Spring 2023: Plums Provide!

In early spring, when creatures emerge that need pollen and nectar at the same time that  early shrubs start to blossom--all seems right with the world!  If humans pay attention, they can feel the rush of energy and a surge of well-being as the prairie ecosystem comes visibly and audibly alive.   

Wild Plums--Prunus americana--flourish in the seeps and on the edges of the tallgrass prairie.   They are among the first to bloom in the spring and are there to welcome butterflies migrating north from overwintering grounds further south.   Two of those migrant species are the Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) and the American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis).

Red Admirals enjoy the abundant nectar in the blossoms of American Plums.  April 14, 2023.  

American Ladies take in the rich nectar of wild plums.  April 17, 2023.

Tiny light-colored butterflies that overwinter here, as pupae, are among the first to emerge in the spring--and nectar-rich native shrubs can help them thrive.  

The Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon) may metamorphose as early as mid-March.  This one came to plums along the Creek Field on April 11, 2023:

Spring Azure.

I thought the next tiny butterfly to arrive on the plums, also on April 11, 2023, was also a Spring Azure until I magnified the photos.  It was a Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)!   The two species look similar from afar.  But Spring Azures have a different underwing pattern, and they have no "tails" or orange spots.  

Possibly threatened by my presence, this Gray Hairstreak 

flared out hind wing tips, perhaps in an effort to intimidate me.  

  Combined with the "tails," the flaring creates the appearance 

of a formidable second "face."

Here the "tails" are visible.

In this rare glimpse of the Hairstreak's upperside, the red spot is visible.  

Here are the two species in action.  The video shows what the photos do not--early spring butterflies have to cope with high winds!

Gaillardia World: Welcome!

Greetings, everyone!  Welcome to Gaillardia World--at least the glimpses I had of it by "noticing" Gaillardia pulchella, aka "Blanket Flower," for several hours a day this past summer.   

Gaillardia pulchella, Bird Runner Wildlife Refuge, October 15, 2022

Some temporary ailments were keeping me from long hikes here at Bird Runner Wildlife Refuge (a native-prairie preserve in the Flint Hills of Kansas, where I live with my husband).   I opted to see what I could learn closer to home.  (In the 17 "Gaillardia World" entries that follow, I document the wild creatures that came to Gaillardia, while in a Substack essay, I muse about what I learned and what it might say about us humans and our relationship to nature.  That essay is at  https://margystewart.substack.com/p/at-home-in-the-land-welcome-to-gaillardia .) 

Patches of Gaillardia pulchella, a native annual, had sprung up nearby, thanks to my having thrown out some seeds left over from a prairie restoration.  "Paying attention" is a long-standing spiritual practice in various traditions.   I decided to "pay attention" to those patches--one in our front yard, one by the barn.  

  Here is the Gaillardia in our front yard in June:

The Gaillardia has grabbed some bare spots in an existing garden, 

planted over 50 years ago by the farm wife who lived here before me.  

The green above the limestone is some rock cress,
also planted a half-century ago by that 

same skillful gardener.

And here is Gaillardia by our barn in September:

Gaillardia by our barn, with volunteer Maximillian Sunflowers

and Gray-headed Coneflowers.  September 2022.

While some blooms are going to seed, forming

puffy white balls, others are just opening.  

Blanket Flower is native to  the Lower 48, but most common 

in hot, dry areas.    It is the state flower of Oklahoma.

The "a-r-d-i" in the middle of "Gaillardia" must stand for "hardy!"  Gaillardia bloomed month after month, through dry spells and rain, hot winds and early frosts.

But Gaillardia impressed me even more with the force-field around it, the dynamism of its interactions.   Gaillardia-world was alive with creatures flying, buzzing, crawling, feeding, dying,  hiding, searching, mating, resting, growing, and other activities that were part of their lives.

