dark.

This ragged torn up fellow is a Spangled Skimmer, Libellula cyanea. The body is similar in color to the Slaty, but the eyes and head on this one are blue. More importantly are the stigmas at the outer edge of the wings. Most species have a single colored stigma, but the Spangled has a bicolored stigma, half white, half black.

A female Widow Skimmer, Libellula luctuosa. The males differ from females by having white frosted marks next to those black patches. The females of both the Slaty and Spangled pictured above also have brown and yellow marks on the body, but lack the large black patches.

There are a number of Meadowhawks in Ohio. The males are red, the females are orange. Based on the black spots on the side, and the lack of other facial marks, this female is a Ruby Meadowhawk, Sympetrum rubicundulum.

I caught this guy just landing, before he could close his wings. This look makes you think it is a Spreadwing, but I knew better. It is a Skimming Bluet, Enallagma geminatum. Three things to look for. The blue shoulder stripe appears narrow and constricted in the middle. The second abdominal segment has a curved blue mark. Finally, the 8th and 9th abdominal segment are blue, but bordered on the side by black marks. This was a lifer species for me.

Slender Bluet, Enallagma traviatum. Like the previous species, this is a dark bodied Bluet. What's different on this one is the dark shoulder stripe on the side is almost non-existant. The 8th abdominal segment has a black arrowhead shape.

Double-striped Bluet, E. basidens. I just illustrated this species on my Mothapalooza post, but this specimen shows the narrow blue line in the middle of the black stripe even better.

Eastern Forktail male, Ischnura verticalis. Green Stripes on the thorax and two green dots behind the eyes. Sky blue markings on the end of the abdomen.

The sky blue or powdery look of the female Eastern Forktail. Also notice the two-toned eyes.

This one also has two-toned eyes, but it's orange. Another color form of the Eastern Forktail? Indeed

Spreadwing Damselflies (family Lestidae), almost always sit with their wings open. Look how long and skinny this body is, and how far past the wings it extends. This is the Slender Spreadwing,Lestes rectangularis. Most male Spreadwings have pale yellow on the side of the thorax, so you have to use other features.

Looking at the shape of the male genitalia is usually foolproof, and no dissection is required! Another clue on both these pictures is the white edge on the wing tips.

On the females, the blue or aqua thoracic stripes are replaced by green and bronze.

This one I wasn't so sure about. I think it is newly hatched. The pale spots at the end of the abdomen are not fully developed, and the wings are being held closed. Notice the body does not extend as far past the wings as the Slender Spreadwing. I think it is a female Elegant Spreadwing, L.inaequalis, but it looks just like a female Swamp Spreadwing. I sent this photo to Larry Rosche, and he agreed, but stressed telling those two females apart by photos alone is difficult.

Just like I started at Lake Katherine, the first thing I saw getting out of the car was a hairstreak butterfly. This time it was a Striped Hairstreak, Satyrium liparops, one of the darker hairstreaks with more orange than blue on the hindwing. I do one of two things on this blog. Either intense taxonomic posts, or general nature hikes. This will be the latter. I'm working on the former. Those tend to be for a smaller audience, and take forever to develop. These shots come from Wahkeena in southern Ohio, Mill Creek Wildlife Area, and Vickers Preserve in Mahoning County.

Green Stink Bug, Chinavia hilaris. Species in this genus tend to show alternating black and yellow antennal segments. The thorax or pronotum behind the head is somewhat flat. In other Chinavia it looks more inflated. The white mark on the side is an egg, laid by a parasitic fly.

Quick quiz. Recognize this fruit? Pea pods in a semi-circular arrangement. It's Bird's-foot Trefoil, Lotus corniculatus.

Here it is in its more recognizable bloom.

Funny how some still call these giant mosquitos. This is a Crane Fly. The orange marked thorax, ringed yellow abdomen with a brown stripe, puts this in the genus Nephrotoma. The sharp pointed tip on the abdomen tells us it is a female.

The body of this Crane Fly has a dark streak from top to bottom. The abdomen is paler, and the thorax is black striped. This is the Long-legged Dancer, Brachypremna dispellens. On the legs, the long tibia are white, and the femurs are black.

These guys also have a skinny neck, big eyes, and a long snout. In this position it appears helpless, or maybe hapless, like it flew into something and got stuck. These Crane Flies hang by four legs, and dangle the other two. Watching this guy try to land was a laugh. Every single time it flew, it would bounce back and forth for 30 seconds to a minute before fixating on a plant. Remember playing paddle-ball as a kid? You get the picture.

Not one to be swayed by grass species in flower, this purple was just too attractive to ignore. This is Timothy Grass, Phleum pratense in bloom.

This is how most of us probably see Timothy. Doesn't have the same effect now does it.

A cluster of round flowers dangle down from a grape vine. Judging by the leaves, this is probably Summer Grape, Vitis aestivalis.

Another cluster of round flowers, not hanging from a vine, but growing erect in a wetland. These belong to Bur-reed.

There are several species in Ohio. The fruit of these are golf ball size or larger. That makes this the Giant Bur-reed, Sparganium eurycarpum. On the other species, the fruit has longer spikes that resemble Bur-dock or Thistle heads. These remind me more of Sweetgum, and look like melted green Hershey Kiss candies. Either that or it's a Jabba the Hut convention.

Exploring wetlands with a macro limits what you can do. This Great Egret took off before I could sneak up, as if I thought I could.

A small Forget-Me-Not growing in a wetland? There are two nearly identical species. Both have the calyx with upward appressed hairs. Myosotis laxa has flowers up to 5 millimeters, while M scorpioides has flowers 5-9 mm. Funny, I carry a hand lens for such things, but never think to bring a ruler.

Also along the wetland was this legume with divided leaves and tendrils. I had to seek out the flowers.

Did I say the last plant was small? Gees these flowers were minute. It's Four-seeded or Slender Vetch, Viccia tetrasperma, and unfortunately like so many other plants at this location, it's non native.

A Dolichopodid or Long-legged Fly. A shorter bodied species, lacking the iridescent green torpedo body of most members.

A Narceus Millipede rolls up upon my approach. I must have a heavy walk! Good to see Derek Hennen again at Mothapalooza. He's up from Arkansas still surveying the Ohio species. Too bad our schedules didn't allow us any field time together.

I have been seeing tons of these little beetles everywhere. They appear to be Lightning-bugs or Fireflies, but not quite. Fireflies do not have visible heads. These closely resemble Plateros Net-winged Beetles and the first pic may actually be one. Net-wings have many striations down the back of the elytra. This mating pair only have three. That led me to Soldier Beetles, in particular Polemius laticornis. The raised bumps on the back of the thorax led me to the species. (Of course that includes the help of a great new beetle book by Howard Evans.) Not being a beetle person, I welcome corrections.

Here is a true Firefly for comparison. The head is hidden under the thorax.

A Least Skipper Ancyloxypha numitor, forages through the low vegetation. Always look near the ground for this slow flying butterfly.

Also hiding in the grass was this Tortricid moth known as the One-banded Leafroller, Sparganothis unifasciana. The red band forms a V shape on the back. Depending on how intense the other red marks are, you may even see a slight X. Check out the schnoz on this one.

Have you noticed with many of these plants and animals, the smaller they are, the more they attract my attention? Maybe it's a macro lens fetish. How about a macro lens addiction, ya, that sounds better.

I saw this little guy on a fern at Wahkeena. At first glance it looked like a Thyreocoridae. Those are known as Negro Bugs or Black Bugs. It wasn't till I enlarged the photo that I saw the X mark on the back like most True Bugs have. Thyreocordids lack that X, and look more like Shield Bugs. This is a related family known as Burrower Bugs (Cydnidae). This was another new species for me. It's called the White-margined Burrower, Sehirus cinctus.

No, these are not engorged maggots. They are beetle grubs. Leaf Beetles to be exact. Called the False Potato Beetle Leptinotarsa juncta, their name comes from the adults resemblance to the Colorado Potato Beetle. They're feeding on their host plant, Horse Nettle, Solanum carolinense.

It's easy to get the back side of these butterflies, but you have to be more patient to shoot them with wings open. It's an Eastern Tailed Blue, Cupido (Everes) comyntas. The tails make it easy to separate from the Summer Azure.

As an insect, I'd hate to get tangled in this mess. These are the seeds from the dreaded Canada Thistle, Cirsium arvense. It's easy to see how the wind spreads them to so many areas.

Carolina Rose, Rosa carolina, with its bristle like thorns and pink flowers, makes a nice resting area for this immature Orthoptera.

Climbing Rose, Rosa setigera, is much larger than Carolina, and also has larger thorns or prickles. The majority of the leaves are in threes.

As I mentioned earlier, when looking at tiny things, a closer look may be needed. When examining larger items, a second look is often necessary. I shot this thinking it was just another Climbing Rose. Yet the leaf shape and texture is all wrong. Besides it has 5-7 leaflets. I never come across non native roses with 5 petaled pink flowers. Up close, what appears to be double serrated leaves are actually glands along the margin. Could this be the Sweetbrier Rose, Rosa rubiginosa? I welcome comments from anyone who has experience with these.

Here is a new species of Treehopper I came across. It's called Publilia concava, and I've yet to find a common name. I'm going to call it the White-banded Treehopper. Notice the ant in the neighborhood.

It's not long before the ant notices it. It's common behavior for ants to protect treehoppers, aphids, scale, and other True Bugs.

Ants, wasps, and some bees derive sugar water that these bugs exude as a waste product after sucking plant sap. Here the ant positions itself over the treehopper and uses its antennae and mouthparts to tickle the bug and tell it someone's hungry.

Finally it heads towards the rear of the bug and sips a bit of 'Red Bull'.

As a sidelight to these hikes, I always keep a "mystery" folder of unknowns. I just got this one solved. Have you ever seen Buckeye leaves in the spring, (in this case Yellow Buckeye), suddenly wilt for no reason?

I have to check this kind of stuff out you understand. Turns out all these leaves had the same boring holes in the rachis. I took many of these home in hopes of hatching something. Nothing ever appeared, so I figured these were exit, not entrance holes. Thanks to Joe Boggs of OSU Extension for solving the mystery.

Turns out it is a moth caterpillar. Proteoteras aesculana, the Buckeye Borer. The adult is gray and black with green shading. With the wings at rest, there are 3 tufts of hairs visible down the back. It will attack maple, and is also known as the Maple Twig Borer. Photo courtesy of Jim Vargo.

Several people have asked me this summer when I'm going to do another moth night at Wahkeena or elsewhere. I have done a number of them over the last couple of years, and always enjoy helping people identify their moth photos. This time I wanted to have a private night for myself, and maybe catch up on some collecting. This is Wild Bergamot, Monarda fistulosa. During the day they often look pinkish white. I took this as the sun went down, and I love how the purple color really shows.

Thanks to Tom Shisler for setting up a generator way back in the woods. With a full moon I knew it would not be productive out in the open. John Hickenbottom, naturalist at Lake Hope State Park spent the night as Tom's guest. John had never been on a moth walk. This is Orthosoma brunneum, the Brown Prionid Beetle. I'm always looking for more than just moths.

Back in the spring pools, this Long-tailed Salamander, Eurycea longicauda made an appearance late that night.

Tiger Spiketail, Cordulegaster erronea. Tom was doing a survey of dragonflies for a workshop with Bob Glotzhober the next day. Tigers are rare and endangered in Ohio. Unfortunately this one was on its last leg and didn't survive the day. The good news is Tom observed a half dozen different specimens on the area that day. They differ from other spiketails by the yellow rings around the abdomen. Yes I know the photo isn't great sitting on a piece of paper, but I had never seen one.

The Marbled Green, Leuconycta lepidula. I stick this in because there just aren't a lot of moths with green on them. I sometimes call it the lichen moth, but that common name is often applied to many other species.

This small moth looks like a type of owlet, but has jagged wing margins like an inchworm. It holds its abdomen curled like a slug moth, and does push-ups with its front legs like several other micro moth families. What is it? Tosale oviplagalis, the Dimorphic Tosale. It is in the Pyralid family. The dark patch across the wing is diagnostic, but I like the raised tuft of scales above that mark that resembles a little bird wing.

Figure Seven Moth, Drasteria (Synedoida) grandirena.

It is often pictured in field guides with the Catacola moths because it could be mistaken for an Underwing Moth. Underwings have red, yellow, orange or white stripes in their hind wings. The hindwing here reminds me of a carved Jack O' Lantern. I do well on Rorschach tests.

What in the world? I can't tell if that's a vase on a stand, or Mr. Waternoose from Monsters Inc. Yes that is a moth outline.

Something this strange could only belong to my favorite group, the Slug Moths.

From the side you can see it really is a moth, in this case the Saddleback Slug, Acharia stimulea. Those weird tufts are raised scales on the legs and abdomen.

We are all familiar with the Saddleback caterpillar, but because of the lack of color, the adult is often overlooked. It has the 3-4 white spots on the wing like many other slugs. The chocolate color is highlighted up close by silvery-purple frosting. Sometimes they sit with their legs up and look like a spider. This male appears dead, flat, and squished, but he is very much alive.

Nason's Slug, Natada nasoni.

Button Slug, Tortricidia pallida, one of the smallest Limacodid slugs.

Smaller Parasa Slug, Parasa chloris. The night after Wahkeena, I went to see Lisa Sells at her new residence outside Lancaster, and we set up a sheet. If you know Lisa, you are aware that her macro photography is second to none. So this is a collection of photos from both locations.

