While walking up the boardwalk from Explore the Wild I noticed a large jumping spider perched in the middle of the walkway. The spider was black with bold white markings. As the spider turned to face me, I noticed green chelicerae, or jaws. If you’ve never had a close look at a jumping spider I urge you to do so, they can be quite colorful. When I first saw this spider I thought that it was a Bold Jumping Spider (PhidippusRead more
Posts tagged: #caterpillar
My, how they’ve grown!
A recent post to this Journal featured two caterpillars, one of those was the larva of a Cloudless Sulphur butterfly on Partridge Pea in Catch the Wind. On August 2, I noticed one of these large yellow sulphurs lay at least one egg on the plant. Fives days later I saw one, then two, caterpillars munching away on the plant’s flowers. It’s now August 15, and the caterpillars have grown considerably. They will probably crawl off to pupate within aRead more
Two caterpillars of vastly different proportions.
It was only five days after watching a Cloudless Sulphur lay an egg on the Partridge Pea in Catch the Wind that I saw evidence of caterpillars. As I walked by the plants on Tuesday of last week I noticed one of the flowers had been partially eaten. I didn’t have my camera with me (why do I even consider walking the loop without my camera?) but the Otter Box encased iPhone that I had strapped to my belt recordedRead more
Oakworms!
One could hardly miss the frass surrounding the willow oak tree next to the vending area in Catch the Wind, it was everywhere. Of course, if you don’t know what frass is then you may not have noticed it, thinking it mulch that had been blown onto the sidewalk by the wind. Well, it wasn’t mulch, it was caterpillar poop, or frass, a sure sign that there are caterpillars above. With this much frass there must be many caterpillars feedingRead more
A Lep Emerges!
Eleven days after a Cloudless Sulphur caterpillar was first noticed preparing to pupate on a Partridge Pea pod in Catch the Wind, it has emerged as an adult male butterfly. A Monarch caterpillar was pointed out to me on Butterfly Weed in Catch the Wind. I’ll have to keep an eye on that one too!Read more