Bug and Caterpillars

Black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) caterpillar

Locust borer (Megacyllene robiniae) view 2

Locust borer (Megacyllene robiniae) 1

I think this may be a fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea)

Here are a few insect pictures before I get to the trip to Colorado last year. I’ll break it up by subjects (ie. landscapes, plants, animals, etc.). Enjoy!

Fall webworm

Locust borer

Black Swallowtail

Hello Tucson! Part II

Likely a male lesser goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)

Might be a female magnificent hummingbird (Eugenes fulgens ) 1

As with last year, pretty sure it’s a spiny lizard just not sure which one (Sceloporus sp?)

Might be firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella)

I thinks this is brittlebush (Encelia farinosa)

Might be a white-lined sphinx (Hyles lineata ) caterpillar

Looks like a bunch of lesser goldfinches (Spinus psaltria)

Likely the calico flower (Aristolochia littoralis)

Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) male 2

Might be a different hummingbird possibly Anna’s (Calypte anna)

Likely golden or yellow columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha)

Either Baja or native fairy duster (Calliandra californica or eriophylla)

Might be a female magnificent hummingbird (Eugenes fulgens ) 2

Beach Spider Lily (Hymenocallis littoralis)

Queen butterflies (Danaus gilippus) on what I think is butterfly mist (Ageratum corymbosum)

I think this is a horticultural variety of oleander (Nerium oleander)

Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) male 1

Time for part 2 of my first day back in Tucson this year (2013). These pictures are all from Tohono Chul a park and botanical garden near my Aunt’s house where my cousin would be getting married the following day. The park has many plants on display many are native and some are horticultural in nature. Of the native variety, that I am mostly confident of my IDs; there were brittlebush flowers, golden or yellow columbine flowers, either the Baja or native fairy duster (both are at least regional and the link covers some differences), and what I believe is firewheel. Of the horticultural variety we have calico flower which is invasive in some regions, a beautiful variety of oleander (covered in my Florida trip), and beach spider lilies.

Animals were also plentiful at the park with a number of hummingbirds (difficult to shoot when flying) which I did my best to identify but can’t guarantee I’m correct. You can visit the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory site for a list of hummingbirds found in Arizona and my best guess is that I have either or both an Anna’s and magnificent hummingbird. A ‘Texas form’ lesser goldfinch posed nicely on a fountain, which differ from our goldfinches in the east with their black cap and backside. Another spiny lizard of some sort, here’s a link to a list of Reptiles and Amphibians of Arizona which I used before. Lastly there were a lot of queen butterflies flying about the gardens often alighting on the aptly named butterfly mist flowers. Queen butterflies are in the same genus as monarchs Danus, and also lay their eggs on species of milkweed. I also snapped a picture of a white-lined sphinx moth caterpillar which apparently has a lot of variation in how their caterpillars look.

Hope you enjoy, there’s more to come!

Last of the Black Swallowtail Caterpillars

black swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio polyxenes) 2

Red hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)

Better threat display of the black swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio polyxenes)

Whole brood of black swallowtail caterpillars (Papilio polyxenes)

Bird on the hedge, likely a female house sparrow (Passer domesticus)

black swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio polyxenes) 1

Last of the caterpillars, they’d all moved on by the time I’d returned from the Southwest. Stay tuned for pictures from my Southwestern adventures.

Hibiscus and hungry caterpillars

Caterpillar of the black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) growing bigger by the day

Red hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) 2

Caterpillar of the black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) threat display

Caterpillar of the black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) top view

Petunia (Petunia sp?)

Red hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)

Yellow hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) 2

Yellow hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)

Red hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) 3

A little behind on postings. The caterpillars have all disappeared from the parsley, however I manged to get a few pictures of a caterpillar with its threat display (after lightly tapping their backs) which releases a scent which is unpleasant to predators. Additionally in this post, three different varieties of hibiscus that my grandmother has and a petunia.

More caterpillars!

Caterpillar of the black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) younger caterpillar

Caterpillar of the black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) side view

Might be a white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

Caterpillar of the black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) close-up

At the time I took the pictures of the black swallowtail caterpillar in my last post there were a whole bunch of little (smaller than my pinky nail) caterpillars on the parsley. Now they’re getting larger every day and you can see how their color pattern shifts as the eat and grow. Also took a picture of what might be a white-breasted nuthatch, unfortunately through a screen, the bane of photographing from the indoors.

What’s eating the parsley?

Caterpillar of the black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) whole view 1

Caterpillar of the black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) whole view 2

Caterpillar of the black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) head

Leafhopper of some kind, in the Graphocephala genera likely

Caterpillar of the black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) head 2

Caterpillar of the black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) close-up

I walked out to water my grandmother’s parsley [(probably common parsley (Petroselinium crispum)] and found this black swallowtail butterfly caterpillar on one of the stalks. Apparently they like to feed on members of the carrot family (Apiaceae). There are more caterpillars on the parsley getting larger by the day, so be on the look out for more pictures and if I’m lucky I’ll find a chrysalis and maybe see a butterfly. However, it is getting colder day by day so they may not make it. Additionally there was a leafhopper that I wasn’t able to get the greatest picture of.