There are plenty of exciting events to discover as wildlife begins to wrap up another summer season, explains the outdoors columnist.
As we are now in the hot and foggy days of summer, the birds have calmed down, the wildflowers are sitting there and nature seems to have gone into summer vacation mode.
But don’t be fooled into thinking that “nothing is happening out there”…the insect world is busy.
A few days ago a young woman reported her discovery of a ‘mutant’ caterpillar. “It was huge! It was gross, it was so big! And it had, like, horns all over it that were orange and red and black! And no hair, just bright lime green skin! Eww, it was gross… but really nice, too. what was that?”
I asked him to show me how big ‘huge’ was; turns out it was as long as his longest finger, only longer!. OK, so where was it, in a tree or on the ground? “And he was, like, as round as a big cigar! He was a mutant!” OK, again, how about this habitat clue?
Taking their information and subtracting the thrill factor, it looked like it might be the mature caterpillar of one of our big silk moths. When shown the illustrations in the field guide, he gasped and pointed to the culprit in the illustrated line. “That’s it! This is the one! Is it really a mutant caterpillar? It’s really pretty, really.”
It turns out to be the larval form of a Cecropia moth, one of our largest (and most beautiful) moths. The caterpillars started in June as little black things and have been quietly nibbling away at cherry and birch leaves for the past few months.
Now that they are “mutant” big and bright green, they will begin building an overwintering cocoon. Next June will see the appearance of another stunning Cecropia moth.
The next insect revealed this week was not as glamorous as the Cecropia moth to look at, but quite fascinating to watch. It started with a shrew that was spotted moving along the hiking trail.
It’s not too unusual as shrews often cross the road, but this one was doing it differently – it was lying on its back! Move, move, stop. Move, move, stop. I guess the most unusual part of this scenario was that the shrew was dead. Move, move, stop.
Calling for a closer examination, we crouched over the incredible dancing corpse and watched to see what might happen next. Suddenly, an orange and black beetle crawled out from under the beast, stopped as it wiped its forehead (not that beetles have eyebrows, but it seemed that way) and crawled over its body as if checking the route.
Then a second beetle appeared and the two seemed to have a fight about how long this break should last. Then they writhed beneath the huge beast and with a halt of movements and movements pushed it another short distance.
These were scavenger beetles, and their important role in nature is to be a gravedigger. Once they have moved the carcass onto a suitably soft spot of ground, they will brush off the dirt and slowly settle the carcass on the ground. Once the proper depth has been reached, more dirt will be thrown over the body, thereby burying it from other scavengers, such as crows and seagulls.
And just before she wipes her little beetle hands of a job well done, they (or at least she) will lay the eggs in the buried carcass. When the eggs hatch, the baby beetle worms will have a delicious meal waiting for them. Fascinating fabulous!
The third insectivorous event of the week took place in the grocery store parking lot. Carefully crushed and therefore easily studyable, they were the remains of three large insects, each the size, shape and color of a dead elm leaf.
Assuming the crouching position and looking, I was able to identify them as giant water bugs. They are truly nasty looking insects as their front legs are well developed and end in a pointed hook. The protective covering on their delicate wings looks a lot like a Zulu war shield, and they’re big enough… big enough to command your attention wherever you see them.
Giant water bugs typically live in beaver ponds, hunting tadpoles and fish among the submerged aquatic vegetation. But if the water level in the pond drops (and the lack of significant rainfall in recent weeks has had a negative effect on many streams and ponds), these insects have the ability to easily fly to another pond.
However, if an attractive safety light is encountered during their midnight flight, they tend to head for the light. After using their energy to try to “become one with the light”, they fall to the ground exhausted and confused (assuming insects have the ability to be confused). And then they are driven by the workers on the early morning shift, thus making them an easy observation state.
Although the light and glory of fall leaf color is still a few weeks away, and the first big frost even further away (I hope), there are plenty of exciting events to discover as wildlife begins to wrap a another summer season.