The posts that follow this one (under the heading "Gaillardia World") show glimpses of this co-flourishing--Blanket Flower's inter-being with butterflies, bees, flies, spiders, dragonflies, wasps, grasshoppers, moths, damselflies, and bugs.   For me, these "noticings" were openings to growth, as they allowed me to learn more about the many invertebrate species with whom I share the prairie world. 

I was an English major with no scientific background so my method of ecological learning may be of use to others.  This was my routine:    I would sit in a lawn chair near the Gaillardia and watch for shapes or movements on the blossoms, stems, and leaves.  I had my Samsung phone-camera in hand and an inexpensive  Sony on a tripod nearby, ready to record.      If I didn't recognize the subjects, I would send their photos to bugguide.net or  iNaturalist.org--both sites where experts generously help amateurs identify their finds.  Once the experts steered me in the right direction, I could delve into field guides and follow Google trails to learn more about these creatures' lifeways.  In addition, I could post questions to Kansas Arthropods, a Facebook group where experts also counsel amateurs.  

These conversations, albeit virtual, were deeply rewarding, as all participants shared the recognition that "noticing" something small can connect us with something large--indeed, the largest--Creation at work, alive in our world.  

The posts that follow are each named for a kind of creature, such as "Gaillardia World: Bee Flies" or "Gaillardia World: Moths"; or for a scenario, such as "Gaillardia World: A Doomed Love Affair" or "Gaillardia World: A Promising Love Affair."  

Every name I was able to put to Gaillardia's residents and visitors opened the door to more questions.   Similar explorations are available to anyone who pays attention to local  wildflowers.    It is thrilling to grow in knowledge while encountering the mysteries of the world.  As more spaces, tiny or huge, are devoted to native plants, exhilarating discoveries and humbling wonder become accessible to all.    

 

Gaillardia World: Moth Caterpillars (Including Con Artists)

              A "Camouflaged Looper."   Can you tell what's flower and
              what's bug?

Camouflaged Loopers are ingenious caterpillars that lived on Gaillardia pulchella all summer long.   They are the larvae of the Wavy-Lined Emerald Moth, Synchlora aerata, 

I first noticed these caterpillars while watching some beetles.   Suddenly, I was distracted by the disk flowers rising up and waving around.   I watched, astonished, as the flowers moved across the disk. Birnam Wood was going to Dunsinane!  But unlike MacBeth, I looked more closely and saw that some nebulous creature, her outlines hidden under pasted-on flower-parts, was the prime mover.   Other Gaillardia plants also boasted such costumed beings!   A few Google searches later, I learned their identity--Camouflaged Loopers.  

Indeed, they are masters of disguise.

While some insects have evolved to resemble their host plants, Camouflaged Loopers have a more flexible strategy to hide from predators.   They choose a plant to feed on and then adorn themselves with parts of that plant in order to blend in with those particular flowers.  Thus, they can feed right out in the open, hopefully unnoticed.

Unless they move, they look just like a bit of flower detritus: 

Here they are in action:

How do they create their costumes?  Mineralized "spikes" grow along their backs, sort of like horses' teeth or our own fingernails. The Loopers chew flower parts and inject them with a glue-like liquid from a special gland.    Then they fasten the sticky mass to the spikes.  And there they are--all dolled up!  

The caterpillars were in no hurry to metamorphose.   We had them with us from the heat of June to the freezes of October.   Camouflaged Loopers overwinter in the ground and don't metamorphose to moths until warm weather returns.   So as frost killed the flowers, these little guys went down into the soil to await further transformation in the spring.

Synchlora aerata is part of a moth family called Geometridae, Greek for "Earth Measurers."   Following this theme, the caterpillars are called "Inchworms," "Measuringworms" or "Spanworms."   They are also called "Loopers" because of their anatomy and peculiar locomotion.   Loopers have legs on their thorax, but no legs on the abdomen--just two pairs of prolegs at the rear.    To move, they raise up their legless middle to form a U and then bring their hind end up to meet the thorax.   Once the "loop" is formed, the front end stretches out into new territory, measuring the earth by "inching" forward.   

