Late summer tends to bring out larger insects, such as the praying mantis, as well as caterpillars on their way to becoming remarkable butterflies and moths. In Iowa, summer-like weather clung until the first official day of fall with lower temperatures predicted for the autumnal equinox on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. While anecdotally, fewer monarch […]
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Tag: caterpillar
Photos: Proud mama lets her butterfly ch...
Like any proud new mom, I took lots of photos, but time with my “baby” was fleeting. See the black swallowtail in chrysalis stage. I was told that butterflies generally emerge from their chrysalis in the morning, so once I had found a swallowtail caterpillar and brought it, in chrysalis stage, onto my back porch, […]
Battle of the cats: differences between ...
After successfully growing just one milkweed plant in my backyard last year, I was excited to have dozens dotting the yard this summer. But sadly, the plants remain pristine, with no sign of the munching monarch caterpillars that use milkweed as its sole food source, and the reason I wanted the plants to thrive. See […]
Iowa mystery caterpillar looking for an ...
UPDATE: Laura Jesse, entomologist with Iowa State University Extension, said while she is not 100 percent certain from the photograph, it appears the mystery caterpillar is what several of us suspected: a white-lined sphinx moth. “They have a lot of variability,” she noted, and sent along this link: http://bugguide.net/node/view/3071 Previous post: A Homegrown reader is […]
Hummingbird moths provide late-summer bu...
If you’re being buzzed in the garden by something much larger than a bee, take a closer look. Hummingbird moths, the common name for hawk or sphinx moths, appear to be abundant this year. Perhaps Iowa’s drought is offering prime weather conditions for these fascinating insects. Often mistaken for a hummingbird, the rapid pulse of […]