Skiff Moth, Prolimacodes badia, another slug species. Have you noticed a sudden change in the photographs? I hate taking pics against a sheet. The background is terrible, and the bright light always messes with my results. After moths have settled into a sheet for a time, you can often move them to a more natural background. I am learning patience!

After a few pictures, the Skiff dropped off the leaf. It took me a minute to relocate it. I'd say it shows some pretty nice camouflage while on the ground.

Cousins to the Slug Moths are the Flannel Moths. This is Norape ovina, the White Flannel Moth. It doesn't have to be multicolored to be interesting.

In an up close view, you can see the waves of raised crinkly scales on the wings. The outline of the moth is broken up by various sized tufts of hairs from head to tail.

"Oh, that's one of those gray inchworms that all look alike." Yep, I have been guilty of saying that many times. I need to work on these inside, from specimens or photos. They are too difficult in the field. I've also

said this before, but after 25 years down here, I rarely ever see a new moth. That's what happens when you ignore some of them, even the common ones. If my identification is correct, this WAS a new species for me.

Ectropis crepuscularia, the Small Engrailed. There are many color varieties of this species, including this melanic form. The fore wings do not have stripes, but look streaked. Stripes are more visible on the hind wings. The upper abdominal segment is encircled with black. The outer fore wings have a zig-zag white line. All of these similar Geometrids show 3-4 small black dots at the top of the wing.

Here's another one. The 3-4 spots are more visible on the wing edges than the previous species. Many specimens will show more distinct stripes, but this one looks drab and dirty, with sort of a marble cake design, and lots of finely shredded chocolate chip drops. Stripes on the hind wing reach to the edge of the abdomen. Similar species have a large white ring on the first abdominal segment, which this lacks. I'm going with the Porcelain Gray, Protoboarmia porcelaria.

Let's end this post with some of the showier species. The Imperial Moth, Eacles imperialis.

Spiny Oakworm, Anisota stigma. This is the only one of the oak worms that shows a distinct pink line in both wings.

Elm Sphinx, Ceratomia amyntor. The caterpillar is known as the Four-horned Sphinx.

There were a lot of Catalpa trees in the area. Hmmm, how about the Catalpa Sphinx, Ceratomia catalpae. People use the caterpillars for fish bait. These are often confused with the Waved Sphinx. The Waved is clearly marked with white, black, and gray lines. Catalpa Sphinx moths are brown and gray, with faded or indistinct wing markings. Essentially, even when fresh, they look like a worn out Waved.

This one came out very nice. Purple and orange make quite a combination. Small-eyed Sphinx, Paoniasmyops, is one of the five sphinx moths with eye spots. It may have the least interesting eye spots on the hind wing compared to the others, but that fore wing pattern is hard to argue with.

Royal Walnut Moth, Citheronia regalis. This huge female had nearly a six inch wingspan. It's also known as the Regal Moth, and the larva is the Hickory Horned Devil.

Yellow-shouldered Slug Moth, Lithacodes fasciola. Now this is REAL macro photography! No it's not mine. Just wanted to show you the kind of stuff Lisa Sells has been working on.

There are two species of Apatelodidae moths in Ohio. This is the Angel, Olceclostera angelica. 7665
A gray moth with two curvy brown stripes in the wing. Apatelodids sit with their wings flat over their body in a triangle shape.They often stand on their head and hold the abdomen up in the air. The wing margins are scalloped or uneven. Members of the family have one or two white, somewhat translucent spots, near the edge of the upper wing.

As with previous moth posts, all pinned specimens are the property of Jim Vargo. The live shots are mine, unless indicated otherwise. The numbers reflect the Hodges checklist.

7663 Apatelodes torrefacta. Called the Spotted Apatelodes, I have always known it as the Wild Cherry Moth. I see this more often than the previous one. Another gray winged species, the key difference is the black stripe near the base of the forewing. Large black spots on the wing and thorax are also distinct. The hindwing is rust colored. When at rest, they often keep those hind wings hidden. It's a cherry, oak, and maple feeder.

Thyatiridae moths. To me they have a mix of both Prominent and Noctuid characters. The best way to distinguish them is to simply learn the species. There are only four in Ohio. This one is Habrosyne scripta, the Lettered Habrosyne, 6235. More common in northern Ohio, it has a wide range from coast to coast in N.A. I would expect to see this in other parts of the state.

Habrosyne gloriosa, the Glorious Habrosyne 6236, is the more widespread species in Ohio. It is nearly identical to Lettered, with a couple subtle differences. The white line bordering the large gray patch is bent in both species. In gloriosa it forms a nearly square or 90 degree break. In scripta it is only slightly bent. The pink-white line that borders the wing edge is straight in gloriosa, and more curved or boomerang shaped in scripta.

6237 Pseudothyatira cymatophoroides, the Tufted Thyatirid. This moth occurs in two color forms. The black marks may be present or absent. It's call tufted for two reasons. When at rest you can see a tuft of hairs on the thorax sticking straight up. Also, follow the outer forewing down to where it meets the hindwing. Notice a "tuft" of rusty scales. These also stick out on the moth when the wings are folded.

6240 Euthyatira pudens, Dogwood Thyatirid. Another species with two color forms. Easy to recognize with the big white spots, even the lighter form still shows some of the same spots. In fresh specimens, those white spots are often tinted with pink.

The Drepanidae family, commonly known as Hooktip Moths. You can see the wing tips curve into a sharp fish hook shape. That is typical, but not all species show those tips. Seems there are always exceptions in every group. This one is Drepana arcuata 6251, the Arched Hooktip. Yellow-brown in color, often lighter on the outer portions, with a dark curved line up the middle. A thinner brown line often borders the thicker one. These moths can easily be mistaken for Geometrid Inchworms, but have a shorter stouter body.

6252 Drepana bilineata, the Two-lined Hooktip. Like the previous, there is a yellow-brown look to the wings. In the first form, a net-winged appearance is also helpful. The hook-tips are there, but the wing margin is more scalloped in this species. Whether a light or dark form, the name tells you what to look for, two widely separated brown stripes. This species is found primarily north of Ohio.

6255 Oreta rosea,Rose Hooktip. Although the center is still a brown color, the yellow makes this easy to recognize. The hook itself may be dark brown to purple. Occasionally this species will be found in an all orange form.

6253 Eudeilinia herminiata, Northern Eudeilinia. This is one of those species that lacks the hooked tip. Look for a dark chain like pattern on both sets of wings. Again, those short stout bodies help in separating this from several white Inchworm lookalikes. This species is found in every state surrounding Ohio. So look for it in places besides the northern counties. Not much of a common name, but it's called northern because there is a nearly identical species in Florida. On that one, the dark spots are a lighter yellow-gold.

#1 Zaleski. Who can tell, maybe someone that really knows these may come by and put names on them.

Heavily packed Carex cristatella? Youngstown

From the Youngstown area. Carex scoparia?

#5 N.E. Ohio

#6 S.E. Ohio

vulpinoidea or annectens?

The Seven Sedges. I'm sure about a couple of them, Sleepy, Dopey, Grumpy, but don't want to guess on the rest.

Part three consists of species with smaller fruiting structures. While most sedges are wetland oriented, this first batch of species are found in woodland habitats.

Wood Sedge, Carex blanda. This species usually shows 1-2 spikelets at the top of the plant. The perigynia are bluish white mixed with green. They are inflated and look like green eggs or mini water balloons. They have a very short beak at their tips. The pistillate spike (on the right) has scales with a distinct green line down the center. The bottom of the plant has very wide leaves like an Iris or Cattail.

Broad Loose-flowered Sedge, Carex laxiflora. At frist glance, it looks just like blanda. With these smaller sedges, you better get on your hands and knees and use a lens. The fruit is more green than bluish, and the perigynia are more elongated. The fruit is often tucked into the leaves. The small beak is colored white. laxiflora and its relatives are very difficult to tell apart from photos.

Pennsylvania Sedge, Carex pensylvanica. This is a common species found in dry upland woods, especially where oaks grow. It has narrow grass like leaves that grow in clumps. It could be mistaken for a grass, but follow the leaves out to the end and check the fruit. This is an early spring bloomer, the flower of which I pictured in part 1.

Oak Sedge, Carex albicans. Another woodland species with brown needle like fruit. It's also called White-tinged Sedge, as the brown fruit has scales that are partially white. This is also a clump forming species.

Brome or Tussock Sedge,Carex bromoides. The fruits are narrow and small, and like the previous species, will grow erect and eventually lean over. So what is different about this one? Habitat. Look for this in wet woods and swamps. The upland species tend to form scattered clumps, while Brome Sedge can dominate an entire bottomland.

Swan's Sedge, Carex swanii. Another woodland species with short compact fruit heads. There are whitish scales that point outward, giving it a slight hairy look. To my eye, I remember this one because they look like Q-tips.

Hairy-leaved Sedge, Carex hirsutella. Another compact fruiting species. The upper photo was taken several weeks after the bottom photo, and at different locations. I don't think these are Q-tip similar at all. The fruit is essentially. The leaves on the other hand, especially down at the bottom, are very hairy.

"This looks just like the last one." I wonder how many times people have said that reading these posts.
Meadow Sedge, Carex granularis. The perigynia are tightly packed and round like BB's or bits of grain (granularis). Each perigynia has many veins. The leaves are not hairy like the above species. Though short, there are sharp pointed scales protruding outward from the fruit. This species is found in mixed habitats.

Ribbed Sedge, Carex virescens. This is another hairy species, especially on the stems. The fruit is not compact but elongated and skinny, like a pipe cleaner.

Not a great pic, but I think you can see the comparison. Take the Q-tip of swanii on the left, and STRETCH it out, and you have virescens.

Blue Sedge, Carex glaucodea. This is found in both woodlands and open sites. The narrow fruit tend to hug the stems. A similar pipe cleaner shape as in virescens, but a greener color due to the lack of as many hairs. This is another species that you have to examine the leaves down low. They are blue-green or glaucous coated.

Flat-spiked Sedge, Carex planispicata. A species of well drained sites. Notice how each perigynia grows in an alternate fashion called 2-ranked. Important recognition factor is the flattened fruit.

Twisted Sedge, Carex torta. These sedges are starting to look more like grass seed. This is a skinny fruiting species found along streams. The spikes sometimes start to hang down at the top. The tip of the perigynia is curved or twisting away from the plant. The scales are brown striped.

Graceful Sedge, Carex gracillima. A loose and weakly fruiting species, even more so than torta. The round perigynia have virtually no beak at their tips. These could be mistaken for grasses such as Leersia. If it wasn't for the drooping look, they might also resemble Plantain. Look for this in wetland soils.

Slender Woodland Sedge, Carex digitalis. Take a specimen of gracillima above, and shake it till most of the fruit have fallen off, and you have digitalis. It really does look bare, as if it had shed most of the perigynia already. This is a sparse fruiting, drooping species. Use a hand lens and you'll see the fruit is not flat or round, but 3-sided.

Spreading Sedge, Carex laxiculmis. A big leaved species with thin, weak fruiting stems. Spikelets are short and dangle like a bell on long peduncles. Sometimes confused with digitalis above, the perigynia are more tightly packed into a rounder cluster. The staminate spikes grow erect and are found well above the pistillate portions.

Grey Sedge, Carex grisea.

Narrow-leaved Sedge, Carex amphibola. Both of these are similar to planispicata further above. In fact the three of them were once combined into a single species. These two do NOT have flat fruit like planispicata. All three have short fruiting heads with pointy scales sticking out between the perigynia. I await more information on how to separate these two.

Hirsute Sedge, Carex complanata. The fruit resembles C. hirsutella, which it was once combined. The distinguishing character is the red stem. Rick found this at Lake Katherine. It is rare in Ohio, having been recorded in only a couple southern counties.

Green-star Sedge, Carex viridistellata. A newly described species that Andrew Gibson showed me in Adams County. The fruits are small when compared to other spiked species I mentioned before. This is found on open hillside seeps and wetland soils of prairies and fens.

Finally, we've reached the end. I hope to add both photos and new information to these sedge posts in the future. For now I include another "maybe" pic, emphasizing that photos alone don't always do the trick. This looks like Drooping Sedge, Carex prasina, a species of woodland streams. You need to examine those prickly scales and see if they are both flat and bent. The perigynium has only 2 veins. Most sedges have more.

I think of star shapes or pinwheels when I see the next two species. Fruits spread outward like a rosette. Perigynia on these are much smaller than anything posted in part 1.

Curly Rose Sedge, Carex rosea.

Star Sedge, Carex radiata. Although they can be found in wetter areas, these two are woodland species. Often when you consider habitat, you can eliminate that long list of endless or look alike species. Fruits are spread out along the stem and radiate outward in a star pattern. The styles of rosea are pinkish-red and recurved (see arrow above). They tend to be straight on radiata. The perigynia of both have ridges along the edge, giving them a flattened look.

I'm treating them together because the visible differences are minute, and these were once combined as the same species. radiata is occasional in S.E. Ohio, more common up north, more often seen in wet woods, and has leaves 2mm wide. rosea is found statewide, in drier sites, and the leaves are 3mm wide. The swollen portion of the perigynium is 4mm in radiata, only 2mm in rosea. Have fun with that.

I call this next group the Spiny Sedges. That is because they remind me of this old Florida nemesis. This is Sandspur (Cenchrus). If you go barefoot in the south, you'll soon be familiar with this. While these sedges don't get stuck in your skin, they have 'the look'. This group has only TWO stigmas rather than the more common three on their achenes.

Bur-reed Sedge, Carex sparganioides. Common in woodland situations, less so in wetlands. The way to separate it from the other spiky ones is to start at the top of the stem. The fruit are clustered together, but as you go down they become farther apart, sometimes with wide spaces between them. The round shape and distance between them are the source of the common and latin names. Individual perigynia are boat shaped. Concave in the middle, with curled up edges.

