Io Moth (Automeris io) Life Cycle

Female Io Moth: Tend to be a reddish brown color. White-filled, black and blue eyespots on hindwing are distinctive for this species.

Male Io Moth: Tend to be a more yellowish brown color. Were his wings open fully, you'd see the male also has the distinctive eyespots on his hindwings.

Io Moth eggs: Normally, the female would lay her eggs on a larval host plant -- and the list of host plants includes over 100 different species, but for some reason these eggs were laid on the framing of our porch.

Io Moth caterpillars emerging from eggs after approximately ten days. Early larvae (caterpillers) are gregarious (i. e. They stay together.). Early instar caterpillars are often seen moving around a host plant in a "train".

Final instar caterpillars vary from green to yellow. These caterpillars will leave the host plant and form a papery cocoon usually in leaf litter. They emerge from the cocoons as adult moths. In the south, up to four generations per year are possible, but only one generation is common in northern latitudes. (The above photo is by Sturgis McKeever via Forestry Images and is used in accordance with Creative Commons copyright protection.)

CAUTION: Io Moth caterpillars should not be handled. They have urticating setae (barbed hairs that break off and inject a poison). The degree of resulting irritation varies depending upon the amount of contact and the sensitivity of the individual. 

(Editors Note:  This post originally published on 11/7/09) 

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Io Moth (Automeris io) Life Cycle

Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterondon platirhinos)

Eastern Hognose Snake trying to escape by heading for the weeds at our road's edge.

"H" is for Hognose

Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterondon platirhinos)

Also sometimes known as: Blowing Adder, Death Adder, False Cobra, Hissing Adder, Opossum Snake, Puff Adder, Sand Viper, Spreadhead and Spreading Adder.


Description: Herps of Arkansas calls the Eastern Hognose "one of the most variably colored and patterned snakes found in Arkansas." This statement probably holds true for most states. It can be black, brown, dark olive, yellow, or red. Some individual are highly pattered while others are solid colored.


Food: All sources agree that a Hognosed Snakes eats toads. The upturned snout which gives Heterondon platirhinos its name is used for digging up buried toads. Likewise, fangs at the rear of its jaw (photo) are used for puncturing ballooned toads so they can be swallowed whole. Some sources say a Hognose has a more varied diet that also includes frogs, salamanders, insects, worms, and newts. Others say it eats toads almost exclusively. Diet may vary depending upon location.


A Hognose is considered non-venomous, although some researchers claim its saliva contains a mild venom that will effect small amphibians. Regardless, a Hognose is harmless to humans, especially since it almost never bites.

With escape prevent, the Hognose flattens its neck and hisses.

Range: The eastern half of the United States from southern Florida north to central New England and west to Texas, the Great Lakes Region, and some regions of southern Canada.


Habitat: Many sources indicate that Hognose Snakes prefer woodlands with sandy soil usually near some type of water source. However, I tend to agree with Herps of Arkansas: "This species can be found in a variety of habitats, especially where there is an abundant population of frogs and toads." Our place is mostly rocky hills and water can be scarce in summer, but Hognose Snakes have no problems living in these conditions.

Note upturned snout that gives the Hognose Snake its common name.

Defense: Like almost all wild critters, a Hognose Snake's first line of defense when confronted by an animal too large to eat is usually escape. The top photo shows this Hognose attempting to crawl off into the weeds when I first found it crawling across our road. However, if it cannot escape, the Hognose has one of the strangest defense strategies I've ever encountered. It will first flatten its neck and hiss loudly. If the source of harassment comes too close, the snake makes striking movements, but these false strikes are usually closed-mouthed and often made away from the harasser.


If this cobra-like display fails to intimidate, a Hognose usually proceeds to part two of it's act which is playing dead. It deflates and writhes about for a few seconds while excreting and covering itself with a foul smelling musk. It then flops onto its back with its mouth gaping open. The Hognose remains completely motionless until the source of harassment is gone. If turned upright, it will immediately flop back onto its back and return to its dead-snake routine.


