Celery Looper (Anagrapha falcifera)
Here are a couple of shots of the relatively tame and relaxed Celery Looper (Anagrapha falcifera). While it actually blended in to this paint job relatively well, imagine it on a dead or decaying leaf, the rotting organic material curling up into similar patterns with a perfect color match. Sometimes I feel that I should be checking for moths more in their native habitats, right on their host plants instead of at convenient lights or by setting up ultraviolet sources…but that would take far longer and be much less productive with how well some of them can hide, and I do feel good about...
Read MoreLettered Sphinx
This is a Lettered Sphinx (Deidamia inscriptum) moth, resting out of the way on a warm and sunny spring day. It probably looks like a dead or decaying leaf to predators with jagged edges and all of that brown.
Read MoreLeafcutter Bee
This is a female Leafcutter Bee (Megachile sp.), and as you can see from her large mandibles she cuts leaves of vegetation to build nests. They make their nests in the ground and take the small clippings down the hole to line the interior. Photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Connecticut for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.
Read MoreOvenbird
Those Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla) will soon be crafting their ovens on the forest floor, filling them with eggs and keeping a very low profile when near this home. This leaf-covered little dome nest is certainly what gave them their name. I’m glad it was not TEACHER-TEACHER-TEACHER instead! Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreBlack-and-white Warbler
I couldn’t let Twan have all the fun with the Black-and-white Warblers (Mniotilta varia), and this little creeper was spotted last week as it furiously crawled and flew all around tree trunks for its insect prey. You can even see one such snack in the last photo. These birds seem like they have so much personality, but when they are visiting us in May they are move, too busy to stop to chat for too long. I am envious of anyone who gets to enjoy them while they are more relaxed on the wintering grounds. However, even then they are said to be aggressive and territorial. Did you know that...
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