Clustered Sedge, Carex aggregata. The name suggests the spikes are all aggregated or crowded at the upper end. That's fine in separating from the above species, but there are still others who crowd their fruit like this. Rather than boat shaped, the perigynia are more flattened. With a hand lens you'll see both these species have wide shaped perigynia with short blunt beaks.

Prickly Sedge,Carex stipata.

Smooth-sheath Sedge, Carex laevivaginata. Once again I am guilty of treating two species together because of their similarities. Unlike the last two species, these have longer pointed beaks on the perigynia. It is stated that stipata has a longer fruit cluster than laevivaginata, and the individual perigynia are pale colored at their base (see arrows above).

The real difference between these two is in the stem sheath, which I'm afraid I didn't photograph. Prickly Sedge has leaf sheaths that are cross-puckered, which means it has horizontal wrinkles. Smooth-sheath Sedge does not, hence the common name.

To review these last several species, sparganioides, aggregata, and in this case C. normalis on the right, all have a wider perigynia ending in an abrupt tip (see blue arrow). stipata and laevivaginata, the two on the left, have long tapering beaks, giving them a sharper appearance (orange arrow).

Yellowfruit Sedge, Carex annectens.

Brown Fox Sedge, Carex vulpinoidea. I also want to discuss both of these together. Each of these have large clusters of fruit and long horizontal bracts (black arrow). Their perigynia are round on the bottom, flat on top. The beak is short when compared to the length of the perigynia. vulpinoidea beaks are the longer of the two. Speaking of long, Fox Sedge has a greater amount of fruit spread along the main stem, more so than ANY other species. On annectens the spikelets are more tightly compact, stacked in an alternate pattern around the stem.

C. annectens

C. vulpinoidea

In this second set of pics, look for other differences. The fruit of annectens turns yellow with age, while vulpinoidea turns brown. The leaves grow well past the fruiting stalk on vulpinoidea, they are shorter than the fruit on annectens. vulpinoidea is much more common and found state wide.

Continuing with my unorthodox classifications, I call these the bushy or broom-like sedges. (Wickipedia photo)

Carex cephalophora. Short-headed Sedge, but there are lots of other common names. Compared to the others in this group, it has the shortest and smallest amount of spikelets clustered into a little head. While these photos show very few, there can be more, but still less than the other species. These remind me of the wildflower fruits known as Avens.

Crested Sedge, Carex cristatella. Clusters of round stemless spikelets are crowded together at the top, with 1 or 2 loosely below. Each perigynia radiates outward, giving it a bushy appearance. The tops are spiky, and resemble a bird crest.

Broom Sedge, Carex tribuloides. This prickly or bushy looking species does NOT have all its fruit clustered at the ends, but spread out and with alternating spikelets along the stem. Each perigynia is flattened and ends in a pointy beak. I welcome more information on these. I think my descriptions are a bit vague, and without enough detail. Members of the Ovales group are difficult to do by photos. Most characters are hand lens minute.

Straw Sedge, Carex normalis. A woodland rather than wetland species. Spikes are all gathered around the end of the stem, but loosely arranged. The perigynia border on looking more spiny than bushy.

Prickly Quill Sedge, Carex echinodes.

Greenish-white Sedge, Carex albolutescens. It's one thing to put up pictures with names, it's another not to say much about them. I'm simply not familiar enough with these. Like cephalophora, both these species have fewer and smaller spikelets than the previous species. They are loosely spread along the stem, and not restricted to the top. This group of Carex have bent styles at their base (see arrows), but how many species does that apply to?

Prickly Quill Sedge is a new species that was lifted from Carex tenera. Greenish-white Sedge is found way up in the N.E. part of the state, and a few counties in southern Ohio. It's considered rare, but probably due to misidentifications.

It has been said that any sane person attempting to learn the 160+ species of Carex in Ohio must be insane. Who said that? I did! Seriously though, I want to thank Rick Gardner for showing me the 17 million, eh, I mean these nearly 50 species on our walks. Rick is trying to turn me into a sedge head, but like any subject, it's use it or lose it. Sedge season is May and June, so now I have to wait another year to practice in the field.

Having never worked with sedges, I will approach this purely from a layman standpoint. Some technical terms are needed to describe parts of the plant, but I'll mention them frequently enough, you'll get used to it. I was going to go over these first with a couple of folks, but a number of other people said just post it and don't worry. So I will use some colorful language to put my own spin on this group. Like many other natural history topics, there are some species that can NOT be reliably identified by photographs, even if the pictures are labeled correctly. A hand lens is needed to see minute variations between species that may not be visible here. You may come away from these posts still thinking they all look alike, well, they do, ha!

Green Bulrush, Scirpus atrovirens.

Woodrush, Luzula echinata. Rushes belong to the Juncaceae family, and can be mistaken for sedges.

Flatsedge, Cyperus.

Spikesedge,Eleocharis sp. (obtusa perhaps?)

Twig-rush,Cladium mariscoides. Like Carex, these are all members of the Cyperaceae family. Sedges have edges, or are triangular. Rushes are round, and grasses are hollow. That is only a general rule for these groups. There are always a few that want to break the rules.

Carex hirtifolia.

Carex pensylvanica. Most Carex sedges are associated with wetlands, but there is a batch of them found in more upland woods. Some, like these, have rather brilliant flowering structures, and are often pictured in wildflower books.

The first group I'd like to cover are what I call the 'inflated' species. The following three species have the look of a flail or mace. This is Gray's Sedge,Carex grayii. Those balloon like structures that look inflated and pointy are called perigynia. They house the achene or seed. On Gray's Sedge, these points radiate out in an almost 360 degree fashion. To me they also have the look of those old deep sea mines. This is a common species found through much of Ohio.

Bladder Sedge, Carex intumescens. Looking very much like grayii, the Bladder Sedge has perigynia that spread outward and upward, but rarely downward. So instead of appearing round, it looks like the lower half has been cut off, giving it a flat base.

Louisiana Sedge,Carex louisianica. Found at Lake Katherine, this is an extremely rare species in Ohio. It's not globose nor semicircular. The spikes are narrower or elongate, as if the perigynia are stacked one on top of the other.

Using my warped imagination, let's compare the three using that deep sea mine I mentioned. With the spikes radiating out in every direction, this would be Carex grayii.

With the bottom part of the mine cut off, you have Carex intumescens.

With the entire fruiting structure elongated, you have Carex louisianica. Okay, enough of that.

Tuckerman's Sedge, Carex tuckermanii. Instead of all the perigynia clustered together, these are stretched out, giving the appearance of a long blow up party balloon. Each perigynia is very round, but suddenly blunts to a long beak. The upper most fruits are often erect. Lower ones may hang to the side because they have a longer stem or peduncle. The achene inside is different from other sedges in having a notch or indentation, giving it a kidney bean shape. You need a hand lens to see that.

Squarrose Sedge, Carex squarrosa. We leave the balloon sedges behind and move into the group with a more 'tighter packed' look. This and the following species are what I call the Gum-ball or Button sedges. The short round head is distinct, and the vast majority of plants show only one fruiting head at the end of the stem.

Cattail Sedge, Carex typhina. Some say the fruit reminds them of a mini cattail. I don't really see that. Though it does grow tall, and has wide leaves like a cattail. To me it is just a more elongatedsquarrosa.

When you put them side by side, you can notice three differences. 1) typhina has a longer fruit head. 2) typhina will have 2-3 fruiting spikes, squarrosa only one. 3) The spiny beaks of typhina will point outward or upward. The bottom spines or beaks of squarrosa point downward.

This next batch I eloquently call the 'caterpillar sedges'. I think you can see why.

Long-hair or Bottlebrush Sedge, Carex comosa. Appropriate common names to be sure. If any species ever looked like a green caterpillar, it's this one. The spikelets are very long and crammed with a huge number of perigynia. The base of each perigynia is small, not globose like the inflated species. The beaks at the top of the perigynium spread out in all directions, giving it a fuzzy appearance. With a hand lens, they look like a bunch of baby birds with their mouths open.

Blister Sedge, Carex vesicaria. Another elongated fruiting species. The beaks do NOT spread out like comosa, so there is no fuzzy look. The perigynia are fewer and less crowded. The bases of each are more swollen, and they taper to a sharper point.

This second picture shows a more typical narrow form. Late in the season the color fades and they look more like a bunch of onions. The perigynia appear more uniform, as if arranged in rows. The first time I identified this one they were yellowish, and reminded me of an ear of corn.

Frank's Sedge or Bristly Sedge, Carex frankii. This wetland sedge has fruit that tend to grow erect and hug the stem. The perigynia look flat or deflated, and compressed together, each one forming a diamond pattern. The beaks are long and thin, giving it a bristly or hairy appearance. On similar looking sedges, the pistillate and staminate spikelets (male & female), grow together. On Frank's Sedge, the staminate spikelet is on a separate stem.

Sallow Sedge, Carex lurida.

Hop Sedge, Carex lupulina.

Sallow Sedge above, Hop Sedge below. These are not quite balloon like, and not quite caterpillar like. I call them Porcupine Sedges. I suppose you could call them spiny 'stubby' caterpillars. Both of these are common around the state. They are short peduncled and tend to hug the stem. Hop Sedge does have inflated bases, but nothing like the grayii group. You notice the sharp spiny look before anything else, at least I do. Same goes for lurida. With age lupulina turns white to brown, while lurida turns yellow.

This may be another Porcupine Sedge known as Carex hystericina. Rick was unsure about this one and stated, as I so often do, that identification by a photo alone can be unreliable. We didn't have the specimen in hand. hystericina has a shorter fruiting body than the previous two. It looks more like a 'shriveled' caterpillar. It has long peduncles, which results in the fruit usually drooping like this.

This one is rather unique, so I don't need to put it in a group. It's easy to identify. Now watch someone tell me there are a bunch of others that look like this that I just haven't seen, that would be my luck. The Fringed Sedge, Carex crinita. People could mistake this for a Foxtail, a Canada Rye, or other drooping grasses. The perigynia are slightly inflated, but from a distance appear flattened. They have a short beak. The hair like look is due to the awn like scales that protrude between the fruit.

Last month I posted on photographing night time moths. Here are a few more. This is the Tulip-tree Silk Moth, Callosamia angulifera. I always jump to conclusions when I see one and yell out Promethia! I keep forgetting Promethia males have solid brown wings, and lack the white hammer shape. My bad.

Arched Hook-tip, Drepana arcuata. Similar to Inchworm moths, those fish hooks at the end of the wings put them into a separate family.

Looking very similar to the Hebrew Moth, Polygrammate hebraeicum, this Noctuid is the Black Zigzag, Panthea acronyctoides. It is larger than the Hebrew, and the thick black streaks in the middle and outer edge also serve to separate it. Black and white patterns always stand out on a sheet. I see this moth every year, and in our area they are always white. The moth is usually very black and gray elsewhere.

Of particular interest to me was this slug moth (of course). I had a discussion about this moth with David and Laura Hughes. In the dark of night, it looks like the Purple Crested Slug A. spinuloides. Thank goodness for camera flash. Turns out it is Adoneta bicaudata, the other Crested Slug. So if you two are reading this post, this IS the rare one. The orange and yellow color is the key. Originally found in only three S.E. Ohio counties, we can now add Fairfield and Perry to the list. Still, it seems limited to our unglaciated corner of the state.

This freshly hatched specimen and its color pattern had me confounded. Nothing matches exactly, but I believe it is Zanclognatha laevigata. I've posted on these before, and I always refer to them as the Dog-face Owlets. A more recent name is the Variable Fan-foot.

Another one that has me wondering. I'm actually too close for a good identification. I believe it is Lochmaeus manteo, the Variable Oakleaf Prominent. Variable is right, as I never seem to find two that are exactly the same. Note the bushy hairs on the face, wings, and legs.

Nemoria bistriaria, Red-fringed Emerald. There are a lot of species of green emerald inchworms, and most are not pictured in field guides. Many are more southern in range. There is a MONA fascicle (Moths of North America) that illustrates these. While expensive, it is comprehensive, and has detailed descriptions on how to separate them all. The pink face is not unique to one species.

In the recent Peterson guide, N. rubrifrontaria looks similar, but the records are rather scattered for the midwest, and it has not been officially recorded in Ohio. To keep them all apart, look for three things. 1) Is the wing edge fringed in red or just white. 2) Is the body spotted, striped or plain green. 3) Is the large white line in the wings straight (like this one) or zig-zag and wavy.

Unadorned Carpet, Hydrelia inornata. One of the very small Inchworms.

I think I know why I left these photos for later. Many are difficult and confusing. This is yet another Inchworm from the genus Pero. This group of moths have the habit of folding the outer portion of their wing. There are three widely occurring species in Ohio. P. ancetaria usually has whitish outer wing margins, not burnt tan like these. In P. morrisonaria, the center of the wing and wing bases are mottled in orange, not solid chocolate brown like this. That leaves the Honest Pero, Pero honestaria.

Azalea Sphinx, Darapsa choerilus. Because of the similar hind wings, it is sometimes confused with the Hog or Virginia Creeper Sphinx, D. myron. That moth has primarily green patches in the wings. Azalea Sphinx is an orange colored species dusted with pink-purple.

In my previous moth post I pictured the Small-eyed Sphinx. The eye spot in that species is surrounded by mostly a large yellow patch. This is the Blinded or Blind-eyed Sphinx, Paonias excaecata. The eye spot on this species is encased with a lot of thick black mascara, and the eye lid liner is bright pink.