I've provoked several Hognose Snakes into their dead-snake routine, but this particular snake would not cooperate. After a few minutes I decided it was time for me to stop bothering the snake and let it go on its way. If you want to see a photo of a Hognose playing dead, there is one here.

(Note: I took these photos on November 3, 2010. I've yet to see any snakes this spring. They're mostly still hibernating.)

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Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterondon platirhinos)

Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele)

Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele)

From Butterflies and Moths of North America:

Life history: Males patrol open areas for females. Eggs are laid in late summer on or near host violets. Newly-hatched caterpillars do not feed, but overwinter until spring, when they eat young violet leaves.

Caterpillar hosts: Various violet species (Viola).

Adult food: Nectar from many species of flowers including milkweeds, thistles, ironweed, dogbane, mountain laurel, verbena, vetch, bergamot, red clover, joe-pye weed, and purple coneflower.

Habitat: Open, moist places including fields, valleys, pastures, right-of-ways, meadows, open woodland, prairies.

Range: Throughout most of central and northern North America. (See link above for distribution map.)

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Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele)

ABC Wednesday: Frog (American Bullfrog - Lithobates catesbeianus)

"F" is for Frog.

In this case, an American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus or Rana catesbeiana), sitting at the pond's edge and waiting for prey to come within range.

Food:  Bullfrogs are carnivores.  They will eat anything they can subdue and swallow, including insects, fish,  snakes, small mammals and other frogs.  They often use their front legs to help shove food down their throats.  Bullfrogs (and other frogs) even retract their eyes as an aid to swallowing.  (Eye retraction helps push the prey toward their esophagus.)

Range:  The native range of bullfrogs was eastern North America.  However, they've been introduced and naturalized throughout much of the continental US, and as far south as Mexico and Cuba. They have even found their way to Europe, South America, and Asia.  Introduced bullfrogs often cause ecological problems because they eat all the native frog species.  In the wild, bullfrogs can live up 7-9 years and a female can lay as many as 20,000 eggs.

Habitat:  Freshwater ponds, lakes, and marshes.  The bullfrog in the photo above was in a small stock pond on our neighbor's cow pasture.

Respiration:  Frogs in the family Ranidae absorb oxygen and eliminate carbon dioxide through their moist skin, the lining of the mouth, and the lungs.

Territory:  Males are highly territorial and will aggressively guard their plot of pond.

Hearing:  The circular disc on the side of the frog's head is a tympanum which functions like a eardrum.

Human uses:  Fried frog legs and dissection specimens for school biology labs. 

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ABC Wednesday: Frog (American Bullfrog - Lithobates catesbeianus)

Downy Woodpecker - Female (Picoides pubescens)

At around 6 3/4" (17cm) long, the Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) is the smallest of North America's classic-shaped woodpeckers.  It is found throughout almost all of North America in a variety of habitats.  The Downy is the woodpecker most likely to visit backyard feeders.  It is by far the most common woodpecker at our feeders here in the Arkansas Ozarks.


The Downy Woodpecker looks very similar to the Hairy Woodpecker, but the Hairy is larger -- around 9 1/4" (24cm) long.  The Hairy also has a proportionally larger bill, (usually almost equal to the depth of the head).  Finally, the outer tail feathers of the Downy usually have faint dark bars or spots while those on a Hairy are pure white.

 A male Downy Woodpecker has a red patch on the back of its head.  A juvenile has a red cap.

The Downy Woodpecker sharing our suet feeder with another "D" bird, a Dark-eyed Junco.

The Downy Woodpecker partaking of the pseudo-suet mixture of peanut butter, cornmeal and lard we provide.

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Downy Woodpecker - Female (Picoides pubescens)

Cuckoo Bee (Nomada sp.)

"B" is for Bee
(Please pardon my lack of originality)
 

In this case, a cuckoo bee in the genus Nomada.  The cuckoo bee was given its common name because it evolved the same kleptoparasitic practice as the European Cuckoo and North American Brown-headed Cow Bird.  A female cuckoo bee does not provide for her offspring.  Instead, she lays her eggs in another bee's nest.  Her eggs hatch early and the cuckoo's larvae eat the other bee's provisions.  Some cuckoo bees kill the other bee's eggs.  Others leave the eggs for her larvae to eat.  Cuckoo bee larvae often have large mandibles to facilitate eating other bee's eggs.


