Vernal: A Spring Photo Project (Day 81 through Day 93)

Nearly two weeks into summer and I am finally finishing up my spring photography project.  I began this project on the spring equinox and have photographed something outdoors in the natural world (with one notable exception) every day of the season.  I have selected only one photograph to represent each day.  If you haven't seen the first eight sets of images they can be found at the following links:  Days 1 - 10, 11 - 20, 21 - 30, 31 - 40, 41 - 50, 51 - 60, 61 -70, and 71 - 80.

The final set of images consisted of fourteen photographs photographed between June 8th and June 20th (the last full day of spring)

Day 81 (08 June 2019) - White Campion

This image shows a white campion (Silene latifolia).  This species is native to Europe but has naturalized across much of North America.  Unlike many European imports, this species probably does not have a negative impact on the environment.  In fact it may have a slight positive impact as its white flowers attract a variety of moths that seek it out for nectar.  This photograph was taken at Forest Hill Nature Area.  Forest Hill is located northwest of Alma in Gratiot County and is operated by the Gratiot-Isabella RESD.  Forest Hill is located less than fifteen minutes from my house so it is a convenient site for me to visit and photograph.  Many of the photos from my 2018 summer photography project were taken at Forest Hill.

Day 82 (09 June 2019) - How Blue Can You Get?

My second image was taken at one of the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy's farthest flung preserves.  Peterson Natural Area is located in Mecosta County nearly 40 miles west of Mt. Pleasant.  The preserve is significantly closer to Big Rapids (less than 10 road miles away).  Before become a nature preserve, the Peterson Natural Area was farmed for many years.  Much of the property remains clear of trees and shrubs today.  This attracts birds that like open habitats such as this pair of eastern bluebirds (Sialis sialis) who claimed this nesting box along the old farm lane.  A pair of tree swallows was using a nesting box a few posts away.

Day 83 (10 June 2019) - Backroad, Tree and Clouds

Sometimes I take the gravel roads home just in case I find something worth photographing.  I love photographing clouds and on this day the cumulous clouds were perfect.  As I passed this tree I realized I had found something worth taking time to photograph.  This picture was taken from a low angle so the grass along the roadside would block a couple trees in the background.

Day 84 (11 June 2019) - Cirrocumulus Clouds

Another day, another cloud photograph.  This image of cirrocumulus clouds was taken from my driveway in Alma, MI.  Cirrocumulus clouds are often referred to as "mackerel scales" because the pattern of the clouds resemble the scales on a fish.

Day 85 (12 June 2019) - A Snake Called Fluffy

Until 2013 I had never seen a northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon) in Mt. Pleasant, despite working in the city parks from 2002 through 2010.  Now I see them every single year, sometimes several at a time.  I now know that if I want to see this species I can reliably find them at Chipp-A-Waters Park.  There is a small pond located near the southernmost parking area in the park.  This pond was originally dug as part of a wetland mitigation project.  It now is home to fish, tadpoles, and frogs.  In other words it's the perfect hunting ground for the northern water snake.  This particular snake did not appear to be actively hunting; instead it was basking in the sun in the middle of the pond.  The white fluff covering the surface of the water is composed of hundred (more like thousands) of fluffy cottonwood seeds.

Day 86 (13 June 2019) - Hairy Beardtongue

The native pollinator garden at the Saginaw Chippewa Academy was planted way back in 2011.   Other than the occasional weeding and trimming down old stalks each spring, the garden has been largely on its own since it was planted.  One of my favorite flowers in the garden is hairy beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus).  This species doesn't flower profusely every year, but this was one of those years where it did.  I especially like how it contrasts with the surrounding lance-leaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata).

Day 87 (14 June 2019) - Sic semper Tyrannus tyrannus!

This photograph of an eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) was taken at the Ziibiwing Center.  Eastern kingbirds are a species of flycatcher.  As that association implies, they feed on flying insects.  This was one a pair of kingbirds I observed feeding in the open field behind the Ziibiwing Center.

Day 88 (15 June 2019) - Bombus ternarius

June 15th was a busy day for me.  I had to be in Tustin, MI at the Kettunen Center for a meeting of the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) board of directors at 1:00PM.  At 3:00PM I needed to be in Cadillac at William Mitchell State Park to give a presentation on Michigan's logging history.  When the presentation was over I had to return to the Kettunen Center for more MAEOE meetings.  Arriving back at the Kettunen Center I decided to take a few minutes to walk along the edge of the woods before going back into the meeting.  I photographed a few flowers and some fern.  Then I noticed a bumblebee buzzing around a bunch blackberry or raspberry plants.  Right away I could see that this was not the common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens), instead its the orange-belted or tricolored bumblebee (Bombus ternarius).  I rarely see this species as it is not common in the southern half of the lower peninsula.