Clemens' Bark Moth, Xylesthia pruniramiella. This micro moth, barely a quarter inch in length, is part of the Tineidae or Clothes Moth family. Look for the white cap of hair, the scale bumps down the back, and the upwardly curved back of the wings.

A Tortricid Leaf Roller moth. That's about as far as I can take it. This is an example of having to see the wings spread to identify the striped pattern at the wing tips not visible here. Besides that, I know of no species where the two white patches actually touch each other. That's the real confusing part. Phanetaparmatana is close. When you post a species you are not sure of, use the phrase "close to".

Acronicta americana, American Dagger Moth. Though it seemed smaller than normal, there are not many Dagger moths of this size, especially ones with such dark hind wings.

A couple other critters I wanted to throw in. Summer Fishfly, Chauliodes pectinicornis. Fishflies and Dobsonflies are part of the Megaloptera, which are closely related to the Neuroptera, which means 'nerve wing'. I focused in on the wing so you can see the intricate pattern these and the antlions, owl-flies, mantispids, and lacewings all have.

Summer Fishflies differ from Spring Fishflies by their seasonal flight period. If you happen to be at that spring to summer time overlap, look at the thorax. Click on the photo and you'll see yellow spots on this species. They are lacking on the spring species.

A Lightning-bug or Firefly of the genus Photuris. This group of Fireflies are larger than most. The multiple yellow stripes help narrow it to a genus. This is the group whose females mimic the flashes of other species. She lures in males who think they will be mating with their own females, only to become a meal. Like a Mantis or Black Widow, consuming the male does enrich her, but there is another more important reason. Other species contain defensive chemicals that Photuris does not possess. After eating other species, she retains the defense, and those chemicals are also used to coat and protect her eggs.

My plans to head for the western Ohio prairies isn't going to happen this year. So when all else fails, visit the prairie we manage ourselves. This is peak blooming time for prairies, and I'm always interested in seeing if anything new has appeared. This also means there will be plenty of insects to find. Rudbeckia hirta, triloba, fulgida, and Ratibida pinnata are all common at this site.

Every year when I inspect the grounds there is always something new in bloom. This year it is Steeplebush, Spirea tomentosa, a native member of the Rose family.

The Two-spotted Bumble Bee, Bombus bimaculatus, busily probes a Spiked Blazing-star, Liatris spicata.

The Eastern Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa virginica on the other hand seemed to prefer feeding on the Nodding Wild Onion, Alium cernuum. Both these bees have dark spots on their thorax. Carpenter Bees have smooth shiny abdomens, while Bumble Bee abdomens are fuzzy.

Narrow-leaved Mountain Mint, Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, is another common plant that grabbed the attention of a Leaf-cutter Bee, (Megachilidae). Leaf-cutters can be recognized by the silky hairs on the bottom of their abdomen.

Butterflies and bees weren't the only things nectaring on the Blazing-stars. This is the Bumble-beeSphinx, Hemaris diffinis. Of our two Clearwing Moths, this is the smaller, and with more black and yellow, versus the green and red of the Hummingbird Sphinx.

Bush Kaydid, Scudderia curvicauda? Katydids are not uncommon in prairies and open fields, though they prefer to frequent the Sumacs and other shrubby plants over the wildflowers. One of these days I need to learn how to recognize them all by sound.

Where there are Bees, I believe there will be Robber Flies. Hunting them in the field is what might be the Red-footedRobber, Promachus rufipes.

Small-flowered Agrimony, Agrimonia parviflora.

Slender Yellow Flax, Linum virginanum.

Water Horehound, Lycopus americanus. All three of these plants have tiny flowers, which means you have to get up close, which means I get a chance to spot very tiny insects.

A Yellow-striped Stink Bug, Mormidea lugens.

Diamonback Spittle-bug, Lepyronia quadrangularis. With the ability to hop and fly away, the adults no longer need the protection of a bubbly froth. This species looks somewhat like a little Spring Peeper.

Striped Anacampsis, Anacampsis agrimoniella. This little micro was wandering near the ground. I must admit, this is a very worn specimen, with many of the scales missing. It's usually a bit more colorful. To find a member of the Gelechiidae family that's easy to identify is the exception, not the rule. Most importantly, I finally found a new species for my list.

Yes, I spend a lot of time at Wahkeena Nature Preserve in Fairfield County. It's not a far drive, it's in the Hocking Hills region, so the diversity is wonderful, and there is always someone there to tell me what orchids are in bloom.

Club-spur Orchid, Platanthera clavellata, is a small green and white species. It has long spurs extending behind the flower heads. Stem leaves are few and minute, with the exception of one larger leaf near the bottom. Look for this near woodland seeps in late July.

This tall spike belongs to an early August bloomer, the Crane-fly Orchid, Tipularia discolor. This plant will have NO leaves while flowering.

The flowers and stem are yellow to reddish-brown or maroon. After the flowers disappear, a broad leaf will protrude from the ground, similar to those of Puttyroot. Turn over the leaf and it will be purple. This is a moist soil species of woodlands that only grows if certain fungi occur in the area. Orchids with long spurs like this are pollinated by moths.

Speaking of "Crane Flies", I found this critter checking out a seep right next to the orchid. I can not find anything in the Tipulidae family to match it. Based on the wings, body, and how it holds its legs, maybe it is a type of Winter Crane Fly or a Phantom Crane. I have been unsuccessful in searching all three families. I shouldn't be surprised. How often do you come across an insect wearing Hanes tighty-whitey sweat socks.

While searching for the orchid, I came across this rather bare and insignificant plant. Most of the flowers have already gone to seed. It's a Desmodium.

It's called Naked-flowered Tick-trefoil, Desmodium nudiflorum.

I usually don't mess with Tick-trefoils, but this species is different, and a new one for me. The flowering stalk is separate from the leaves. This rosette of tri-foliate leaves are restricted to the base, growing on a different stem.

While taking pictures, I'd notice the flower would suddenly move back and forth for no apparent reason. I wasn't touching any part of the plant, and there was no wind, but every few seconds BOING, it would jump. Turns out there was a spider off to the side flicking this silken thread attached to the back of the petals. Apparently it does this to draw attention to the flower, and lure in insects, ingenious!

Judging by the chewed edges of these leaves, some insect has been busy. But what caterpillar has the time to set up a pup tent and go camping?

The Silver-spotted Skipper, Epargyreus clarus, that's who. The plant is Hog-peanut, Amphicarpaeabracteata, one of its known food plants. Even at this small size you can recognize it. How many caterpillars have a boxing glove for a head!

Tiger Bee Fly, Xenox tigrinus. This is one of the larger members of the family. Along with the size, those mottled wings are often confused with some of the Deer Flies. Don't worry, this one won't bite. They are good guys, and parasitize Carpenter Bees. The black body is spotted with white. The sunlight here makes the wings look white spotted as well, but they are actually transparent. A better name would have been Leopard bee fly.

Publilia concava. I posted this treehopper picture not too long ago. I just want to use it to compare with the next species.

Another Treehopper being attended by ants. This looks like Publilia reticulata. It's smaller than the previous species, and lacks the white stripe. reticulata refers to the fish net or chain like appearance of the wing veins. In concava, they are all horizontal and parallel. Click on the photos for that detail. I believe these are the only two Publilia that occur in Ohio. This is its food plant, Ironweed (Veronia). I have mentioned many times how ants tend these for their sugar water. Below the vein, an ant rides piggy back on an immature hopper.

Catalpa Sphinx, Ceratomia catalpae. Like the treehoppers above, I recently posted a picture of the adult. While perhaps the dullest of all the Sphinx Moth adults, the caterpillars are spectacular. Black backed with yellow sides, and the traditional horn near the rear. Fishermen swear by Catalpa Worms as an excellent bait. In the final instar, these caterpillars are skinny along their first half, and nearly twice as fat in the back half.

The Catalpa Sphinx is considered native to Ohio, and I'm sure in historical times, they wandered into the state frequently from Indiana and Kentucky. But both the Southern and Northern Catalpa trees are non-native. Their range is just south and west of us. Catalpa, like Osage Orange Maclura pomifera, has been widely planted since settlement times for use as a natural hedgerow and for fence posts. For those who plant Catalpa for ornamental purposes, these caterpillars can defoliate an entire tree.

The last instar of the Imperial Silk Moth, Eacles imperialis. To say it AGAIN, I showed the adult moth last month. So why don't I wait till I have both larvae and adult before posting? You know the answer to that. It's pure chance that I come across these things when I do. Robyn at Wahkeena is currently raising these on Pine. So sit back and enjoy all the color forms of the earlier instars.

With school coming back in session, I wanted to hike a couple places before time ran out. Mill Creek Park in Youngstown always has things to find. I start with this photo of a very small Noctuid moth. I had never seen this one before, and the closest thing I could find was a species of Tripudia, even though this group is not known from Ohio. Thanks to Jim Vargo for verifying it is indeed Tripudia flavofasciata. There is no common name. I know our Ohio Lepidopterists database is way behind, but as of right now, this may be a state record. Of course it was collected, just in case.

I spent most of the time walking the edge of Lake Glacier. One of the abundant wetland plants included Water Willow, Justicia americana. The unusual looking flower is part of the Acanthaceae, a mostly tropical family.

The Great Blue Lobelia, Lobelia siphilitica, is one of those plants you just have to photograph every time, no matter how common it is.

A Silver-spotted Skipper, Epargyreus clarus, alights on a Heal-all plant.

Wild Mint, Mentha arvensis. Size and color of the flowers, along with the leaf shape, help separate this from the similar looking Horehounds and Bugleweeds.

Blue-fronted Dancer, Argia apicalis. Like the Skipper and Lobelia, I guess I have my favorites I like to photograph every time I run across them.

I usually tend to blame my photography techniques for the lack of brilliant colors. Well this time it's not me, these really are this dull colored. Another new species for me, the Dusky Dancer,Argia translata. In the upper photo, the female has two tan stripes on the side of the thorax. The male is pretty much all black, with thin blue rings on each abdominal segment. He also sports violet-blue eyes. In Dragonflies and Damselflies, once the male has clasped the female, he won't let go till she has laid eggs. Here the male stays frozen, suspended in mid air, while the female rests.

I also spent some time along the trails of French Creek, part of the Lorain County Metro Parks. This is my old stomping ground when I was a kid. The first thing I went after was another species of Agrimony. This species has larger fruit than others, and they contain many hooked bristles. I believe this is Tall Hairy Agrimony, Agrimonia gryposepala.

In my recent post on Prairies, I illustrated the upper plant, Agrimonia parviflora. That species has many leaflets along the stems. Tall Hairy Agrimony has only 5-7 leaflets, and the hairs on the stem are not gland tipped.

Growing right next to the Agrimony was this Common St. John's-wort, Hypericum perforatum. Look for the black dots along the edge of the petals. If you find a St. John's-wort with black dots along the leaf margin, that's Hypericum maculatum.

Tarnished Plant Bug, Lygus lineolaris. This native bug is widespread throughout the country, and in some circles is considered a major pest. That's because it will feed on several hundred different plants. Look for the V or Y shaped mark up on the scutellum. Plant Bugs belong to the family Miridae. The key character to recognize this family are two cells near the back of the wings. They look like mini wings in the picture. I refer to the dark cells sitting in-between the white spots. This part of the wing points downward, and looks bent or broken in profile.

A Leafhopper, Flatomenis promima, hides under a group of feeding aphids. Whenever you approach these with a camera, they immediately hop to the other side of the stem. If you go to that side, they once again reverse their position, and if you try again... well you get the idea.

A Long-legged Fly of the genus Condylostylus. They don't hide along a stem. When you photograph them, they jump to a different spot on the leaf, especially during pre-flash. Whether it's the light or noise of the camera, they can be a pain to get in focus. If you shoot enough pictures in a row, they look like they're dancing a jig. They are usually more green than orange, but the flash really brought out the orange this time.

A Lauxanid Fly, Homoneura conjuncta, probes what I believe is a bird dropping. Either that or it's a parasitized cocoon of some sort. It wasn't soft and runny, but solid, and attached to the leaf. This fly can be recognized by the spotted wings and red orange eyes and body. They look like an oversized Drosophila Fruit Fly, but the hairs between the eyes are arranged differently.

I'm still trying to learn all of these to the species level. I purposely try to focus in on the back, as those markings can be helpful in identification. I believe this is the Clicker Katydid, Amblycoryphaalexanderi. This species prefers to stay in woods rather than open fields.

In a recent post I put up a Crane Fly with white feet. I still can't find a name on it. Then I see another with the same body shape and similar size. This shiny, all black species, is a Limoniid Crane Fly, Gnophomyia tristissima.

The purple-blue fruit of the Silky Dogwood, Cornus amomum, begins to mature in late summer and into September. Look for it in wet soils.

Solomon's Seal, Polygonatum biflorum. Like the flowers, the fruit dangle down, but are hidden beneath the leaves. You often have to fold them over to get a nice picture.

Always on the lookout for new galls, these red tubes or trumpets belong to the Dogwood Gall Midge, Craneiobia tuba, a type of Cecidomyiidae. One species in this family of Flies causes Dogwood twigs to swell at their tips, while others create galls on Willow twigs and Goldenrod stems.

Has anybody noticed large sacks growing on sumacs? In this case it's Staghorn Sumac, Rhus typhina, but they will also be found on Smooth Sumac, R. glabra.

They start out white, turn to pink, and eventually this bright red. They are Aphid Colonies of the species Melaphis rhois.