Here are some more Loopers from the family Geometridae, difficult to identify further, as the caterpillars of numerous species resemble each other.   The green ones were especially common on Gaillardia, throughout the summer.    

A green Inchworm, July 31, 2022

A mauve Inchworm, July 29, 2022

(These caterpillars are all from the family Geometridae, but not all inchworms are Geometrids.  Caterpillars of Noctuidae can also be "loopers.")

Gaillardia World: Spiders

 It seemed to me that spider numbers were down this year.   I saw only a few spiders on Gaillardia pulchella, June-October, despite the constant presence of visiting insects.   A caveat:  Spiders are good at camouflage, so I certainly missed seeing some spiders.

Among the spiders I did see were Crab Spiders (Family Thomisidae): 

A crab spider (Misumenoides formosipes)

stages on Gaillardia, July 4, 2022. Many thanks to

entomologist Dick Beeman for the ID.

Here she holds a leaf-cutter bee in the genus Megachile.  

Note that the bee's abdomen is yellow with pollen, transported by 

this genus on the underbelly, rather than on the hind legs.  

However, this pollen's trip to the bee's nest  has turned into 

a dead-end.  July 4, 2022.

Perhaps the Megachile was a filling meal and now 

the spider feels it's time for a nap.   Here she is, on

Gaillardia in our front yard,

relaxing upside down in the sun.  July 4, 2022

A similar spider appeared on Gaillardia by the barn, also on July 4, 2022.  She had to hang on in the wind:  

Later in July, a smaller spider appeared:

A small crab spider on Gaillardia by the barn, 

July 20, 2022.  

And on July 22, a crab spider put in a cameo appearance as I was videorecording Fungus Weevils:   

Here a crab spider reaches lazily toward the fungus weevils

that are busily foraging for pollen, while ants zip about, 

around and over the others.  July 22, 2022

It wasn't until October 7, 2022 that I saw another crab spider on Gaillardia, in fact two of them.    One was shy about having her picture taken.   Luckily, with an 8-legged creature it is hard to hide all the body parts:

Well camouflaged:

A closer view:

Hard to spot:

There she is!

Where is she now?

I see her!

A crab spider on Gaillardia pulchella, Oct. 7, 2022.  

The second crab spider sought a protected place to spend the night, as temperatures fell toward freezing at night.  

This series of photos shows her withdrawing into a nighttime retreat formed from ray flowers stuck together:  

 

 

October 7, 2022.

Good night, Spider!

The season closer, however, was not a crab spider, but a Spotted Orb Weaver.   This spider in the genus Neoscona (thank you, bugguide.net, for the ID) settled into the Gaillardia patch by the barn for several nights of web spinning.    

Here she is in her web:

And here she is at work:  

A Spotted Orb Weaver at work in Gaillardia, October 15, 2022.

But following multiple frosts, harder freezes were coming.    How long could she live?  What could she find to eat?  These questions added pathos to her activities.   They made her lovely markings and skillful movements part of a world-in-itself---a precious moment in which time stood still.    

Gaillardia World: Other Predators

There were other predators, apart from spiders, that came to Gaillardia pulchella, June-October 2022. 

 

These included Robber Flies, Damselflies, Dragonflies, and Lacewings.

Robber Flies (Family Asilidae) are impressive looking individuals:  

BugGuide.net identified this Robber Fly as a "Hanging-Thief,"

belonging to the genus Diogmites.

  (S)he is perched on a Gaillardia seedhead by the barn,  

August 1, 2022.  

Here is a video of this Hanging-Thief, missing a bee fly but then catching a damselfly:

Robber Fly hunting, August 1, 2022.

