The bugman is awesome (and I need an ID)
Location: Northeast Tennessee
September 4, 2011 11:09 pm
Hey there! Your site has already helped me identify the house centipede. I’d like to know what exactly this is… growing up on a farm I’ve encountered a lot of these. My grandma always called these ”chicken poo butterflies” because they seem to have a fondness for the stuff. I was taking pictures in her flower garden one day and I came across one.
PS along with the moth/butterfly I’ve attached a photo I took of a praying mantis egg sac (I don’t know what you call it, just that mantises lay their eggs in it, I think)last December. I thought it looked neat and wanted to know if that was actually what it was.
Signature: Easily Fascinated
Dear Easily Fascinated,
When we read your letter, we immediately imagined an insect with the description you provided, and we thought for sure you would have a photo of a Pearly Wood Nymph, a moth that truly resembles chicken droppings. This is actually a butterfly known as a Silver Spotted Skipper, Epargyreus clarus, and you may see additional photos on the Massachusetts Butterfly Club website. You have correctly identified the Preying Mantis ootheca or egg case.