The adults lay eggs on the leaf underside. This results in an irritation, and the plant tissue swells around the eggs. Upon hatching, the young aphids suck the plant juice created by the gall. Common names include Pouch gall, Balloon gall, Potato, Apple, and Tomato gall. Some wilting of the leaves will occur, and they may be unsightly, but they don't cause any real health issues for the plant.

Break open a gall, and you can see the large number of Aphids inside. Besides the plant-insect association, there is a population of bacteria that live with the Aphids. These bacteria produce a toxin that can inhibit the success of parasitic wasps. Fossilized sumacs contained these Aphid galls, and they go back nearly 50 million years. It's the oldest known symbiotic relationship in nature.

Back in July, Lisa Sells and I went out looking for moths. We decided to try again in late August. Last time I spent most of it with the camera, this time I had my jars. I didn't pay much attention to this Banded Tiger Moth at first, as there are many that look like this. Upon closer examination, I think this is Apantesis carlotta. This is a recently described species that used to be lumped in with the rest. What's different is the basal edge of the wing is lined in black, not white. What I meant by "the rest", is the Tiger Moth complex of vittata/nais/phalerata, which are almost impossible to tell apart visually.

Papaipema circumlucens, Hop Stalk Borer, I think. Lisa and I having been going back and forth on figuring this one out. These are stem boring moths. Caterpillars in this genus eat out the center stem on a variety of herbaceous plants. This one feeds on Hops and Dogbane. The overall color pattern, and the two small white dots near the wing base leads me to this species. Papaipema moths are very similar in looks. This is one I had never collected before, and there are not a lot of photographs out there. The jury is still out, and I will have an expert verify the ID at a later date.

Ethmia zelleriella, Zeller's Ethmia. Last year down at Shawnee I picked up two species of Ethmia. trifurcella, with its charcoal black wings, and longimaculella, with its polka-dotted and streaked wings. Zeller's Ethmia differs from those by having a yellow body and yellow legs. This was another first for me.

Wavy-lined Emerald, Synchlora areata. This is one of the smallest of the Green Emeralds. In my last post on moths, I mentioned to always look for three things to distinguish between species. In areata, look for a white body stripe, wavy lines in the wings, and no red border on the wing edges.

This Inchworm has two sets of rusty colored patches near the wing base, a dark brown patch in the center of the wing, with two lobes reaching towards the white area, and two brown spots near the outer edge of the wing. With everything in twos, we should call this the Red Twin-spot, Xanthorhoe ferrugata.

Lascoria ambigualis. Sometimes called the Ambiguous Moth, that name seems so ambiguous, if you know what I mean. I put this in the Deltoid Noctuids because of the triangle shape. It doesn't matter if it truly is a deltoid Owlet or not. It works for me, and helps narrow it down so I can go right to the references for an exact name. While you shouldn't ignore established common names, there is nothing wrong with coming up with something original to aid in recognition. I like to call it the 3-spotted Lascoria, due to the black marks. Look at the third spot away from the wing margin. There is an indentation in the wing, like a bite was taken out. This helps in ID.

Most of my beginning dendrology students have never had an identification class before. Like the book 'Don't Be Such A Scientist', I tell them to make up their own method of learning. You don't have to follow technical jargon, use your own vocabulary. Develop a system. Everything in biology works on a system. Don't try to memorize, you'll never retain it.

Pandemis lamprosana.

Choristoneura obsoletana or zapulata. I'm also not afraid to put things out there that may be debated by those with more knowledge. Trouble is, most micro moth experts aren't cruising blogs. They are busy dissecting these to be sure. These are Leafroller Moths. The family is split into two groups. In these, the skinny bodies are covered by extra wide wings that remind me of Batman or Superman capes.

Besides moths, a few other notable critters came in. Banasa dimidiata, is a predominately yellow and brown Stinkbug.

Alder Spittlebug, Clastotera obtusa. Sorry, my lens just couldn't get any closer to this tiny guy. This group of spittlebugs exhibit what is known as 'head-tail reversal'. There are two black spots at the back end that look like eyes. Some of these guys leave their rear legs extended out the back end to look like antennae. Predators tend to attack the head region, giving these bugs a chance to escape forward. The stripes resemble an abdomen, but that is actually the head. Blow up the picture, and you can see two wire like antennae sticking out the top.

Behind the sheet we found a spider web with nothing in it. With a little looking, there it was, folded up under a twig.

After a while, it came out to the middle to sit. At first I thought maybe the Barnyard Orb Weaver, Araneus cavaticus. but I'm having second thoughts.

Here is a different one I shot during the day. Those black stitch marks, and pale abdomen stripe match up better to the Arabesque Orb Weaver, Neoscona arabesca. Orb Weavers are so variable, I'm often guessing. I have a workshop with Richard Bradley soon, so I'll get the names straight with him, and make any needed changes.

The night before I was with Lisa, I was scheduled to do a mothing program at Old Man's Cave. I got within one mile of the park, the clouds opened up, and pour it did. So much for moths. I tried to get a few pictures before dark, but couldn't get enough for a separate post, so I'm just filling up space. A Honeybee clings desperately to a Common Sneezeweed Helenium autumnale, in hopes the rain has passed.

Black Chokeberry. Sometimes put in the genus Pyrus or Photinia, I know it as Aronia melanocarpa. The fruit is edible, though sour to some palates. It's used for jelly, jam, pies, and drinks.

Chokeberry differs from other members of the family by the center of the leaf. Identification is based on the black specs located along the white vein.

Even when dark, the bright red fruit of Partridgeberry, Mitchella repens, is quite visible. Some of the most interesting plants can be found along the edge of the upper falls. That area is now closed off, and you are subjected to walking a path full of "landscape plants". What a pitiful sight for such a wonderful park.

Fall is the time when many caterpillars are maturing. I did a post on moth caterpillars at this same time last year. You can see those right here. Some are repeats, but most are new. This is Acronicta americana, the American Dagger Moth. It looks somewhat like a Tiger or Tussock moth, but the paired black hairs serve to separate it.

Fall Webworm, Hyphantria cunea. The two rows of black spots, and widely spreading hairs help to identify it. Once they reach their last instar, they tend to wander away from their web.

Most people have probably noticed them when they surround an entire branch with their large webs. Be aware, Fall webworms can be found throughout the summer, not just now. They stick to the end branches, so no real serious damage occurs to the trees they feed on.

A bright orange head with yellow and black blotches. These tiny early instars did not look familiar to me. It is always best to look for more, hopefully older ones, to figure out what it is.

Sure enough, I found some bigger ones. A brilliantly colored mature form with rows of orange spots on back, and a row of white on the side. This is the Gold Moth, Basilodes pepita, an Owlet Moth. Its food plant is Wingstem, Verbesina alternifolia.

A tiny Inchworm hangs by a silken thread while grasping another plant. Even though I have several caterpillar guides, including one just on Inchworms, these never seem to match up to a sure thing. That green line down the back, yellow lines on either side, and those fake eyes lead me to a Macaria species of some sort. Who knows for sure. I just don't want to bother Dave Wagner every time I take a photo of one.

Inchworms are different than other caterpillars because they lack prolegs in the middle of the abdomen. There are usually two at the rear.

Here is the same caterpillar up front. That crest on the head, followed by two raised bumps, means this could be in the genus Biston or maybe Hethemia.

I also came across a few Hornworms. This is the Hog Sphinx, Darapsa myron. Its lime green color is flanked by a row of white fish head shapes. In the last instar, it is not unusual to see the first couple abdominal segments swollen like this. Its food plant gives rise to a second common name, the Virginia Creeper Sphinx.

There are many hornworms that sport light colored lines on each abdominal segment. The wide pale stripe on the face, and the pink horn, lead us to the Waved Sphinx, Ceratomia undulosa. This caterpillar is done feeding. When mature, many species turn from green to orange or brown before pupating.

Many small white beads circle the body of this caterpillar. The pink spots interspersed on the back make it quite striking. It's the Walnut Sphinx, Amorpha juglandis, found feeding on both Walnut and Hickory.

The pink-red spots are variable on the back, so take a closer look at the front end. It has a pointy cone head or bishops cap.

At the other end, the horn appears to be bleeding onto the body. It is just a color pattern, although this caterpillars horn is actually broken off.

A quick shot of a Luna Moth larvae, Actias luna. When disturbed, many caterpillars stop feeding and rear back their heads like this.

One of the ways I find so many caterpillars is to see beyond the obvious. What most people might pass off as just part of the changing leaf tip, I look closer. Sometimes, for whatever reason, things don't seem quite right.

By simply turning the leaf over, I could see it was one of my slugs. This is Parasa chloris, the Smaller Green Parasa. The green is in reference to the color on the moth. This caterpillar always looks to me like it's somewhat deflated or blob like. It rides flat and low from head to tail. Due to the shape of the upper portions, it's often nicknamed a 'junk', after a Chinese fishing boat.

Another favorite slug of mine. Oh, who am I kidding, in this family, they're all favorites. The Skiff Moth,Prolimacodes badia. The amount of brown and white patching will vary, and is said to mimic decaying portions of a leaf.

On the other side there are two white spots. The one in the middle is actually the egg of a wasp, as this caterpillar has been parasitized.

Falling from trees, in huge numbers right now, are the tiger moths. This one was also crawling around on Wingstem. It's Spilosoma virginica, The Virginia Tiger or Yellow Woolybear.

Long black antennae and bright orange eyes. Well actually, they are neither, but possibly intimidating to a potential predator. This is the Pale or Banded Tiger Moth, Halysidota tessellaris.

My imagination sometimes goes off the deep end. I think this looks like a Sheep Dog laying down with its legs out.

If we are doing Tiger Moths, we have to include the classic Common Woolybear,Pyrrharctia isabella. These, like many Tiger Moths, will overwinter as a caterpillar, and hatch out next year. The adult is a rather drab mixture of yellow and orange, and is known as the Isabella Moth.

The large round leaves of the Redbud, Cercis canadensis, are very common along the edges of most woodlands.

When I see a Redbud leaf folded in half, it grabs my attention, especially one that appears white. Obviously there is some activity going on here. Perhaps a leaf miner or skeletonizer.

Upon opening it, you can see the silken strands that were holding the leaf together. A small black and white caterpillar has been feeding on just the soft tissue. This is the Redbud Leaf-folder, Fascista cercerisella, a member of the micro moth family Gelechiidae.

Caterpillars are easy to find. With a few exceptions, most of these were taken in a 100 yard path along the edge of a woods. A day after posting this I found another. If I get a few more species, I'll add them to the bottom of this post in October. If I get a LOT of new ones, I'll do a part 2.

With the historical demise of the American & Red Elm due to Dutch Elm Disease, and the recent decline of Ash in Ohio, Maples remain some of the most commonly used shade trees in ornamental landscaping. Both native and introduced species are planted. With few exceptions, maples are simple leaved, and have this general shape.

The fruit we often call helicopters or twirlybirds, are known as samaras, a dry winged seed. Single samaras are the fruit type of Tulip, Elm, and Ash. Some botanists think they should be called something else in the maples, because they are in pairs.

Maples flower in a couple of different ways, the most common is this umbel form. The stamens being much larger than the petals beneath. This is Red Maple.

Red Maple, Acer rubrum, is one of our most common species, occurring in any habitat type. After a disturbance, Red Maple can quickly dominate an area. The leaf margins are heavily toothed or serrated. The sinuses are shallow to medium in depth. The main sinus in the middle bottoms out in a sharp V shape, and there are teeth all the way down that sinus.

Red Maples have a pale white look to their undersides.

They turn a brilliant array of colors, and definitely add to our fall landscape.

Red Maple twigs and buds also turn red for the fall and winter.

Silver Maple, Acer saccharinum, is very similar to Red. In the case of the leaf, there are also many teeth on the margin. The main sinus on Silver is VERY deep when compared to Red. It tends to be more rounded or U shaped, and there are very few to no teeth in the sinus bottom.

Think of the lobes and sinuses this way; you don't have to cut your finger very deep to draw Red blood, but you have to 'mine deep' into the earth to find Silver.

Silver Maple leaves are not pale white below, but bright white or silvery. I mentioned Red could be found anywhere, from swamps to hill tops. Silver on the other hand HAS to keep its feet wet. It is found in bottomland forests and floodplains. Silver was once popular in landscaping, until home owners found out the roots will break your water lines. When planted in yards, Silver has the habit of multi-trunking, and eventually falling on your house.

Silver and Red have nearly identical bark. Both start out looking smooth and gray, but with age will furrow and flake like the one on the left.

Like Red, Silver buds and twigs also turn reddish for the winter. The bud scales on Red end in a sharp point. On Silver, those bud scales appear to have an EXTRA point, or mucronate tip, making them look even sharper. You can't see this character without a hand lens, so sometimes the best way to tell which you have in a bottomland (during winter) is to look for old leaves.

Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum. Sugar is by far one of the most dominant trees of forests in the eastern U.S. and Canada. It is an important species, both economically and ecologically. Look at the leaf margins. There are less teeth than Silver and Red. As the old saying goes, if you eat too much sugar, you lose your teeth. The shape is the symbol on the Canadian flag.

Sugar maple buds have more scales than Red or Silver, and are much more spear like. The new growth twigs and buds are both brown, (think brown sugar).

Similar to Sugar Maple is the Black Maple, Acer nigrum. At first glance they may look identical. Some botanists have now lumped Black as simply a variety of Sugar. Not all biologists have bought into this yet, but I will discuss more on that at the end of this post.

Sugar and Black lack any white under the leaves, so they can't be confused with Red and Silver. Black may sometimes have a slight peach-fuzz texture to the undersides.

