A Northwoods Almanac for June 26 – July 9, 2020 by John Bates
Moth Sightings
“Wisdom begins in wonder,” wrote Socrates, and if you take time to look closely at moths and butterflies, you’re in for a world of wonder. In the last few weeks, numerous folks have sent us photos of beautiful moths they’re seeing on their property. I’ve attached photos of each moth for this column, but if they don’t all get published, just do an internet search to ID them.
Sarah Krembs sent a photo of a Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus) being eaten by a robin. Polyphemus moths are huge with up to a 6-inch wingspan, and have a large “eye” on each of their hindwings presumably to frighten would-be predators. Polyphemus, you may recall from Greek mythology, was the one-eyed giant son of Poseidon.
Mary Burns took a photo of a maple looper moth (Parallelia bistriaris) on the River Trail in Manitowish Waters. She kept pointing at this incredibly cryptic moth in the leaf litter, but I never could see it until we got home and I looked at the picture.
Sarah Besadny in Eagle River sent us photos of both a luna moth (Actias luna) and a Columbia silk moth (Hyalophora columbia). The pale green coloration of a large luna moth is just exquisite – I’m not sure one could ever see a more beautiful moth. Having said that, the Columbia silk moth, in the same genus as the cecropia moth, could give the luna moth a run for its money in a beauty contest.
Jennifer Heitz sent a photo of a rosy maple moth (Dryocampa rubicunda), which looks like a pastel painter went wild with yellow and pink. The caterpillars of the rosy maple moth do eat maple leaves, so if numerous, they can cause some defoliation though it’s rarely an issue.
Bob Kovar sent a photo of a cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia), a gorgeous red, brown, and white moth with a 4-to-6-inch wingspan.
And Nancy Atwater sent a photo of a Virginian tiger moth (Spilosoma virginica), an all-white moth with a few minute brown spots on its wings.
And since all moths and butterflies have to come from caterpillars, I took a photo of what I believe was a rusty tussock moth caterpillar (Orgyia antiqua nova) that was wandering across our deck. This little guy has four “white brushes” protruding from its back, reminding me of the horse-hair plumes Roman soldiers wore on their helmets.
How Are Moths Different From Butterflies?
While moths and butterflies both belong to the order Lepidoptera, they differ in a number of physical and behavioral ways. Behaviorally, nearly all moths are nocturnal while nearly all butterflies are diurnal (active during the day). While resting, butterflies usually fold their wings above them, while moths flatten their wings against their bodies or spread them out like an airplane.
Physical differences abound, too. Moths are fat and fuzzy; butterflies are slender and smooth. If you examine their antennae, moths have feathery or comb-like antennae, while butterfly antennae are thin rods with club-shaped tips. Wing colorations really contrast: butterflies typically sport more vibrant colors while night-flying moths are dull – colors don’t help much in the dark! But there are day-flying moths that are exceptionally colorful – think luna moth and cecropia moth.
Another difference occurs in their pupal stage between the larva and adult stages: moths make cocoons wrapped in silk while butterflies form hard, smooth chrysalises.
But as with virtually everything in nature, exceptions are the rule. So, my advice is to get a couple good ID books. I recommend Moths and Caterpillars of the North Woods by Jim Sogaard, and Butterflies of the North Woods by Larry Weber, both produced by Kollath-Stensass Publishing in Duluth, MN. Perfect for novices, both provide references to the most common species we’re likely to see in our area.
The Warmest May On Record
May 2020 was the planet's warmest May since record keeping began in 1880, according to NOAA and NASA. NOAA rated May as tied with 2016 for warmest May on record, while NASA put May 2020 ahead of May 2016 by 0.06°C. Minor differences in rankings often occur between NOAA and NASA, due to the different techniques they use to handle data-sparse regions such as the Arctic.
The year-to-date period of January-May ranks as the second warmest such period on record, just 0.06°C behind the record set in 2016. NOAA projects that 2020 has a 99.9% chance to rank among the five warmest years on record, and a 49% chance of being the warmest year ever on record.
