Reader Mark Richardson weighed in to help fill the tank today, sending in some nice photos of insects and mammals. His notes are indented, and he asks for an ID of the longhorn beetle below.
All these photos were taken while living in Wyoming between 2001-2007.I found this Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar, Papilio troilus, crawling across a brick planter in the front yard. You’ll see this planter a lot in the following photos. I’ve seen photos on WEIT of the Tiger Swallowtail caterpillar, which looks similar but is green in color, so I thought this orange variation was a nice contrast. The second photo shows off its eyespots.
A Waved Sphinx moth caterpillar, Ceratomia undulosa. I don’t know what that spot on its head is. Looks like an eyespot, but it’s probably a piece of dirt.
Here we have a Pale Windscorpion, Eremobates pallipes. These were a rare sight, especially during the day, and I was lucky to find this one on my bug-magnet brick planter. These aren’t actually scorpions and they aren’t spiders. [JAC: but they are arachnids.] They seem somewhere in the middle and are in the order Solifugae (those that flee from the sun).
Another insect I found on the lucky brick planter! It seems obvious that it is some sort of longhorn beetle, but I couldn’t identify it. Any help would be appreciated.
This is a Western Conifer Seed Bug Leptoglossus occidentalis. Apparently these true bugs [order Hemipteraa] originated on the West Coast of the US, but now are found all the way to the Atlantic. I read their migration was probably due to “transportation of goods”.
And finally we have some mammals! This herd of pronghorn Antilocapra americana was a common sight in our ‘backyard’. Where these pronghorn are walking is a migratory corridor and all the fences in its path had to be modified to allow unimpeded passage. There were more pronghorn in front and behind this herd, but in this photo I count 37. Anyone see more?
These are marvelous, Mark! Thanks for sharing them with us.
Really great! The longhorn is a kind of flat-faced longhorn. This is a large tribe with many genera.
I suspect in the genus Monochamus, the ‘Sawyers’.
The ‘bycid looks like the Spotted Pine Sawyer, Monochamus clamator (LeConte, 1852). Cool photos.
Thanks to you and Mark above. By Jove I think you got it 🙂
I see 2 more just behind the nightjar.
But, I can’t find the nightjar!
The reason that the spicebush swallowtail is brown is b/c it is preparing to pupate. I have not seen this species, but tiger swallowtail larvae do the same thing. So you may want to look around the area where you saw it, and maybe it did not wander far. It could be hanging up now, or it could be a chrysalis.
Thanks for the added info Mark. This photo was taken a long time ago and far away, so no chance finding its chrysalis. 🙂
I count 37 as well. Why do we count antelope? Because WEIT.
Sphinx moth caterpillar seems to say “Sorry to bother you, but do you have a nice leaf for me to nibble?”
They like tomatoes so much that around here we call them tomato worms.
I once saw an anole eating something large and green. At first I thought it was anole cannibalism. Nope, it was eating a tomato worm. Took him ten minutes to swallow it.
Yeah, it sort of reminds me of Mr. Magoo.
Great variety, Mark! I love the rolling hills behind the pronghorn as well.
Very interesting about the fence requirements for the migratory corridor! I guess one can build a fence that holds cattle but lets the pronghorn scoot under?
Thanks Diane…and behind the farthest hill you can see is I-80. Standing where the photo is taken, you can just make out the very tops of big-rig trailers as they cruise along. (Not in this photo though.)
Yes, the ranchers dig a hole or two just large enough for the antelope to crawl under. About once a year, Fish and Game officials would walk the corridor and make sure the holes are still viable. Quite the task!
I-80. I drove by your property about 20 years ago.
Thanks, Mark, those fence regs are even more intriguing with the extra details.
“Semi-antelope,” anyway… 😉
I’m glad the freeway isn’t quite visible here.
I’ve often seen the Western Conifer Seed Bug in Seattle. Now I know what it is!
That spicebush caterpillar sure has an evil (fake) glare!
Nice post, pronghorns was of particular interest as I have never, which is not surprising ‘herd’ of them before.
Wiki was very informative.
Great photos. Thanks!
The caterpillar is actually Pale Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon), not the Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus). There are actually many Papilio species whose caterpillars have eyespots, and eyespots are incredibly widespread in caterpillars.
The eyespots of the spicebush swallowtail caterpillar are actually even more impressive, and they don’t occur in Wyoming. Mark S is right about the brown colour.
If anyone is interested in learning more about the ecology and evolution of eyespots they can check out my blog:
http://caterpillar-eyespots.blogspot.ca/
Wow, what a lot of eyespot information! I very much enjoyed clicking around your site.
Thanks for the correction! The brown/orange color messed me up. 🙂
Thanks for the link to your blog as well. That blinking eyespot is incredible.
Beautiful insects – thanks for sharing!
This reminded me of a blog entry I read a couple of months ago, in which a gardener is ecstatic about Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars.
http://ursulav.livejournal.com/1634360.html
Fun & interesting!