Here are some of the old and unreliable methods of identifying Black Maple. On some leaves, the petiole appears to be popping out from inside the leaf. This is an optical illusion.

Others will tell you that Black Maple lobes droop over, while Sugar grows more erect.

Another thing you could say about Black is that it has less lobes and teeth when compared to Sugar. Remember, if you eat too much Sugar, you lose your teeth. If you KEEP eating sugar, your teeth turn Black, and you lose even more. All of these methods work, sometimes. So what makes Black Maple distinct?

Look where the leaf attaches to the twig. Black Maple, and ONLY Black, shows leaf like stipules growing out of the petiole base.

They may be large, like the previous picture, or very small, sometimes only visible when the leaf is detached from the twig.

In winter, the buds are dark brown to black, and the new growth twig is light gray.

The bark of Sugar and Black is also gray, but covered with bumps, and NOT smooth like young Silver and Red.

Box-elder Maple,Acer negundo, is the odd member of the group. Not only is it compound leaved, but the species is dioecious, meaning the trees are either a male or female only. Leaflets are commonly five, sometimes even seven. New growth twigs may only have three, and resemble Poison Ivy. Because of the opposite compound arrangement, an old name was Ash-leaf Maple.

Box-elder fruit is not clustered, but hangs down and has a more raceme like look. In a natural setting, all our maples produce fruit in the spring. Most species drop their fruit early, but Box-elder will retain its fruit well through winter.

Winter ID is easy. The twigs are smooth and bright green. The buds are few scaled with a pink base color. White silky hairs protrude from each scale. The buds are also much more blunt than other maples. Lets compare the winter twigs. Red and Silver are red, Sugar is brown, Black is gray, and Box-elder is green.

Box-elder bark is gray to light brown. It furrows much earlier than other species. Branch sprouts occur much more often than other maples.

Striped Maple, Acer pensylvanicum, is a rare species in Ohio. Its broad leaves have three shallow lobes, and the margin contains LOTS of small teeth, many more than any of our others.

If you're not sure about the leaves, check the bark, it is unmistakable. The green and white stripes are very striking. This is a small understory tree, never getting any bigger than a Redbud or Flowering Dogwood. As far as I know, it is restricted to the N.E. corner of the state, around Ashtabula.

Another uncommon species is the Mountain Maple, Acer spicatum. The leaf shape is more like that of Red, but the teeth are all about the same size throughout the margin, and are course. It is found primarily in the N.E. portion of the state, but there are scattered records through other unglaciated portions of the state.

One of the easiest ways to recognize it is during blooming time. Mountain has erect yellow flowers often called candles. Like Striped, this is a small growing species.

One of the introduced species used in landscaping is the Japanese Star Maple, Acer palmatum. The latin name comes from the outward radiating leaf lobes. A lot of these are small trees or even shrubs. These are just two of the many varieties of this species. Some turn a bright red in the fall.

In every landscape, there is always one tree that stands out, either for its growth form or color. This is another introduced species commonly planted in city parks and cemeteries. One of the varieties is known as 'Crimson King'.

This is Norway Maple, Acer platanoides. The leaves can be black, purple, maroon, or green. Many trees have a combination of all those colors. The leaves are very wide, and have long pointed teeth on their lobes. The latin essentially translates to "the maple with the Sycamore like leaves".

The samaras do not droop down, but grow straight out in a horizontal pattern.

Norway buds are round to egg shaped, and much larger than any of our native species. If you break a twig, or pull a leaf off the branch, a white milky sap will exude. I don't know of any other maple that does this. Introduced maples are popular as ornamentals. They tend to stay where you put them, and don't become an invasive problem.

Maples can be susceptible to certain types of pests. Red bulls-eyes on a leaf is the Leaf Spot Gall, created by a midge, which is a fly. (USDA photo)

Spots and raised spindle galls are caused by small Arachnids known as Mites.

Most of these agents don't do any real serious damage to the tree overall. I will mention that if your light colored spots like this turn solid black, you have what is known as Maple Tar Spot. This is a fungus that can cause early leaf drop.

Maples are also important in the timber industry. Hard maples like Sugar and Black are economically much more desirable than the Soft maples like Red and Silver. Besides interior woodwork, the list of uses is almost endless. These above photos are of Birds-eye Maple, a highly sought after variety for many things.

Wood grains like this are often referred to as Curly Maple, (but don't confuse Curly maple with Larry or Moe maple). Because of the striped appearance, it's often called Tiger Maple. Birds-eye, Tiger, and Curly Maple are not species of trees, but simply names applied to Sugar and Black Maples. You don't know you have these streaks and spots until the wood is milled. String instruments, gun stocks, and bedroom furniture are just some of the many uses for these, and they can be quite expensive.

Right here in Ohio we have the Longaberger Company. They use thin strips of maple wood to make baskets. These are not your run-of-the-mill cheap picnic baskets. They are highly collectible, and I've seen them sell for hundreds of dollars.

What would this group be without mentioning the Maple Syrup business. Many people make their own locally, and it's a major industry in the New England states. Sugar Maple is still the best species to tap, but you can derive syrup from any of our native species, it just takes a LOT more sap to do so.

In regards to the name changes mentioned earlier. There are botanists who still feel Black and Sugar Maple are distinct species. Geneticists, with the push of a button have eliminated the maple family as a separate entity, and have moved them (along with the Buckeye family), into the Sapindaceae. If you're going to test chloroplast DNA, then also look at nucleic and mitochondrial DNA as well, THEN tell us the names are not valid.

The analogy a botanist friend of mine uses says it all. According to some of these people, if you have 5 basketballs, each with black stoppers (to pump air), and you have 5 footballs, 4 with purple stoppers, and one that is black, that football is now a basketball, morphological characters be damned. Sorry for the rant. Don't get me wrong, if all the evidence says to change what we know about the world, we change. That's the beauty of science.

"Is this guy going to drive me buggy with another insect talk"? Yeeesssss!

"What's with all this in-your-face stuff"? This is one of our native brown stinks known as the Rough Stink Bug, Brochymena or Parabrochymena arborea.

Unlike the smooth Green Stink Bugs, the body of this one is bumpy. The ends of the wings have bleeding black veins. Check out the armor on the thorax and head region. While some Stink Bugs stick to feeding on plant juices, this one is a predator, seeking out other tasty insects. It's most commonly found camouflaged on trees with brownish bark and twigs.

Sticking with 'the bugs', I usually don't mess with immatures. They are often tough to figure out, and completely change as adults. This one can be identified by the black and red pattern of the abdomen, along with the yellow spots on the head and thorax. It is known as Podisus maculiventris.

A mature female of the Northern Walking Stick, Diapheromera femorata. They can be dark brown, tan, green, or a mixture of colors.

The smaller and skinnier male waiting on a female.

Somebody got lucky. There is more than Red Maple in the picture. Look for a mated pair.

A female Scorpionfly basks in the sun. These woodland insects are still flying in September and October. I once thought about taking all the Scorpionflies to species, until I read the keys. It is mostly based on genitalia dissection. People have tried to use the wing patterns for determination as well. The latest I read on this, the whole group needs revision, including using the mottled wings. So much for that task.

The appearance of comb like teeth on the front of the mouth are just the arrangement of the palps.

This pale looking Orthoptera is one of the Tree Crickets. I have been trying to gather a list of how many are in Ohio. I'm up to a dozen, but I don't have much in the way of references to go by. There are people in Ohio who study the sounds of this group, and I probably need to get with them. Like Field Crickets and Katydids, they are best identified by their calls.

There are some morphological characters you can look for. This is the Narrow-winged Tree Cricket, Oecanthus niveus. In this species there is an orange mark on the top of the head. It sometimes may bleed into the thorax. MOST importantly when figuring these to the species level, you have to see the black marks on the base of the antennae.

I really had to crop this picture in order to see that feature. On the first antennal segment, the mark is J shaped. I examined the specimen under a scope to be sure. This species is common state wide. Many Tree Crickets have very fast songs, some are long trills, and quite different than our more familiar black cricket calls.

Phosphila turbulenta. Turn that around and you have the common name, the Turbulent Phosphila. These caterpillars appear to have two heads. The rear end is black and white spotted. The actual head end has a Batman silhouette on the thorax. These striped caterpillars usually feed in groups, skeletonizing and defoliating types of Greenbriers (Smilax). The adult moth is rather dull in comparison.

Crowned Slug, Isa textula. This cat is usually much more green and red. I had never seen one so pale. The dark patches make it appear to be decomposing. Sure enough, upon probing it, it was dead. It's sitting on one of its major food plants, oak, so maybe it was parasitized.

A FAT caterpillar. So fat in fact, the legs and prolegs remain hidden far underneath. The red stripe on the back is sometimes only pale yellow. At first sight it appeared to have a single tail or horn, and with those yellow streaks on the side, I thought, maybe a Sphinx Moth. It happens to be the Mottled Prominent, Macrurocampa marthesia, a Notodontidae.

First, look at the head. A yellow-red knob is evident above a mottled pink face.

As it began moving around, I could see it didn't have a low riding horn, but two separate long tails instead.

A small unknown caterpillar is busy spinning silk between two sides of a leaf. As the silk tightens, the leaf will fold over, close, and form a little tunnel for the larva.

Here is one in hand. An orange head and collar, pin prick spots down the back, and small hairs out the side. Are they both the same species? It would appear so, but you have to rear them out to be sure. One was on Elderberry (Sambucus), the other on Raspberry (Rubus). These are Leaf-roller Moths in the family Tortricidae.

There are a lot of interesting things in the field of natural history. Some are down right amazing or awesome, and I don't use those words very often. Certain things catch my eye more than others, this is one of them. It's an egg cluster from one of the Green Lacewings (Neuroptera). The individual eggs are white, and suspended on long silken threads to keep them away from predators.

Lacewing eggs are usually laid in close proximity to Aphid populations, their favorite food. Many larvae will take pieces of lichen and moss and attach them to the hairs of the body, thus remaining hidden. For some excellent closeups of these critters, check out the recent post by Jim McCormac right here.

Diane Brooks and I came across this insect while at a workshop in September. It's not a good photo, but I stuck it in so you could see the outline. When Richard Bradley is pointing out spiders on a walk, you don't want to miss anything, so I was in a hurry. It looks a bit like a Rove Beetle, Stonefly, or even an oversized Thrips. This is another immature Lacewing, one which hunts openly, without any camouflage. When practicing Integrated Pest Management, Lacewings are an excellent natural or Biological Control for gardeners and nursery growers.

Summers gone, it's getting dark earlier, time to set the clocks back, there is frost on the ground, and it is Buck Moth season. The progression of leaves and fruit changing color is the best part of fall. Winter is only six weeks away, yuck.

The barrel shaped fruit of the Spicebush, Lindera benzoin, mature into their bright red color mid to late September. Just one of the many signs that autumn has arrived.

The yellow spider like petals of Witch-hazel, Hamamelis viriginiana, bloom in October. While all other plants are going dormant for the winter, Witch-hazel is flowering all by its lonesome. That's because it has a spell on it. A witch cursed it you see. Of course if you sit under a Witch-hazel, you will be safe from witches. If you break off a Y shaped branch, it will chase evil witches away. That same Y shaped branch will not only locate water for you, but gold, silver, and every other precious metal. Yes, and I'm really Brad Pitt. Don't you just love folklore.

Coralberry, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus. A native shrub with bright magenta fruit. Where you find one, you may find others. They form thickets by sending up root sprouts. Coralberry is often used in landscaping.

Speaking of landscaping, I often advocate "plant native species". Viburnums are an excellent choice. Not only do many of them have showy flowers, great for attracting butterflies, but the fruit provides an important food source for winter birds. This one is Maple-leaf Viburnum, Viburnum acerifolium. The leaves turn a brilliant pink in October.

What about more caterpillars? I'm afraid they are finding cover on the ground for the winter. Others have pupated or spun silken cocoons like this Tulip-tree Silk Moth, Callosamia angulifera.

What about wildflowers? There may be a few more still in open fields, but in the forest they are few and far between. Barely hanging on in mid October was this Blue-stemmed Goldenrod, Solidago caesia.

If you find anything this late, it is probably the asters. I posted on a bunch of them a couple years ago, right here, but I like to keep in practice. I'm still hoping an expert will go over my collection of species. This medium sized flower belongs to the Crooked-stem Aster, Symphyotrichum prenanthoides.

It can be identified by the long clasping leaves. Wherever the leaves clasp, the stem grows crooked. It's one of our most common species in moist woodlands.

Panicled Aster, Symphyotrichum lanceolatum, is a white flowering species that can be showy when first blooming. Flowers are few and scattered late in October. Panicled Aster can be recognized by the long willow like leaves interspersed among bunches of shorter leafy shoots.

One that remains tough for me to figure out for sure is the White Wood Aster, Eurybia divaricata. The flowers are smaller than the previous two, and with a slight lavender tinge. Except for the few most upper leaves, which are winged, the majority of the leaves are long stalked. The teeth are large but remain close to the leaf margin. If this is all you examine, it does look a bit like Heart-leaved Aster.

Take a closer look at the lower leaves. Here the teeth appear sharper and spread outward. In profile, it almost has the look of certain grape leaves.

This light blue species is rather attractive, and the flower clusters are more elongated than flat topped. Don't forget to check the leaves for identification.

The upper leaves are knife shaped, and clasp the stem.

Further down, the leaves start to narrow out and form a winged petiole.

Near the bottom, the leaves may be larger, but still show a narrow petiole, then widening into a wing at the stem. The variability of these leaves make identification tougher, not easier in my opinion. This is Wavy-leaved Aster, Symphyotrichum undulatum. A species of dry upland woods that still blooms into late October.