Day 89 (16 June 2019) - Emerald Spreadwing

This photograph was taken near Laingsburg, MI at my parent's home.  My parents own approximately 15 acres of land of which nearly half is part of the floodplain of the nearby Looking Glass River.  The floodplain has been consistently flooded for much of this year.  That much water should result in a mosquito problem, but the damselflies seem to be keeping populations under control.   I can honestly say that I have never seen so many damselflies in one place - at one point I was standing in a small clearing (maybe 20ft by 20ft) in a planted woodland and was surrounded by several hundred individual.  Most of them appeared to be emerald spreadwings (Lestes dryas) such as this one, but there were several other species mixed in.

Day 90 (17 June 2019) - You Talkin' to Me?

Another day, another damselfly.  This ebony jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata) was photographed at the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy's Audubon Woods Preserve.  When I first started approached this damselfly I began photographing it from the side, but it quickly turned to face me.  It didn't fly away.  It just seemed curious and allowed me to photograph it for several minutes.  This photo was cropped from a horizontal to a vertical format.

Day 91 (18 June 2019) - Hungry Hungry Caterpillar

As summer gets closer and closer more insects appear.  This monarch caterpillar (Danaus plexippus) was feeding on a common milkweed (Asclepia syriaca) at the Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum's native pollinator garden.  This photograph was originally in a horizontal format, but has been cropped to a vertical format.

Day 92 (19 June 2019) - Hive Mentality

There are currently a pair of honeybee hives at the Forest Hill Nature Area.  When I visited on June 19th one of the hives had almost no activity while the other was literally abuzz with activity.  I took this photograph from about ten feet away.  The bees were completely unconcerned by my presence, but I would not recommend approaching the hive from the front.  I really like this picture because of the bees I captured in flight on the left of the image.

Day 93 (20 June 2019) - Last Day of Spring

With this photograph we've reached the end of spring.  This image of a pair of flies on a buttercup (Ranunculus sp.) flower was taken at Picken's Field in Mt. Pleasant.  For some reason, I find yellow flowers really difficult to photograph.  They always seem to be over exposed and the highlights completely blow out the details.  Because of this I did adjust the brightness of this image on the computer to tone down the highlights.  I also cropped this to a vertical image from the original horizontal.

I may have reached the end of spring, but the photography hasn't stopped.  As I type this on July 3rd, I'm thirteen days into an as-yet-unnamed summer photography project.  I'll start posting those photographs soon.  Hopefully I will be able to catch up on that project fairly quickly.

What's this bug? - Locust Borer

One of the common features of my job is that people are always asking me to identify things they have found in the wild.  If someone walks into the office carrying a jar, I can be assured that I am going to be asked to identify an insect.  I am not an professional entomologist (someone who studies insects), but I try to help if I can.  With that in mind, I am going to start a semi-regular feature of this blog on insect identification.

So... What's this bug?

Locust Borers exhibit a type of mimicry known as Batesian mimicry.  This means that they are harmless, but look like something dangerous (such as a wasp)

First of all, the animal pictured is a beetle not a "bug".  Both beetles and bugs are insects - animals with an exoskeleton, three body segments (head/thorax/abdomen), and six legs.  Bugs are a certain type of insect (shield shaped body, wings that cross over to form an x-shaped pattern while at rest, and a piercing mouth used for sucking juices), but the word "bug" is often used to mean any insect regardless of species.  Unlike bugs, beetles have a mouth designed for chewing.  Beetles have two pairs of wings, but the outer pair of wings have hardened into a protective covering for the soft inner pair.  This hard outer pair of wings is known as elytra (singular is elytron).

So we have established that this insect is a beetle, but which one?

Specifically, it is a Locust Borer (Megacyllene robiniae).

Locust Borer feeding on goldenrod pollen.

Locust Borers are named because their larvae bore (tunnel) into and through the wood of Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) trees.  In small Black Locust trees this tunneling may actually kill the tree.  The adult can be found in the fall feeding on pollen, especially goldenrod pollen.

The tree and beetle are probably not native to Michigan.  The tree was introduced in the 1800s and often grown for use as fence posts due to its natural rot resistance.  The beetle was likely introduced at the same time.

With its yellow and black color scheme, the Locust Borer is easy to see.  This might seem like it would be a bad thing.  It's easy to see so birds and other predators should be able to pick it off.  Instead these colors act as a form of protection.  By mimicking the color pattern of bees and wasps, this harmless beetle is protected from animals that would be wary of a wasp's sting.  This type of mimicry is known as Batesian mimicry.

Virginia Ctenucha at Forest Hill Nature Area.

On Friday (01 July), I stopped at the Forest Hill Nature Area to try out a new camera lens.  It was a little windy for closeup photography, but I did get a few photos that I liked including this one of a Virginia Ctenucha moth feeding on Common Milkweed nectar.  The Virginia Ctenucha (Ctenucha virginica) is a day-flying moth.  It is one of many moth species that are known as wasp mimics.  Their dark coloration and wasp-like shape affords some measure of protection from predators who avoid them out of fear of being stung.  I saw dozens of these moths flying around during my short visit.