Cuckoo bees are not seen visiting flowers as often as other bees.  Since she does not need to gather provisions for her own offspring, the female cuckoo bee only nectars often enough to take care of her own energy needs.  She lacks a pollen basket, scopa or other pollen collecting body hair common to most bees.  For this reason, cuckoo bees are often mistaken as wasps.  Likewise, among bees, cuckoo's are poor pollinators.


Instead of nectaring, the female cuckoo spends much of her time flying low over the ground searching for nests of other bees.  Once she locates a nest, the cuckoo waits for the host species female bee to leave, then enters the nest and lays her own eggs.  Most cuckoo bees parasitize nests of just a few bee species (2-5), but some are very specific and only parasitize nests of just one other bee species.


(A preview of coming attractions:  "M" is for moth.  The small moth sharing the strawberry bloom with the cuckoo bee is a Sedge Moth in the family Glyphipterigidae.)

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Cuckoo Bee (Nomada sp.)

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

We have American Goldfinches year around, but have many more during the winter.  They are one of our most common feeder birds.  When the Goldfinches start really getting into their breeding plumage in the spring, most head north.


"The goldfinch’s main natural habitats are weedy fields and floodplains, where plants such as thistles and asters are common. They’re also found in cultivated areas, roadsides, orchards, and backyards. American Goldfinches can be found at feeders any time of year, but most abundantly during winter."  (From The Cornell Lab of Ornithology where there are many more photos and more information about these beautiful little bird.)

I'm not much of a birder, but I believe the top photo is a male and the bottom a female.  If anyone with more experience disagrees, I'll be glad to make a correction in this post.  Both birds were at the feeder hanging outside our dining nook window.  Many people feed thistle seeds to Goldfinches and I'm sure the birds enjoy them, but our Goldfinches have never refused the sunflower seeds we feed.  

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American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

ABC Wednesday: T is for Texas Toadflax

Texas Toadflax (Nuttallanthus texanus)

Texas Toadflax is a North American native annual that can be found from British Columbia to Mexico, east to the Atlantic coast. It is fairly common in the prairies, open woods & grassy pinelands. It's most distinctive feature is a large basal spur.

Sources and links:
USDA Distribution Map
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Missouri Flora

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ABC Wednesday: T is for Texas Toadflax

ABC Wednesday: S is for Soldier Fly

Soldier Fly (Odontomyia cincta)

Soldier flies are typically found in the spring or early summer throughout much of North America. Their habitat includes woodlands and fields, usually near water. Adults take nectar and are also sometimes found on dung. Eggs are laid very near water (on reeds, grasses, etc.). Larvae are aquatic and feed on algae.





Source: BugGuide Genus page


Thanks to Mrs. Nesbitt's Place for hosting ABC Wednesday.
Visit her blog to participate.

ABC Wednesday: S is for Soldier Fly

ABC Wednesday: R is for Robber Flies

ABC Wednesday: R is for Robber Flies
(in this case two male Efferia aestuans)

Robber Flies are in an insect family (Asilidae) where the question "Care to join me for lunch?" should never be answered in the affirmative.

Adult robber flies capture their prey on the wing. Just about any flying insect from leafhoppers to dragonflies to other robber flies is fair game. I have seen robber flies bring down insects two and three times their own size. Large prey they simply ride down to the ground. Small prey they will fly with to a feeding location of their choice. Robber flies stab prey with their sharp beaks and then inject a mixture of neurotoxins (for a quick kill) and digestive enzymes. They then suck out the partially pre-digested body juices of their victims.

Sources and links:
Cirrus Images
Herschel Raney's Random Natural Acts
Norman Lavers Robber Flies of Crowley's Ridge
BugGuide Efferia Page

Thanks to Mrs. Nesbitt's Place for hosting ABC Wednesday.

ABC Wednesday: R is for Robber Flies