On a side note, I went out with the forest soils class back in September. Jerry and Dave from OSU Extension joined us to examine bottomland forests. I have spent many years in Zaleski, including right around the corner from here. Who would have thought, just a stones throw away was this woods full of monsters. Many large Swamp White OaksQuercus bicolor, and Pin Oaks, Quercus palustris dotted the area. No big deal in northern Ohio, but down here it's exceptional. We cored and measured some. This Pin Oak is over 100 years old, has a 45 inch DBH, and is 120 feet tall. I can't wait to explore this area for potential vernal pools come spring.

It's that time of year again where my posts become few and far between. Recent cold blasts have made it even more undesirable to be outside unless one has to. To keep the blog going, I was able to gather about 10 more spider species from the past season. None of these photos are great, but a post is a post.

This is Pelegrina proterva, or what I call the White-lined Jumping Spider. Most spiders don't have common names, so I just make one up. Notice the U shaped white band around the abdomen. It breaks up into smaller spots near the rear. Other jumpers may have a similar pattern, so what do I use to separate it? There is a solid white band on the front of the head.

After looking at the abdomen on this spider, my first thought was a type of Orb Weaver. Wrong, I should have paid more attention to those front legs, and how they are curved. This is a Crab Spider, possibly in the genus Bassaniana, but more likely a type of Xysticus. There are 14 of them that all look alike in photographs, and need to be under a scope to determine species.

Not much of a photo, but enough to identify it. It helps when there is someone along to hold a flashlight, but this was a solo effort. I took a whole series of these, and this is the only one to come out. That's because these were shot in pitch black darkness. It's called the Cave Spider, Meta ovalis, an orb weaver that lives in caves and overhangs of large boulders.

A Tetragnatha species, probably straminea. The family is named for this genus, and is most often referred to as Long-jawed Spiders. In the upper photo, I focused in on the back of the abdomen. The silvery color is broken up by a darker mottled middle band. In the band are six small 'daggers', all pointing to a larger black 'sword' at the front of the abdomen. On the underside, the dark abdomen is lined with two yellow stripes. I have a lot to learn about Arachnids. I need to remember to start taking pictures of the face. The arrangement of the eyes helps put spiders into their appropriate group or family.

Pityohphantes costatus, a Hammock Spider or Sheetweb Spider. They are named for the shapes of their webs. The abdomen top and sides are dark, with light yellow in the middle. The cephalothorax has a black drill or 'jack-hammer' shape on it. These spiders are more commonly brown. I tried to subdue the colors a bit, but this guy was very abnormally orange.

This one is a male. Look in front of the face. You can tell by the enlarged circular pads at the end of their pedipalps. Many spiders use these pads to transfer sperm sacs to the female.

This is another Jumping Spider in the genus Thiodina. Two species look alike, puerpera and sylvana, with sylvana being the more common. Observing the genitalia under a scope is needed to be sure. To get to this group, look for the striped abdomen, a dark orange head and cephalothorax, and a single light spot in the middle of it. I've seen these called the White-spot Jumper.

Here is a frontal shot. Jumping Spiders have their eyes arranged both on the front of the head as well as the top. This allows them to see in multiple directions at the same time.

Doesn't appear to be much to see here. That web looks old, used, and torn, as if it had been 'hacked' to pieces. This is the way this web is supposed to look. It belongs to the Hackled Mesh Weavers. They will commonly build their webs on old logs or rock surfaces. We were using that stick at the bottom to tickle the web in hopes the spider would pop out from its funnel web hidden under the moss.

Sure enough, it rapidly ran out to check the disturbance. This species is Callobius bennetti. The abdomen is dark, with a light brown dorsal patch. The legs are rufus, and the cephalothorax is glossy or shiny. The chelicerae, or mouthparts, are very large on this species.

The nice thing about workshops, is that sometimes the specimens are brought front and center in a container. This makes picture taking a little easier. For me cool pics are secondary to identification photos. This is a female Hogna helluo, otherwise known as the Field Wolf Spider. She has a dark patch on the front of the abdomen that otherwise blends into an all brown body. There is a thin tan line on the cephalothorax extending down between the eyes. One other character of note, the legs are uniform brown, unlike the banded legs of most other wolf spiders.

So what is this smaller, skinnier one? It's the maleField Wolf Spider. The tan thin line is much more obvious on him. Notice the cephalothorax is also rimmed in tan. This species is common in many moist habitats.

Also captured in a container is our third Jumping Spider of this post. This tiny guy is Marpissa formosa. It has no common name. Hmm, what should we call it. How about the Seven-spotted Jumper? There are three white spots up by the eyes, and four more on the back of the Cephalothorax. The abdomen is rimmed in white, and the center has two broken white stripes. Also notice the front pair of legs are darker and thicker than the others.

This is a male. The female has two brown stripes on the abdomen, and lacks any white spotting. While us men tend to sport a mustache from time to time, it's the female here who has a white mustache on her face.

Eeewww! What the heck is this supposed to be? I put this on here to make a point. Even crumpled up spiders kept in an alcohol vial for years can still be identified by an expert. Turns out this is a Trap DoorSpider, Ummidia audouini. The U shaped hump on the cephalothorax is key to this group.

These spiders make a tunnel underground, and hide the top with a manhole cover. They peek out and pounce on any prey walking by, then pull it down, and fold the door closed. If you ever get a chance to see them do this live, or watch a film, they are neatest things.

I'd like once again to thank the Ohio Spiderman, Richard Bradley for his help in verifying and/or correcting my identifications. Dr. Bradley doesn't just tell me what they are, but fills me with loads of information. I appreciate his going above and beyond in helping us amateurs.

Oligocentria moths are those which fold their wings around the body or around a twig to blend in with their environment. Both our species show white spots at the top and bottom of the forewing. They also have a black dash next to the white patch. This one is Oligocentria semirufescens, the Red-washed Prominent. On the live specimen you can see the brick red shading near the top of the wings. On the pinned specimen, we see the reddish marks are actually located at the bottom of the wing.

Diane Brooks photo

#8012

White-streaked Prominent, Oligocentria lignicolor. As the name implies, look for lots of short white streaks through the wings. The reddish color is missing on this species. Also in the previous species, a large black circle is evident in the middle of the wing. In this species it is reduced to a little dash. Notice the raised tuft of hair on the thorax forming a Mr. T mohawk.

#8017

Gray-patched Prominent, Dasylophia thyatiroides. Look in the first picture for the orange-brown patch at the base of the forewing. Another orange-brown to reddish patch exists at the tip of the wing. Centered between them is a big gray patch. The male (below) lacks these color distinctions. What both sexes have in common is a black boomerang shape coming up from the bottom of the wing. Behind that is a black streak on the edge of the wing.

D. Brooks photos

#7958

Black-spotted Prominent, Dasylophia anguina. Similar to the previous species in that the females have a large orangish-brown patch in the wing. It is not bordered by any black as in the last species. The distinction between the other gray and orange patches in unclear, so don't spend too much time looking for it. As in thyatiroides, this species is sexually dimorphic. This species lacks the black boomerang. The streak along the wing edge is set further in, and is separated into two black spots.

Male and female shots from Diane.

#7957

Mottled Prominent,Macrurocampa marthesia. This is a large robust species. The base of the forewing is dark gray. The rest of the wing is mixed with streaks of white, black, and gray. The two black triangles further down the wing are not always evident. Does the moth overall look to have a green shading? The green color is VERY evident in live specimens, especially on the thorax, but I have seen them appear whitish as well. I do not use the tuft of hairs at the end of the abdomen because so many prominent moths have that same character.

D. Brooks

I just recently photographed the caterpillar. Look for the mottled pink face, and the two tails at the rear. The amount of red on the back will vary with age.

#7975

Drab Prominent, Misogada unicolor. Drab is an understatement. Whenever I come across this, it leads me to this species simply because it has fewer markings than anything in the family. In Jim's picture, it appears to show two zig-zag black lines. When alive, as in Diane's picture, these lines are covered by a dusting of greenish scales. Notice how each zig-zag indentation ends in a black tip. Other than the green, those black tips are usually the only thing evident when seeing this species in the field.

D. Brooks

#7974

Oblique Heterocampa, Heterocampa obliqua. The genus Heterocampa contains some of the largest and most stout looking of all the Prominent moths. In this species both sexes have a black curved line in the middle of the wing. A white streak comes down from the tip. In between those marks, the female (above) has an orange to brown patch.

D. Brooks

#7983

White-blotched Heterocampa, Heterocamps umbrata. This species also has a black curved line in the middle of the wing, though more faint. Above that is a white patch in the female, a bit more greenish in the male. There is no large white streak as in obliqua, just a dash of white at the ends. The wings show black teeth marks similar to Macrurocampa above, but the rest of the color marking are different. Most species in this genus show black spots on the abdomen.

D. Brooks

#7990

Small Heterocampa, Heterocampa subrotata. This is not a tiny moth. It's only small in reference to the other species in the genus. Several things to look for. The middle of the wing has a green shading. The AM and PM lines are orange. The black tooth marks look more like thin lines or faded dashes.

D. Brooks

#7985

Wavy-lined Heterocampa, Heterocampa biundata. Very similar to the previous species with the AM and PM lines wavy and orange. The difference is the entire wing is green. The black marks are not tooth like, nor are they thin lines, but appear as a row of dots instead.

#7995

Saddled Prominent, Heterocampa guttivitta. This is the most variable and difficult species in the group. The AM and PM lines are faded and almost non-existant. The black spots are also faded and indistinct. The female at least has a white streak in the wing, but even that is rather light. It's called the Saddled Prominent because the caterpillar has a brown mark on the middle of its back.

D. Brooks
In case I didn't mention it earlier, all moths with green coloration will fade to gray in a collection over time. Even fresh though, the female can look all gray. The males on the other hand are all green, and look virtually identical to the Drab Prominent I pictured earlier. In the Drab, the zig-zag lines end in a black tip. On this species, those lines end in white tips.

#7994

Double-lined Prominent, Lochmaeus bilineata. Lochmaeus species are gray with dark hind wings. The Z shaped or zig-zag lines are distinct with darker gray shading in the middle. Paralleling those lines is another gray zig-zag line near the outer portion of the wing. This is a common species in Ohio.

D. Brooks

#7999

Variable Oakleaf Prominent, Lochmaeus manteo. Variable is right. Not only does the caterpillar show many color forms, the moth is one I can never get right when I see it in the field. I have to capture it or photograph it and compare to other known specimens before I can put a name to it. The outer edge is dotted with pepper marks, which are usually distinct. The other gray and black shading can be quite different in the rest of the wing. Even those small white dashes are often missing. A common, but very difficult species to recognize.

#7998

Morning-Glory Prominent, Schizura ipomoeae. The Schizura group of Prominents are generally smaller than most members of the family, but at least easier to identify than some of the moths we just went over. The main portion of the wing can be light or dark. The best ID character is the white streak that extends across the top of the wing.

#8005

Chestnut Prominent, Schizura badia. The center of the wing is usually light colored, but the lower outer portions and the basal center are often tinged in reddish-pink. Also notice the streaking black comet in the forewings. In contrast to the light wings, the thorax is very dark. Most species of Schizura caterpillars feed on a wide variety of plants, but look for this on Viburnum shrubs.

D. Brooks

#8006

Unicorn Prominent, Schizura unicornis. So named for the large horn behind the caterpillars thorax. The larvae resemble the Morning-glory Prominent above, but lack the large white patch in the middle of the back. As for the adults, the upper tips of the wings have a white patch, with rusty markings just below. This area is bordered by black dots above, a black dash below, and a black circle in the middle. AM and PM lines are white, but often unnoticeable. The base of the forewings can be green, as shown in these specimens, or sometimes rust colored.

D. Brooks

#8007

Plain Schizura, Schizura apicalis. Called plain due to the fact it has very little going for it. It's essentially a dull gray moth with variable shades of white. Look for the black comma or crescent shape in the upper wings. The hind wings are very white, and contain a large black spot at the bottom. This is uncommon in Ohio.

#8009

Red-humped Prominent, Schizura concinna. Another species named for a large swelling on the back of the caterpillar. The light colored top of the wing turns into yellowish in the center, with the bottom portions being a brick red. In live specimens, the red would appear on its back. The male lacks as much yellow and red, and is more gray. Both sexes have a reduced reniform spot, (the small black dot in the center of the wing).

D. Brooks photos

#8010

Black-blotched Prominent, Schizura leptinoides. The ground color of this species is less than spectacular. The identification is in the details. The outer tip of the wing has a white patch. The reniform dot is once again small, but it is surrounded by a charcoal shading, usually more distinct than this photo shows. Also look for the long black streak arising from the basal area of the forewing. Others show that same streak, but it's not as obvious, or not needed to identify it.

D. Brooks photos

#8011

Clearly, and without a doubt, THE most difficult group to separate are the Datana species. There are seven in Ohio. They have 4-5 dark lines in the wings, some more distinct than others. Most have that black lightning streak on the outer tip of the forewing. Years ago I had the chance to sit down with Eric Metzler, who knows this group well, but I never got around to arranging a time. One of those regrets I now have. So I will fumble my way through this portion using several references and maybe a bit of Gestalt.

