Sawfly's---oddball babies

This first image is of an adult sawfly, in the same order as bees and wasps, Hymenoptera. The following four images are of the larval stages of various sawflies.

1.) Adult (unsure of species), Generally called "Common Sawflies"
2.) This one is probably (Dimorphopteryx melanognathus), or very closely related.
3.) This is a Butternut Sawfly, they feed on Walnut and Butternuts. These white "hairs" are waxy filaments. These filaments earn them the nickname of Butternut Woolyworm.
4.) This beautiful purple and orange one is (Arge humeralis). They feed on poison ivy...gotta love that!
5.) This last one I have not been able to identify.
There is some confusion in telling them apart from the caterpillars of moths and butterflies.

According to Abigail Parker from bugguide.net there are ways to distinguish them.
"Sawflies have more prolegs - 6 or more, whereas caterpillars have 5 or fewer. The first pair of prolegs on a sawfly is on the 2nd abdominal segment; on a caterpillar it's the third segment or farther back. Overall, sawflies look "leggy" without much space between the thoracic true legs and the abdominal prolegs.

Sawflies have one eye on each side of the head - caterpillars have 6. Of course, they're tiny and very hard to see, but if the insect has a light-colored head or has just molted, the eyes of sawflies are surprisingly prominent. I notice them even at early instars, while I've never been able to see a caterpillar's eyes without magnification."
There seems to be no shortage of sawflies around our farm, and each is unique and odd looking.
They come in so many different colors and shapes. I actively look for them now. It is much like Christmas, finding those brightly colored packages and trying to figure out what species it is. So now a new hobby is photographing these amazing creatures.

Pretty Picture Saturday

Beautiful bumble bee nectaring at Black Eyed Susan. There has been a huge increase in the number of bumble bees, the males must be on the scene.

Katydid

Yesterday was a gorgeous day, especially for Missouri in Mid-July. The humidity was low and the temperature topped out at 82. My good friend Lu and I went to Platte City to visit a Conservation area called Platte Falls. We couldn't find many walking trails, but we did find some mowed roadways that we walked. We saw numerous insects, a few herons, and ducks, and thousands of frogs and one Blue racer (that crossed our path twice). At the end of one of the roadways we found this little pond on the verge of drying up. There were three herons, and two ducks sitting in the water. We promptly scared the herons with our presence and they took off for the hills. The little ducks remained behind and we had some difficulty identifying them. Lu thought they were pintails. When we headed back up the roadway to return to the car, her and I were visiting and laughing. I was in the lead and she was about 4 feet behind me.


All of the sudden I got clocked in the eyeball by an insect. It felt like a rock hit me. I let out a few expletives! She said I think it was a dragonfly...I said nope KATYDID! I saw it up close and personal, my eyeball was still throbbing. It landed in a tree about 20 feet away. I told her I felt like going after that Kamikaze Katydid and teaching it a lesson. Lu said "yea!..... it will be a KatyDEAD instead of Katydid"! I was thinking the whole time "Just let me get ahold of that thing" Ever see that moment in Alice in Wonderland where the queen yells "Off with their head?!"
I have no idea why that Katydid came at my face like it was shot out of a cannon, but it definitely got my attention. Katydids in the order Orthoptera are cousins to the grasshoppers and crickets. There are many types of Katydids in Missouri in various types of habitats. Many will be found in grassy areas like meadows, farmlands, pastures, or mowed roadways... Most are bright green and blend in well with blades of grasses and leaves of trees. Some species will have shades of yellow, brown or black on them as well. They feed on the foliage of various plants and trees.
Probably the most familiar aspect of the Katydid is not its looks but its song. They join the nighttime chorus in mid-summer and belt out a lovely melody of Katy-DID-katy-DIDN'T. Each species will have a little variance in their song, this helps them locate mates. After all if all the songs sounded the same it would be a free for all when it came to the mating scene. This individuality in harmony also helps us locate them. It is possible to recognize them by song alone, if you are patient enough to learn them. Just don't get in their way!

Question Mark

Question Mark (Polygonis interrogationis) Butterflies are a medium sized butterfly measuring up to 3 inches. They are found throughout the Eastern 2/3 of the United States, except for central and south Florida, they are also found in South Eastern Canada. Their coloring varies by season, but will always be shades of reddish-orange and black. On the underside of the hindwing they have a white or silvery "Question Mark" from whence they get their name. It is visible in the second picture. They are attracted to parks, gardens, wooded areas and swamps, where they typically feed on sap, dung, and rotting fruit. Or in the case of this one, hummingbird nectar. The host plant for the offspring is nettles, false nettle, hackberry and elm. There are two other species of butterflies in Missouri, the Eastern Comma and the Gray Comma that are very similar in their markings. The question mark butterfly has an extra black dash on the forewing that the Comma does not have. The Eastern Comma and the Gray Comma both have comma shapes on their underside of their hindwings. These are very pretty butterflies and I see them quite frequently in timber clearings.

