However, with camera always at the ready, I’m happy to announce that I’ve been able to get a few shots of some of early April’s highlights.

First, a few moths.

Eastern Tent Caterpillars (Malacosoma americanum) have been active since late March. They are now dropping down out of their preferred Black Cherry Tree hosts in search of safe places to pupate.

A frenetic Eight-spotted Forester (Alypia octomaculata) pauses briefly to sip some nectar. This day-flying moth doesn't sit still for long. It lays eggs on grape and Virginia Creeper. Note the two spots on each wing (2x4=8).

And now, several small handsome butterflies, all photographed on 10 April.

This tiny Eastern-tailed Blue (Cupido comyntas) was enjoying the sun on the Dinosaur Trail.

Another miniature butterfly, this Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops) was also photographed on April 10, just a few feet from the Eastern-tailed Blue above.

A Juniper Hairsteak (Callophrys gryneus) nectars on viburnum out in front of the Ornithopter. It lays eggs on juniper trees, or Eastern Red Cedar.

Enjoy.

Red Admirals may overwinter as adults, venturing out on relatively warm winter days.

Red Admirals are just one of a handful of butterflies that can be seen in winter. Question Mark, Eastern Comma, American Snout, and Mourning Cloak are other species which may be encountered on a warm winter’s day stroll through the woods in our area.

One of two common argiope spiders found locally.

Each fall it seems that spiders appear from nowhere, crawling along the ground, stretching out their sticky webs across our favorite hiking trails, and even entering our living spaces. The truth is, they’re with us the entire summer, we simply may not notice them because they, along with their webs (if they construct them), are much smaller and less obvious than in fall. Above and below you will see some of those spiders, all of which were found along the paths of the Outdoor Exhibits at the Museum of Life + Science during the first few weeks of October.

The Banded Argiope (ar-GUY-o-pee) Spider above is very similar to the Black and Yellow Argiope Spider, and builds the same type of web. Notice the heavy banding on the abdomen.

Ventral view of Barn Spider, or Spotted Orbweaver (I think). The family is Araneidae.

The Argiope, Spotted Orbweaver (above), and Marbled Orbweaver (below) are all orb weavers, so named because of the circular webs that they build. The Argiope and Spotted Orbweaver are common and familiar spiders. However, when most folks encounter their first Marbled Orbweaver they are surprised by the spider’s brightly colored, swollen abdomen with its intricate pattern; it certainly made me do a double take the first time I saw one.

The Marbled Orbweaver (Araneus marmoreus) is found in wooded habitats. It often retreats into a curled leaf at one corner of its web.

Wolf Spiders like the one below are very common. Grassy areas may be littered with wolf spiders, but they often go undetected under the cover of the grass. The one pictured below was seen crossing the path next to the Ornithopter in Catch the Wind.

This wolf spider (Lycosidae) is missing two legs, the second leg on its right side and the rear leg on its left quarter. If you look closely you may see a few young spiders clinging to its abdomen.

Caterpillars are another common sight during the fall months. Nearing the end of their larval stage, they are often encountered while crawling off their host plant in search of a place to pupate, spending the winter pupating underground or in the leaf litter.

Sycamore Tussock Moths (Halysidota harrisii) are commonly seen at this time of year.

The two tussock moth caterpillars pictured above and below are two species of tussock moth that I’ve most frequently encountered on the paths of the Museum’s Outdoor Exhibit Area. I’ve handled both of these species before and have had no problems, but I’d advise you to NOT handle them if you see them crawling along as you stroll the paths of the Outdoor Exhibits; the hairs on these caterpillars have been known to cause an allergic reaction in some people.

White-marked Tussock Moth Caterpillars are fairly common. The adult female moth is flightless.

There’s no shortage of Smartweed in Explore the Wild, Catch the Wind, or on the Dinosaur Trail, so it’s little wonder that there’d be a Smartweed Caterpillar somewhere along the paths that wind through these areas. The two images below show the same individual seen at the U-shaped pond alongside the Ornithopter.

Smartweed Caterpillar (Acronicta oblinita) on Smartweed.

The same Smartweed Caterpillar as above, 5 days later. Note the color change in the setae (hairs).

Another caterpillar taking advantage of the abundance of Smartweed during the first few weeks of October was a Tobacco Budworm. This one was inside of the fence which surrounds the Ornithopter.

Tobacco Budworm's (Heliothis virescens) color may vary depending upon the color of the flower they are consuming.

While attending the Ornithopter, Ranger Katie spotted a fairly large caterpillar crawling along on the Orhnithopter itself. We later determined that it was a Snowberry Clearwing. By its rapid and determined pace, it was obviously heading off to pupate. I managed to get a few images of the larva before sending it on its way. One of those images can be seen below.

As adults these moths fly during daylight hours. They hover over flowers as they sip nectar.

On September 3o, I noticed a few Monarch Butterflies moving southwest at very high altitude; they were mere specks in the clear blue sky. Each day during the following week, I saw Monarchs trickling through at treetop level or lower, all heading southwest. On October 7th, with strong southwest winds, the Monarchs were moving through in much greater numbers. The Butterfly Bushes in front of the Butterfly House were busy with Monarchs. I even saw a few of these large orange-and-black butterflies nectaring on the only blooming Groundsel Tree in Explore the Wild (next to the Wetlands Overlook). Other butterflies were seen that day as well, including migrant Cloudless Sulphurs, but it was the Monarchs that were the main attraction of the lepidopteran show on display that fine fall day.

A male Monarch pauses to sip nectar from Butterfly Bush before continuing its southward journey.

So, what’s the common thread in this post? Silk. All the creatures above produce silk at some time in their lives. The orb weavers obviously produce silk to make their webs. Wolf Spiders use silk for egg sacs. And, the caterpillars (the Monarch, too, was a caterpillar perhaps only a week prior to being photographed) may use silk as a life-line and, most definitely, in the making of their chrysalides or cocoons.

This past year I’ve tallied 27 species of odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. To some that may seem like a large number. Considering that there are about 190 species to be seen in North Carolina, you may be justified in saying that 27 species is a rather small number. No doubt, a few species may have gotten by me, but I think that 27 is a fair number of species given the habitat here at the Museum. What we typically see at the Museum are, for the most part, generalist, those species that can breed in the type of water that makes up the Wetlands and which also occurs at numerous sites throughout the state. These are species which do not require “unique” conditions to breed. There are exceptions such as the Mocha Emerald (see Mocha Emerald, Explore the Wild Journal, July 16-31, 2008) found this past summer. Mocha Emeralds are not generalists and are usually found at small shaded woodland streams of which there are two just off the beaten path at the Museum.

Some species of odonate can only breed in fast-moving streams, some prefer acidic water for breeding, while still others may only breed in small woodland seeps. Each may have its own requirements for quality of water and time of year in which they breed and fly. But, in general, what we see at the Museum are the species that are, in most cases, found throughout the state where ever there happens to be a pool of water. I’m sure we’ll see a few more species in the coming year. It won’t be long before we’ll be seeing Fragile Forktails emerging. It was March 9th when I first noticed them last year.

I didn’t keep a tally of the numerous butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers and other insects that were seen during this past year. Perhaps that can be a goal for next year. There were many expected species, as well as a few surprises, this past year. I’m sure we’ll see more of both in the year to come.

Unexpected, but not surprising given the warmth of the most recent few weeks, was a Cloudless Sulphur seen on the very warm 28th of December. It was a female.