Virginia Ctenucha (Ctenicha virginica) on Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

Adaptations - Aggressive Mimicry

Back in 2013, I wrote a post titled  "Mom! The Viceroy won't stop copying me!" about how animals use mimicry to deter predators.

In that post, I wrote about two forms of mimicry known as Batesian mimicry and Mullerian mimicry.  Batesian mimicry is a form of mimicry in which a harmless species copies the warning signs of a harmful species to scare away predators.  Mullerian mimicry is a type of mimicry in which two distasteful, poisonous, or otherwise harmful species have evolved to resemble each other - sharing the warning signs that keep predators away.

Recently, while searching through old photos I found an example of a third type of mimicry.

Bee Hunter - a type of robber fly

This is not a bee.  It's a type of fly known as a robber fly.  At first glance, this seems to be a clear cut case of Batesian mimicry.  By evolving with the colors of a bee, this fly is afforded protection from any potential predators without needing to have a stinger of its own.  This is a very common (and sensible) survival strategy

Bee Hunters exhibit aggressive mimicry - they look like their prey to fool them

However, this species in not exhibiting pure Batesian mimicry.  It does get some protection benefits from its yellow-and-black coloring, but in this species those colors serve a more sinister purpose.  This is one of several species of robber flies known as a Bee Hunter.  The Bee Hunter uses a form of mimicry known as aggressive mimicry.

Bee Hunter (closeup) - note the spines on the legs used for grasping prey and the proboscis used to such fluids from prey

Aggressive mimicry is a type of mimicry used by predators to appear harmless to their prey.  In this case, the Bee Hunter is a predator that preys on pollinators such as bees and wasps.  By resembling a bumblebee, the Bee Hunter appears to these insects as another harmless pollinator and is able to ambush them with less effort.  It grasps them with its long front legs - spine on the legs help immobilize their prey.  The Bee Hunter is covered with long stiff hairs that further help protect it from struggling prey.  One a prey is captured, the Bee Hunter uses is stiff proboscis to impale the unfortunate victim and suck out its insides.

100 Species to Know by Sight - #6 Monarch Butterfly and #7 Viceroy Butterfly

There are some species of plants and animals that every student (and adult) should be able to identify by sight.  Some species are specific to a certain region, other species are found over a very broad territory.  The sixth species on my list of 100 Species to Know by Sight is the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus).  The Monarch can be found across most of the United States and Southern Canada and is one of the most recognized (and loved species) found across its range.

The Monarch is a very distinctive, large (3.5 to 4 inch wingspan), orange-and-black butterfly. 

Monarch Butterfly on New England Aster

Monarch Butterfly - this butterfly was probing the surface of a county road with its proboscis to obtain salts and other minerals

Monarch Butterfly on a Common Milkweed flower.  This species is its larval host plant.

 
Male and female butterflies are easy easy to distinguish.  Males can be identified by the presence of a scent gland on each of their hind wings.

Monarch Butterfly - the arrows point to the pair of scent glands on its hindwings

Monarch Butterfly - the scent glands are also visible from the underside of the wing

In Mid-Michigan (really across most of its range) there is only one butterfly species you could possibly confuse with the Monarch - the Viceroy (Limenitis archippus).  The color pattern of the Viceroy is almost exactly the same as that of the Monarch.  The two species share a type of mimicry known as Mullerian mimicry in which two (or more) distasteful, poisonous, or otherwise harmful species have evolved to look like each other.  Because the Viceroy and Monarch share this relationship, the Viceroy is my seventh species on my 100 Species to Know by Sight. 

The Viceroy is typically smaller than the Monarch with a 3 to 3 inch wingspan, but there can be a size overlap in the two species.  To identify a Viceroy look for a semi-circular line that extends across its back pair of wings.  To me, this line looks like a smile.  The Monarch lacks this line.

Viceroy Butterfly- the arrow points to the line that distinguishes this species from the Monarch

Viceroy - this identifying mark is visible on both the upper and lower surfaces of the wing

Mom! The Viceroy won't stop copying me!

When used as a verb the word mimic means to copy or imitate something closely.  When a species is described as a mimic, that means it copies something about another species.  The mimicking species may be copying the looks, behavior, sounds, or even the smell of the mimicked species.  The mimic will only do this if copying the other organism will help it survive - usually mimicry is used to avoid predators.

There are several different forms of mimicry in nature.  The two most well known forms are Batesian and Mullerian mimicry.  Both forms of mimicry are named after the people that first recognized and publicized the action.  Batesian mimicry is named after British scientist and explorer Henry Walter Bates (1825 - 1892).  Mullerian mimicry is named after German Fritz Müller (1821 - 1897).