Nature Notes: White-tailed Doe (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Garden

White-tailed Deer (12/29/10 - Searcy County, AR)

As posted earlier, our fall garden was a failure.  It was just too hot, dry and buggy when all the tender, young plants needed to get their start in the garden.  However, we did have a few lettuce and spinach plants under row covers until late December when we decided the fall garden was a lost cause and pulled off the row covers.  It didn't take long for the deer to discover the various weeds that thrived under the row covers' protection.  This does is enjoying a winter treat.  (Sorry about all the clutter in this photo.  We obviously haven't gotten around to our fall garden clean up yet.)

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Nature Notes: White-tailed Doe (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Garden

Macro Monday: Tortoise Beetle Larva (Charidotella sp)

Camouflage is an often employed survival tactic in the insect world, but a tortoise beetle larva has one of the more unique approaches to disguise.  It hides under a shield of debris composed of previously shed skins and fecal matter.  To a would be predator, the tortoise beetle larva looks like bird droppings or some other distasteful pile of debris.

The larva has a fork-like structure at the rear end of its abdomen.  These prongs curve back over the insect's body.  When the larva molts, its head emerges from the old skin first.  When the molt is complete, its old skin is left attached to these anal forks.  The insect's excrement is added to these shed skins forming a "fecal shield".  When disturbed, the tortoise beetle larva will often wave this shield at would be predators.

This particular larva is probably a Golden Tortoise Beetle (Charidotella sexpunctata) which ranges throughout most of the United States and Canada.   Both lavae and adults feed on the leaves of various Convolvulaceae (bind weed, morning glory, sweet potato) leaving the leaves riddled with small holes.  It was found on bind weed.

Here is a photo of an adult Golden Tortoise Beetle.

Sources and additional information:
BugGuide 
Garden Friends and Foes 
Bug of the Month
Insect Information: Tortoise beetles

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Macro Monday: Tortoise Beetle Larva (Charidotella sp)

Bagworm Moth Caterpillar (Family Psychidae)

Larvae (bagworms) construct spindle-shaped bags covered with pieces of twigs, leaves, etc., and remain in them -- enlarging the bags as they grow -- until they pupate (also in the bag). Adult females remain in the bag, emitting pheromones which attract adult males to mate with them.  Males become more typical moths.  (There are 26 species in 13 genera in North America.)

Eggs are laid inside the bag, and when they hatch the larvae crawl away to begin construction of their own individual cases.

Source:  BugGuide



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Bagworm Moth Caterpillar (Family Psychidae)