Robber Fly

The robber flies in the genus (Ommatuis) are fairly small to medium sized predators, measuring up to one inch. A key characteristic of this genus is the slightly feathered antennae, which takes on a moth-like appearance. They also have a very "humped back" quality. Very reminiscent of Quasimodo. Expert hunters that feed on a wide variety of small insects, they are highly beneficial to have around, great fun to photograph too. They are commonly found in open fields, meadows, and grassy areas where they will perch on the tops of grasses or twigs and watch for passing insects, which they will dart out and grab, then carry back to their resting spot to feed.

Milkweed Bugs

Milkweed bugs are in the classification Hemiptera (True Bugs). The first two pictures are the Large Milkweed Bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus). The first picture is of several stages of nymphs, the second is how they appear as adults. The third picture is the Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmia).
Large Milkweed bugs measure up to 3/4 of an inch. They are orange and black like the Small Milkweed Bug which measures about 10/16 of inch. One distinguishing characteristic of the Large variety is the black band through the middle of their back. The Small variety lacks this band instead they have a somewhat cross shaped orange marking on their wings. Each species uses milkweed as the host plant for their young. Females lay eggs on milkweed and the nymphs feed on the plant. This makes them toxic for consumption to possible predators. Both species can be found throughout most of the US. The Small variety has a larger range then the Large variety. Look for them in many types of habitats, but always in association with Milkweed.

Momma Spider

I believe this is some sort of Wolf Spider, she was approximately 2 inches long, legs and all. She was carrying around an egg sac attached to the end of her abdomen. She was rapidly moving through the grass when I spotted her. She became very defensive with me as I tried to stop her travels for a picture. She would throw her front legs into the air and rear her head up. After awhile she calmed down and sat for a photo. Does that face not look almost resigned, or bored with the whole affair. I spotted one other species similar to her that was carrying young around on her back, but I was unable to coax her out of the tall grasses for a photo. These are such awesome spiders, great natural bug control.

In the Spotlight

This long-legged fly is a Robber Fly in the genus Diogmites, they are sometimes referred to as Hanging Thieves. There are over 26 species in North America and I would be hard pressed to ID this one to species. They are very common throughout their range, and I see them quite frequently. Generally speaking they do not allow me to get close, fleeing when I am anywhere within camera range. This one was decidedly cooperative. The way the sun was filtering through the leaves makes him look as if he were in the spotlight for his big debut. These are hugely beneficial insects, with their hungry appetite and aerial abilities they make for great hunters. Often feeding on flies and small wasps. Some have been known to turn cannibalistic and feed on their own kind.

Common Wood Nymph

This chocolate brown butterfly is the Common Wood Nymph (Cercyonis pegala). They are found throughout much of North America. Their coloration is highly variable depending upon where they are encountered. The one pictured here was in NWMO, and they vary from the ones found in Western Missouri or even in the East. They are the only large satyr (measuring up to 2.7 inches) with two large eyespots on the forewing. They go by many different names, but today are considered by many to be one species. This is the only large satyr east of the Mississippi. Usually they prefer sap or fermented fruit, but this one seemed content with coneflower nectar. In the western part of their range they usually nectar at flowers like spiraea and clover. Look for them near woodlands, especially timber contain oak, or pine. They also can be found near streams, roadsides, prairies, meadows and open fields and sometimes backyard gardens like the one here.

Rose Chafer

Rose Chafers (Macrodactylus) are found throughout Central and Eastern North America. They are a smallish to medium sized beetle in the Scarabaeidae family of beetles. The one pictured here was about 3/8 of an inch long. It was a lovely beetle with an all over tan color and very long reddish colored spiny legs. They can be found in gardens, fields and meadows. This particular one was found near our timber edge next to a soybean field. Adults feed on a wide variety of plants despite their common name. They are know to consume the foliage of grapes, apples, cherries, elder, pear, foxglove, hollyhock, poppy, peonies and of course roses. The larva feed on the roots of grasses and turf, much like all scarab beetles. These beetles are known to be toxic to chickens and other birds. This is the first of this species I had ever seen, so I was very excited to be able to photograph it and later add it to my collection.