Orange Rust Fungus and Eastern Tent Caterpillars
Wendi and Peggi Home sent me a note last week after being on a walk in Boulder Junction and noticing an orange growth on the wild raspberry plants along the roadside. Peggi was familiar with its invasive, destructive nature from living in New York State and tending a berry garden, so they took the time to cut it out from this particular patch. They were curious what it was, so I forwarded their email on and Brian Hudelson at the Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic at the UW-Madison responded.
He wrote, “This is orange rust caused by the fungus Gymnoconia peckiana (also known as Authuriomyces peckianus). You are quite right that this is an aggressive fungus and can spread very readily. Removal of the plants, roots and all, and destruction of this material (burying or burning) is the best option for management. I checked on host range and it appears that black raspberry and blackberry are suspectible, but not red raspberry. Strawberry and blueberry are also not hosts.”
I’ve attached one of Wendi’s photos of the orange rust, so you can be on the lookout for this fungus and destroy it if you find it.
Also of note, eastern tent caterpillars are hatching and feeding on host trees in our area, including among others, cherry, apple and crabapple trees. These guys form white silken tents in the fork of branches. Although the tents are unsightly, eastern tent caterpillars are a native insect and rarely cause long-term damage – even completely defoliated trees will put out new leaves within a few weeks.
If you want to remove them, it’s best to do so in the early morning or evening when the caterpillars are inside the tent – they leave their tents each morning to feed during the day before returning at night. Insecticides aren’t necessary. You can kill them by soaking them in soapy water or sealing them in a trash bag. Don’t prune the branches or burn the tents (this is the voice of experience talking), because you can do more harm than good.
Molt Migration
Family units of Canada geese and their goslings are common this time of year, but every so often I still see large flocks of geese going, going, . . . well, somewhere, but the why and where has always been a puzzle. Bill Volkert, retired naturalist at Horicon Marsh and expert birder, studied Canada geese for a good part of his career, and he wrote a few weeks ago about the phenomenon of their molt migration. He noted that the non-breeders began flocking up in mid-May and that these are the geese that make all of the noise in spring since the breeding adults are very quiet while nesting and tending young.
Since giant Canada geese don't begin to nest until they are 2 to 3 years old
and the migrant geese that nest in Hudson Bay don’t mature until 3 to 4 years of age, a large proportion of geese are non-breeders.
Here’s the rub. Canada geese, like other waterfowl, go through a complete molt, meaning that they will lose their flight feathers and be unable to fly for at least three weeks in mid-summer. The non-breeders need to get to a place where they can access food while they molt, but they also need to reduce the pressure on local food resources needed by the older birds and their young. So, these birds begin to form flocks around mid-May and towards the end of May to early June, they migrate north on a south wind.
Some of these geese may still only head to northern Wisconsin while others will
go well into Canada and up the coast of Hudson Bay. The young birds are joined by failed adult breeders – those adult birds that have lost their eggs to predators or other means.
Underwater Photos
I met Jim Arnold last summer at the Trout Lake Limnology Center open house where he was an artist in residence, and there he showed me some of his wonderful underwater photography. If you are interested in what’s going on under the surface of your lake, check out Jim’s blog: https://www.jimsgibberish.com
30 Years!
This column marks the 30-year anniversary of when I was first given the chance to share my observations of Northwoods life as well as many of your sightings. Thank you for continuing to read these words over the years, and for all the kind sharing of your observations!
Celestial Events
July 4 marks when the Earth has reached aphelion, its farthest point from the sun at 94.5 million miles. That’s 3.1 million miles more distant than during perhelion when the Earth is closest to the sun. Full moon tonight, 7/4, rising at 8:50.
On 7/5, look after dusk for Jupiter about 2 degrees north of the moon. On 7/6, look after dusk for Saturn in about the same spot, 2 degrees north of the moon.
Thought for the Week
“It seems that the more places I see and experience, the bigger I realize the world to be. The more I become aware of, the more I realize how relatively little I know of it, how many places I have still to go, how much more there is to learn. Maybe that’s enlightenment enough: to know that there is no final resting place of the mind; no moment of smug clarity. Perhaps wisdom … is realizing how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go.” – Anthony Bourdain
Please share your outdoor sightings and thoughts: e-mail at manitowish@centurytel.net, call 715-476-2828, snail-mail at 4245N State Highway 47, Mercer, WI, or see my blog at www.manitowishriver.blogspot.com.
