White-lined sphinx moth

Yesterday, I was walking in and out of the garage while working on my daffodil bulb project (another post). I happened to look over and see this beautiful sphinx moth on the inside of a garage window. Get the camera! As you can see, the moth didn't mind a photo session at all. Then I let it go onto the brick wall of our house. This morning, I checked, and it's gone.

Come to find out that this is a white-lined sphinx (Hyles lineata), the same species of caterpillar (photo below) which we found in our Meadow last October. A few days later, my young neighbor Peyton and his friends found the same caterpillar, and we took his to the Meadow, where it soon burrowed into the ground. 
  
So this could be one of our friends, Peyton! I love to watch sphinx moths nectar on flowers. They look just like hummingbirds.  
 

One of last October's caterpillars

One weird insect

Earlier this week, I happened to spot this strange creature on the brick wall on the front of our house. It really threw me for a loop. I'd never seen anything like it before! So I posted this photo on Bugguide.net. Dumb me–I asked if it was a deformed moth larvae. LARVAE, Sheryl!? That would be a caterpillar, and our mystery insect is definitely not THAT! 

Boy, did I feel embarrassed. 

However, the experts on Bugguide.net were quite polite. "This insect has wings," someone pointed out. Duh, Sheryl.

At any rate, they've determined that my odd insect is a half-wing moth (Phigalia titea). Apparently, the females are flightless. Here's a photo of one that resembles mine. Interesting, eh?
 

Now THAT's a BIG caterpillar!

We were in the front yard a few days ago, and I leaned over the lemon verbena for a closer look. Something black had caught me eye. Part of a leaf? NOOOO! Eek! It was a big fat chubby hornworm! (The thing startled me at first, I confess.) I laughed and called for James to come see. We found a second one, too, munching away on the leaves.

Actually, I believe they're rustic sphinxes (Manduca rustica). I checked on them another day or two. Then they disappeared. That's because this species burrows underground to pupate.

Butterfly and moth sightings confirmed

Now and then, I submit images to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, the Lost Ladybug Project and Butterflies and Moths of North America. 

Earlier this month, I sent three sightings from our Wildscape to the Butterflies and Moths for confirmation. A regional coordinator verified my submissions, and all three have been added to the Blanco County species list: 

* White-lined sphinx 

* Common mestra

* Carmenta armasata

Caterpillar? Not!

Earlier this month, I spotted what I thought were caterpillars on the seedpods of my climbing snapdragon vine. When I'd touch one, it'd snap up, then drop back into position. Perplexed, I shot some photos and submitted them to Bugguide.net. What species of caterpillar were they, I asked.

"Could be among the plume moths," John commented. 

Then it dawned on me!

I was seeing COCOONS, not caterpillars!

Cocoon of a moth in the superfamily Pterophoroidea

Strange behavior of snapping up when touched....

Not a great shot but another "snapper."

Later, I shot some more photos of cocoons...

They're very well camouflaged against the seedhead's green.

I also photographed some climbing snapdragon seeds. They're COOL.

Tiny pink

Awhile ago, I went outside to check on the Wildscape after last night's rains and spotted this tiny moth (approximately 3/8 inches) nearly camouflaged on a salvia bloom. Had to go get my camera, of course. I believe it's a southern pink moth, also called inornate pyrausta moth (Pyrausta inornatalis).

One big moth!

Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus)

This morning, I was in the car, backing down the driveway, when I happened to glance at our front door. Darn in! Now I gotta turn off the car and go back in the house for my camera... Which I did, of course. I certainly can't miss the chance to photograph a huge, beautiful silkmoth! After looking at similar moths on Bugguide.net, I posted this photo and asked if I had the ID right: Antheraea polyphemus. Yes!

Caterpillar ID request

 

Carolyn from Blanco area emailed me this image and asked if I could ID it. I think it's some species of Hemileuca, possibly Hemileuca burnsi but probably not because we're not within its range. However, Carolyn's caterpillar is very similar to these I've found around our house, Grote's buck moth (Hemileuca grotei). Here's an image of the adult moth. Their common food plants are oak flowers.

Hemileuca grotei

Hemileuca grotei

Hemileuca grotei

More caterpillar deaths and some new (alive) ones

More melting caterpillars, this one on a dead lantana stem.

I spotted another dead one on a different stem.

This small unidentified caterpillar was alive.

I'm only posting this damselfly because while I was shooting it....

...I happened to see ANOTHER dead caterpillar on a blade of grass!

Found on our wooden arbor...another Grote's buck moth (Hemileuca grotei), according to Bugguide.net. "Once again based on the red coloration between segments," Ryan wrote. "Hemileuca peigleri is the only other Hemileuca sp. I would expect from Blanco County. Although the orange spines are reminiscent of H. peigleri in the guide, I have not seen the red intersegment coloration in peigleri (at least in the images I have seen)."

A chrysalis also on the arbor, probably a Gulf fritillary since there are passionflower vines nearby.

"GET YOUR CAMERA!" James hollered again today. "Got a caterpillar for you!" "Is it ALIVE?" I asked. Yes, James said. Resembles a lichen, eh?

And boy, was it! Whenever we nudged it, it flipped and hurled itself like a jumping bean. It also released some fluid. 

Thanks to experts at Bugguide.net, I now know that this guy is an ilia underwing (Catocala ilia). 

New caterpillar

Yesterday evening, I plopped down on our cement bench in the back yard and socialized with the neighbor's dachshunds, Lucy and Mason, who come over regularly to visit "through the fence." I just happened to look down and spot this cool caterpillar, hanging onto a dead twig or grass stem. After much looking through my Caterpillars of Eastern North America, I proposed an ID of Hemileuca maia. 

I was close! 

Experts at Bugguide.net say my cat is a Hemileuca grotei (Grote's buck moth).

Surveying our rural land

Another beautiful day in the Texas Hill Country! So after church and lunch, James and I loaded up and headed to our 11 acres northwest of Blanco.

Fendler's bladderpod (Lesquerella fenleri)

Pending....

Pink vervain (Verbena pumila)

Prairie verbena (Glandularia bipinnatifida)

Yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta)

Whitlow-grass (Draba cuneifolia)...these were so beautiful, small and delicate.

Anemone

Lace cacti (Echinocereus reichenbachii)...thank you, Lancashire Rose!

Pending....James saw this one....

...and this one. Similar but different!

Redbud bloom with mournful thyris (Pseudothyris sepulchralis). Moth ID thanks to Bugguide.net experts.

Redbud flowers!

Beautiful Lindheimer's muhly (Muhlenbergia lindheimeri)

Hill Country rain lily (Cooperia pendunculata)

Agarita (I was happy to find one on our property.)

Seep muhly (Muhlenbergia reverchonii)

Eight-spotted forester (Alypia octomaculata)...an owlet moth. 
ID thanks to Bugguide.net experts.

Four-nerve daisy (Tetraneuris scaposa)