Mokka mit Schlag » Nature

Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger
Huntington Central Park, 2009-01-03

Here’s one from the vaults. I found these in August, 2007, when these tent caterpillars were all over Jamaica Bay. However they weren’t ID’d until recently. This is the caterpillar of the Ailanthus Webworm Moth – Hodges 2401, Atteva punctella. In this case the moth is a lot prettier than the caterpillar:

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You may have noticed I missed Moth Monday last week because I had finally run out of moth pictures. Of course, it’s only the pictures that ran out, not the moths. There are over 10,000 species in the United States and Canada alone, which at a rate of one a week should be enough to keep going for a couple of centuries at least. Last week I was in south Louisiana where many moths are still flying in the unseasonably warm (even for south Louisiana) weather. Here’s the first one from down south, a Florida Fern Moth, shown approximately five times actual size:

Florida Fern Moth, Hodges#9630, Callopistria floridensis
Metairie, Louisiana, 2008-12-23

Thanks to Bob Patterson for the ID.
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Many moths are quite small, ranging into the microscopic. This unidentified individual from Santiago Oaks last weekend (2008-12-07) isn’t quite that small, but it is pushing the limits of what my camera can take with anything approaching publishable quality. For comparison’s sake, that’s the head of a nail in the lower right hand corner.

Spotless Ladybird Beetle, Cycloneda sanguinea
Irvine, CA, 2008-11-01

I found these two busy beetles while walking my dog one morning.

I went out to Santiago Oaks yesterday for the monthly Sea & Sage walk with Linette Lina. I usually try and get there a little early because the restrooms near the picnic area are a great place for insects and moths in the early morning. They probably leave the lights on over night, and various things end up perched there in the morning. Yesterday was no exception. This skittish fellow was about 2-3 cm long, and held his wings folded over his back perpendicular to the wall rather than spread out parallel to the wall like most moths do:

Don’t know what it is yet. Any suggestions?