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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Gulf Fritillary: Caterpillar, Chrysalis and Imago

On · Category: Brush Footed Butterflies, brush footed butterfly caterpillars · Add Comment

Subject:  What kind of butterfly is this?
Geographic location of the bug:  Taylors SC (Upstate SC)
Date: 10/02/2018
Time: 01:35 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Is this a type of Gulf Fritillary butterfly? We have about 25 chrysalis hanging on the back of our house. This one (2nd pic) hasn’t opened it’s wings yet, but I didn’t see any orange underneath, like the pictures I found online.
Thank you!
How you want your letter signed:  Tina C

Newly Emerged Gulf Fritillary

Dear Tina,
We love your image of the wall with various stages of development of Gulf Fritillaries.  Your close-ups are of a pre-pupal Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar and a newly eclosed adult Gulf Fritillary.  The dorsal surface of its wings are orange.  You must have a passion flower vine nearby.

Gulf Fritillaries: Stages of Metamorphosis

Pre-Pupal Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Green Lynx Spider eats Cabbage White

On · Category: Green Lynx, Whites and Sulfurs Tagged With: , · Add Comment

Subject:  Green Lynx Spider eats Cabbage White on Lavender
Geographic location of the bug:  Mount Washington, Los Angeles, CA
Date: 09/16/2018
Time: 03:30 PM PDT
Daniel took the weekend off from responding to the numerous queries that arrived from the public to entertain a friend and to do some gardening.  This drama of a male Green Lynx Spider feeding on a Cabbage White on the lavender was too interesting to ignore.

Green Lynx Spider eats Cabbage White

Green Lynx Spider eats Cabbage White

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Mating Eastern Tailed Blues

On · Category: Gossamer Wings Tagged With: · Add Comment
Subject:  mating Eastern Tailed-Blue Butterflies
Geographic location of the bug:  Occoquan NWR (Woodbridge, Va.)
Date: 09/07/2018
Time: 08:22 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Hi Daniel,
I recently was lucky enough to see Eastern Tailed-Blue Butterflies and a pair of Thread-waisted Wasps mating, at Occoquan NWR (Woodbridge, Va.) on September 7th and Huntley Meadows Park (Fairfax, Va) yesterday, respectively, and I thought you might enjoy seeing the images. You are welcome to post these if you like, of course.
Best Wishes,
Seth.

Mating Eastern Tailed Blues

Seth,
Your images are lovely.  Please resubmit using our standard submission form at the Ask WTB? link on our site:  ask-whats-that-bug/
Please limit submissions to a single species per form unless there is a good reason, like a predator/prey relationship.
Thanks

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Monarch Caterpillars

On · Category: Brush Footed Butterflies · Add Comment

Subject:  Monarch Caterpillars?
Geographic location of the bug:  Columbus, Ohio
Date: 09/06/2018
Time: 09:24 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Do I finally have some?  After years of “growing weeds” (according to my husband), do I finally have some Monarchs on my milkweed?  I’ve spotted at least three…. I’m so excited!
How you want your letter signed:  Amber

Monarch Caterpillar

Dear Amber,
Your excitement is justifiable as these are indeed Monarch Caterpillars.  After all your years of gardening diligence, you are finally getting the rewards for your efforts.

Monarch Caterpillar

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Newly Emerged Male Monarch visits WTB?

On · Category: Brush Footed Butterflies Tagged With: · Add Comment

Subject:  Newly Emerged Male Monarch
Geographic location of the bug:  Mount Washington, Los Angeles, CA
Date: 08/25/2018
Time: 11:30 AM EDT
Daniel was relaxing in the front yard when this Monarch flew past, seemingly struggling with flying, and it landed on the ground where Jennifer began to take some photos and video with her cellular telephone.  Daniel got the camera and by that time, Jennifer also noticed that something was not right, and the Monarch had flown to a laurel sumac.  Daniel had already suspected that perhaps what was wrong was that this was a newly eclosed Monarch that had not yet gotten used to flying.  The pristine quality of the wings and the fact that it rested on the sumac for about a half an hour, opening and closing its wings before flying off, both support that suspicion.  According to BugGuide:  “Males have scent-scale patches on hindwings, prominent when wings are open, and just possible to see when wings are folded” and this individual flashed his scent-scale patches for the camera.

Male Monarch

 

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Eastern Comma Caterpillar, NOT Buck Moth Caterpillar

On · Category: Brush Footed Butterflies · Add Comment

Subject:  Black and yellow spiny caterpillar
Geographic location of the bug:  Clinton, IL
Date: 08/26/2018
Time: 01:21 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  My son and I found this hiking in a heavy wooded area. We have no idea what species it is. We did find Colobura dirce but that’s inky found in Central America. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
How you want your letter signed:  Ray and RJ Alvarado

Eastern Comma Caterpillar

Dear Ray and RJ,
We believe this is a Moth Caterpillar in the subfamily Hemileucinae, possibly a Buck Moth Caterpillar, Hemileuca maia, which is pictured on BugGuide.  The coloration on your individual is different from any other images we have located.  We have requested assistance from Bill Oehlke on this identification.

Eastern Comma Caterpillar

Bill Oehlke makes correction:
Hi Daniel,
I think it is more likely a butterfly larva from Nymphalidae family.
Bill

Thanks so much Daniel. My son is super excited about finding a color that’s not normal.
Ray

Hold tight Ray.  We are going to have a correction for you.

Correction:  Eastern Comma Caterpillar
Hi again Ray,
After hearing from Bill Oehlke that this was more likely a Nymphalidae butterfly caterpillar, we located an image on BugGuide of an Eastern Comma Caterpillar, Polygonia comma, and then located a second BugGuide image as substantiation.  According to BugGuide:  “Larvae feed primarily on Hops (Humulus) and Nettles (Urtica, but also False Nettle (Boehmeria), Wood Nettle (Laportea), Elm (Ulmus), and probably other members of families Urticaceae and Ulmaceae.”  Despite having over 26,000 unique posting, this is the first image we have of an Eastern Comma Caterpillar on our site, though we have several images of adult Eastern Commas.

Perfect. Thanks for the follow up and you guys are welcome to use our pics if you’d like.
Ray Alvarado

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination