This week in the woods, we enjoyed our office backyard “moth ball” with lepidopterist JoAnne Russo, who identified a whopping 86 different moth species flitting through the night sky of Lyme, New Hampshire. Highlights included a crowd of pretty rosy maple moths – including some that perched on children’s fingers – weird and wonderful twin-spotted sphinx moths, and some cool leaf mimics, including an apical prominent moth. To view a gallery with these and other Lyme moth finds, check out this link. And thank you again, JoAnne!
Continuing with the theme of insect close encounters, Owen McPhaul discovered this beautiful Calligripha beetle climbing on a porch screen. As noted in this article by Declan McCabe, there are about 20 species of this genus in the Northeast and, as their collective name suggests,
these small, shiny beetles look as if a skilled hand drew black cursive on their backs. The contrast between the color of their elytra and black markings gives the impression of filigree on fine jewelry.
Owen’s beetle appears to be one of the most common in the northeastern Calligripha group, C. multipunctata, the common willow calligrapher. These beetles feed on the leaves of willow trees (both as larvae and adults).
Meanwhile, in less happy insect discovery news, we found what appeared to be an upside down gray long-necked vase hanging from an eave of the office building. Closer inspection revealed the tubular “starter nest” for a bald-faced hornet colony. Uh oh. These aerial yellowjackets - not true hornets - build large round nests that protect the combs of developing larvae and serve as communal shelters for the adults. The nests are comprised of layer upon layer of “paper” that the insects create by chewing up bark, wood, and other fibers.
One can to admire their industry and complexity as social insects - and give them props as both predators of insect pests early in the summer, and pollinators later in the season…but that said, it’s not a good idea to let these nests develop next to a building. A mature nest can house many hundreds of bald faced hornets, and they’re tetchy. As Joe Rankin noted in this Outside Story from our archive, nearby vibrations can be enough to agitate them.
What have you noticed in the woods this week? Submit a recent photo for possible inclusion in our monthly online Reader Photo Gallery.