Bug Life Cycles

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We have a new contributor - Nancy Collins, who is particularly interested in Tree Crickets (Oecanthinae).  She contributed several great links - all on BugGuide:

Leafhopper
http://bugguide.net/node/view/196362

Black-horned Tree Cricket
http://bugguide.net/node/view/232878

Plant Bug
http://bugguide.net/node/view/185531

Viceroy
http://bugguide.net/node/view/182659

Red-spotted Purple
http://bugguide.net/node/view/194236

Marcie

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In most years this butterfly is fairly common in our part of Wisconsin, but in some years we see hundreds of caterpillars and butterflies.  The caterpillars eat stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), and in peak years the caterpillars can completely decimate the leaves on our nettle plants.

2005 was one of those peak years.  In our July 21 butterfly count, we saw 134.  We would have counted even more if we had walked the driveway earlier in the day, before the sun got too hot.

Caterpillars feed in groups, on top of nettle leaves.

The chrysalis has a beautiful gold sheen.

Adult butterflies

Nectaring on Common Milkweed

And basking on the driveway - where I most often see them.

Butterflies on the driveway - Milbert's Tortoiseshells along with Red Admiral and Compton Tortoiseshell

Marcie O'Connor
Buffalo County, Wisconsin

I just put in a big group of MJs PDFs.  Here are the new ones:

Laurel Sphinx

Carolina Sphinx

White Dotted Prominent

Giant Swallowtail

Horned Spanworm Moth

Henry's Marsh Moth

Zebra Caterpillar Moth

Leadplant Moth

Painted Lady

Common Fungus Moth

Darker-Spotted Straw Moth

We also have a new contributor:  Michael Cook.  He raises silk moths and spins their silk.   He contributed two Giant Silkmoth lifecycles:

Calleta Silkmoth

Cecropia

Marcie

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