First thing to do is split them into two groups:
Base color of the wings yellow to orange
Base color of the wings tawny or brown

Let's start with the darker ones. Angus' Dantana, Dantana angusii, has both sets of wings brown, and is often even darker between the first two black lines. Sometimes there is a small dark spot in that area. Five dark lines are distinct, though variable in intensity. The outer edge of the forewings are wavy. Head and thorax a deep chocolate brown. The body is also brown. The caterpillar is green to yellow striped, and without a colored hump on the neck. It feeds on Walnut, Hickory, Birch, and Basswood. A common species in the state.

D. Brooks

#7903

Walnut Caterpillar Moth, Datana integerrima. Walnut is a dark wood, and so is the moth. The head and thorax are a dark rusty-red. The edge of the wings are NOT wavy or scalloped. The dark lines are edged in white or pale yellow. There is also yellow in the hind wings. The caterpillar is black with large tufts of white hairs. Another very common species in Ohio. It feeds on Walnut and Hickories.

#7907

Contracted Datana, Datana contracta. The wing margins are dark colored and straight, and the hind wings are light, very similar to the above species. We still see light streaks in the wings, but not as clearly as the previous species, nor do they seem to extend the full width of the wing. The brown patches and dark lines are often more weakly patterned, as in the first picture. The introduction of some orange scales starts to appear in this species.

D. Brooks photos

#7906

Drexel's Datana, Datana drexelii. This second group of species are more orange in color. Most show distinct wavy edges to their wings. The wavy edge on this species is reddish-brown. The hind, forewings, and body are uniform brownish-orange. The head and upper thorax are a brighter orange. The black dot and black comma mark are usually obvious in the wing. As the group goes, this is one of the larger species.

D. Brooks photos

#7904

Azalea Prominent, Datana major. Similar to drexelii above, but with a more brownish base color, especially in the hind wing. The wing margin is not as wavy and is edged in darker brown. The black dot and comma mark are often less distinct. The caterpillar is mottled yellow and black with red underparts. Photo courtesy of Bob Patterson.

#7905

Yellow-necked Caterpillar,Datana ministra. Named for the yellow-orange hump behind the head of the larva. While Datana adults all look alike, I should mention that most of the caterpillars have distinct markings, making them easier to identify. This may account for the many records across the state on this species. Some people will raise caterpillars of this genus into adults, thereby knowing for sure which moth they have. In observing the adult, I first notice there are no darker shadings between the lines. Three of the lines are distinct, with the other two often faded or absent. Also notice the black dot and comma are usually missing. Hindwing is pale.

#7902

Spotted Datana, Datana perspicua. Did I save the most difficult for last? Not really, that's a matter of opinion anyway. As the name implies, the wings show two circular spots rather than a comma streak. This is by far the most yellow species. In the field many may show a light tan or beige color. The hind wings are nearly pure yellowish-white. The wing margin on this one is straight, not wavy. You can see the intensity of the lines can vary among specimens, but another thing to notice, the middle lines often stop before reaching the top of the wing. The larvae look similar to angusii that I pictured earlier, but feed on Sumac and Oak.

#7908

Diane sent this Datana larva, possibly contracta, about to be parasitized by a fly. I have tried to match up her adult photos the best I could with the known pinned specimens. Let's hope we got them right.

Prominent Moths belong to the family Notodontidae. They look very much like, and are distantly related to the Owlet Moths (Noctuidae). The difference between the families has to do with how the wing veins branch off, something you can't see in the field anyway. I have posted on several families before, but these are all drab and dull colored, so commenting on how to tell them apart is going to be difficult. Many have tufts of hair on their legs and along the wing margins. They tend to hold their wings roof like or tent shaped over their bodies, raised higher than most Noctuids.

Many species actually fold their wings around the body and look like dead leaves or twigs. Here is an example of a Datana larva, which appears to have its head missing. All of our species are nocturnal, and the vast majority do not feed as adults. Their bodies are stout, and fatter than most Noctuids. Many have wings that are longer and skinnier than our Owlet moths.

The array of shapes and colors in the larvae is varied in this family, but I chose one to represent a number of the species. Many of the caterpillars have irregular shaped bodies, and mixed color patterns that contribute to their camouflage. I present the 53 species known from Ohio in two separate posts.

Pink Prominent, Hyparpax aurora. Since almost everything in this family is a mixture of dull green, gray, or brown, I thought I would start with one of the showy species. It is lined in pink, with yellow in the center of the wing. The only possible species one could confuse this with is the Rosy Maple Moth. In that species the pink and yellow pattern is reversed.

I want to thank Bob Patterson from the MPG site for creating a special link that allows me to use his maps. In the past I have made my own the old school way, pressing stick-on dots to a piece of paper. Time to join the 21st century. # 8022. The maps follow the species discussed just above. As in previous posts, these numbers are from the Hodges checklist of North American Lepidoptera. I may also have mentioned in the past that I am in no way competing with the Moth Photographers Group. They show species continent wide. I simply narrow my posts to just those in Ohio.

Double-toothed Prominent, Nerice bidentata. Upper half of the forewing brown and bordered by a black line. A number of black teeth bleed into the gray portion of the wing. As in the past, all pinned photos courtesy of Jim Vargo, and used by permission.

Pinned specimens are important to entomologists and for scientific purposes. Non-collectors are active in moth photography, and these are the views they use for identification. Many are easily recognized in the field, others are not. To make this post appealing to everyone, I have turned to one of my neighbors for assistance. Some of you will remember Diane Brooks for hosting a wonderful evening at her house during the Bur Oak Mothapalooza. The uncredited live shots are mine, but since I have so few, I am happy to share many of her photos with you. Most are new Perry County records not yet depicted on the range maps.

#7929

Sigmoid Prominent, Clostera albosigma. Forewing light colored with a series of faded white lines. The key character is the orange and brown spots at the top of the wing, bordered by a white S. The caterpillars are sometimes known as the White-marked Tentmaker.

Diane Brooks photo.

#7895

Angle-lined Prominent, Clostera inclusa. Similar to the above species, but the orange spot is thinner and a bit more faded. Look for the two white lines forming a V shape.

The larva is known as the Poplar Tentmaker. They will spin silk around several leaves of Willow, Aspen, or Poplars. D. Brooks photos

#7896

Striped Chocolate-tip, Clostera strigosa. The forewing is more blotched than the previous two. The white lines are more wavy than straight. The orange patch in the wing corner is more yellow in this species. This is a species of the northern U.S. and Canada. Look for it in the upper portions of Ohio. This species is much smaller than other members of the genus.

#7898

Apical Prominent,Clostera apicalis. This species is in my area, and I've yet to come across it. That's probably because apicalis has combined characters of the above species, and I have mistaken it for one of them. It has the V shape of inclusa, and the dark orange spot of albosigma. Instead of a white S, look for a white tornado mark on the wing edge. The row of black spots outside the V is more distinct in this species.

#7901

White-dotted Prominent, Nadata gibbosa. This is a very common and widely distributed species. The two dark lines border two white dots in the wing. The wing margins are wavy. When at rest, there is a large tuft of pointy hairs behind the head.

Diane Brooks

#7915

Georgia Prominent, Hyperaeschra georgica. The dull gray wings contain a number of horizontal black dashes. There is a small yellow oval patch at the base of the wing. This and the following species of Peridea all show a black circular patch of scales that protrude into the hind wing when pinned.

#7917

Oval-based Prominent, Peridea basitriens. The common name is in reference to the round brown patch at the bottom of the front wing. Look for gray shading above that. All our species of Peridea show either yellow abdomens, or yellow at the base of the hindwing.

Diane Brooks

#7919

Angulose Prominent, Peridea angulosa. Rather than a round patch, the base of the forewing has a dark patch extending from top to bottom. It is bordered by a zig-zag or Z shaped line. The grayish white shading forms a vertical streak alongside the zig-zag. Small bits of orange are scattered around the inner half of the wing.

Diane Brooks

#7920

Chocolate Prominent, Peridea ferruginea. Female above, male below. While there is a circular dark patch in the wing like basitriens, and a white streak like angulosa, all one really has to look for is the rufus or reddish-brown tint of both sexes. Probably more widespread in Ohio than records indicate.

#7921

Elegant Prominent,Odontosia elegans. A species with solid grayish-brown wings highlighted by an orange-brown patch at the base of the forewings. The tuft of scales that stick out of the front wings are sharper or more tooth like rather than round.

#7924

Black-rimmed Prominent,Pheosia rimosa. A large white streak bordered by black and brown extends throughout the wing, making identification of this species easy. It is common and widespread around the state. Diane Brooks photo.

#7922

Finned-willow Prominent, Notodonta scitipennis. The tip of the wings show two black streaks followed by a rusty brown line going down the outer portion of the wing. The light color is a purplish-gray mix. The base of the wing has a distinct yellow patch. This is apparently not a common species.

#7926

Northern Finned Prominent,Notodonta torva (simplaria). A species of the upper Great Lakes and Canada, just extending down into northern Ohio. The dull color pattern is typical of so many in this family. The center of the wing is darker gray, and bordered by zig-zag lines. Within that darker area is a gray eye spot or reniform spot, surrounded by white.

#7928

Basswood or Linden Prominent, Illida caniplaga. A light gray species with usually a double black line coming down from the wing margin. To make sure of the identification, I use the comma or crescent moon shape located behind those black lines.

D. Brooks

#7930

Common Gluphisia, Gluphisia septentrionis. A highly variable species, but I see it most often in this all gray form just above the text. There may be a small yellow patch extending outward from the thorax near the base of the wings. Two faded black lines come down the wing that appear wavy or zig-zag. Between those two lines may be a small slightly orange-yellow patch. Those areas may be solid black or filled with orange on other color forms of this species.

D. Brooks

#7931

Four-spotted Gluphisia, Gluphisia avimacula. Look for the four small yellow spots in the wings, otherwise it is similar to the previous species. The Gluphisia moths are mottled gray, with two wavy lines in the forewings (known as AM & PM lines). In this species, the AM or inner most line is more prominent. This second form shows the small dots occurring as larger yellow patches. Rarely you may find a solid black and gray form as well.

This species is more common northward. Our Ohio records are some of the most southern for this species in the east and midwest. #7933

Lintner's Gluphisia, Gluphisia lintneri. This is another northern species barely reaching down into Ohio. Look in the space between the AM & PM lines, it should be filled with yellow-orange.

#7934

Black-Etched Prominent, Cerura scitiscripta. This species has white forewings. A series of black lines run down the wing. On the darker forms, look for the horizontal veins to also be streaked in black. On the inner portion of the wing, there is a row of gray-green circles. Lighter forms with the white hind wings tend to be more southern in range.

A photo from Diane showing a female with eggs.

The purple-green caterpillar is striking. It will wave those two long tails in the air as part of its defense mechanism. Look for it on Aspen, Cottonwood, and Willow.

#7942

White Furcula, Furcula borealis. There are four species of Furcula moths in Ohio. They are all black, white, and gray. Each has a row of black dots along the outer edge of both the front and hind wings. The amount of black varies between species. When fresh, many of the species will also show orange dots bordering the black. On borealis, pay attention to the two very white patches in the forewing. They have many pepper marks scattered within. This species feeds on Cherry, but most others will be found on Willow, Aspen, and other Poplars.

D. Brooks

#7936

Modest Furcula, Furcula modesta. Not as brilliant as borealis. The white is duller and paler. The large black streak in the wing is constricted in the middle, making it more hourglass in shape. In some specimens the hourglass may be split into two separate patches. The outer black mark does not come down the wing, but is more blunt, and ends abruptly. There is only a 'modest' amount of black peppering throughout.

#7941

Western Furcula, Furcula occidentalis. On this species the dark black bands are somewhat reduced to mottled gray patches. The amount of yellow or orange spotting will vary. The PM line, or outer zig-zag line shows two sets of black teeth protruding out into the wing.

#7939

Gray Furcula, Furcula cinerea. An appropriate common name for the one species that shows little to no black patches. If markings are present, they are usually dark gray. Because the species is primarily all gray, the yellow or orange dots are often easier to spot on this species. This is fairly common in Ohio.

#7937

Symmerista moths. There are three species in Ohio. As you'll see with the following pictures, the adults all look alike. D. Brooks photo

White-marked or White-headed Prominent, Symmerista albifrons. This and the following two species are virtually IDENTICAL, at least when observed in the field. Records for these three are probably mixed together. See my comments at the end.

#7951

Red-humped Oakworm, Symmerista canicosta.

#7952

Orange-humped Oakworm, Symmerista leucitys.

D. Brooks photo

#7953

As I stated, these three can not be reliably separated in the field. You have to look at the genitalia. Dissection is not necessary, but you have to have the specimen in hand. If you brush the scales off the abdomen, you can tell which species it is. No one is going to do that if you are just taking pictures, but in words I often hate using myself, I'm "just sayin'". This is how you do it.

Click on the photo for the details. This is albifrons. Notice the dark outline is U shaped on this species. On canicosta, the U shape is much wider, like a deep dug out canal or hole. On leucitys, it is skinny or constricted inward, like part of an hourglass, (right at the tip of the arrow).

Dragons and Damsels

Nature Preserves: Mill Creek & Wahkeena

A Moth Night-just for me

Thyatirids, Apatelodids, and Hooktip Moths

Unknown Sedges, for the experts.

Carex Sedges part 3, the small species

Carex Sedges part 2-star, spiny & bushy species

Carex Sedges part 1, big and showy

More Moths

A Prairie Insect Walk

A Wahkeena Insect Walk

Exploring Mill Creek and French Creek

Moth Hunting with Lisa

Autumn, Caterpillar Time

Maples of Ohio

A Fall Insect Walk (and more caterpillars!)

Sure Signs of the Fall Season

A Few More Ohio Spiders

Prominent Moths of Ohio part 2

Prominent Moths of Ohio