Damselflies also used Gaillardia pulchella as a hunting ground.  Here is a damselfly that tried it out briefly on July 16, 2022:

   

Maybe the hunting wasn't good or maybe there was a creepy feeling because this damselfly didn't stay long.  The sense of danger was well justified as two weeks later another damselfly ventured into the Gaillardia and was eaten by a Robber Fly.   

Dragonflies, Order Odonata, Infraorder Anisoptera, also hunted over and around Gaillardia.   Here are clips of male Widow Skimmers (Libellula luctuosa) frequenting the  native plant garden in our front yard: 

Male Widow Skimmers sport white patches mid-wing as they

patrol a patch of volunteer Gaillardia, July 4-5, 2022.

Perhaps tiny prey-insects swirled above the Gaillardia, as there were dragonflies zipping back and forth over the blossoms.   But whatever they were hunting was too small for me to see.   The most prominent dragonflies were male Widow Skimmers.

Toward the end of the season, Green Lacewings (Family Chrysopidae) appeared on the Gaillardia.

A Green Lacewing comes face to face with a tiny wasp on Gaillardia 

flowers, just going to seed.   It was unclear what was on the agenda of 

either creature, as their antennae explored each other.   Sept. 28, 2022. 

Lacewings, as the name suggests, are delicately beautiful.   The larvae feed on other insects, and some adults are predacious as well, while others eat pollen and nectar.  Green Lacewings are members of the family Chrysopidae.  

The lacewings that appeared on the Gaillardia by the barn this summer did not appear to be either hunting or foraging, at least while the camera was rolling.   Their antennae kept moving, taking in information:

Green Lacewings investigating Gaillardia, Sept. 25-28, 2022

Gaillardia World: A Promising Love Affair

  Gaillardia pulchella, Barn Patch, McDowell Creek, Geary Co.,  KS., 7-23-22:

Sachems (Atalopedes campestris) were increasingly common in the Gaillardia as the summer wore on.    These clips catch a female Sachem feeding on the nectar-rich Gaillardia, while a male comes to court her.   In case sidling up to her and performing aerial acrobatics doesn't convince her he's The One, he also dazzles--or drizzles--her with pheromones, which he spreads as he flies.

Gaillardia World: A Doomed Love Affair

Here in the midst of nectar-rich Gaillardia pulchella, a female Silvery Checkerspot attracted a male Gorgone Checkerspot. The attraction was mutual but was doomed by mismatched body plans.

Gaillardia pulchella, Barn Patch, McDowell Creek, Geary Co., Ks., July 27, 2022

Despite the lovers' vigor, there were to be no hybrids. In their sad case, anatomy was destiny.

Gaillardia World: Bees! The Most Important Pollinators

Bees are the world's most important pollinators, as unlike butterflies, they deliberately collect pollen to feed the next generation, and so reliably move pollen from plant to plant. Gaillardia pulchella is an annual, dependent on seed production and therefore pollination for self-perpetuation. Appropriately, Gaillardia produces prodigious amounts of pollen and nectar and therefore attracts many bees!

By attracting pollinators, the Gaillardia in our front yard and by our barn allowed me to identify multiple species of bee.

There were Bumble Bees (Family Apidae, Bombus spp.):

The American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus), June 18, 2022. Note the hefty bands of yellow hair on the abdomen. Note also the "pollen baskets" on the hind legs that are full of orange pollen. These are female "workers" charged with gathering pollen to feed to the larvae back in the nest:

Here is the American Bumble Bee in action (June 18, 2022):

American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus), June 18, 2022.

Common Eastern Bumble Bees (Bombus impatiens), October 6-15, 2022. Note the greater furriness on the thorax, and the yellow band limited to just the first abdominal segment. Note also that the black spot in the center of the thorax is not completely black but sports yellow hairs.

Note also that these large bees have no pollen on their hind legs. There are no larvae needing to be fed back in the nest; that nest is done for the year. The workers and males have passed away. The bees shown here are likely the bred "queens," the only ones from this summer's colony still alive. They are feeding themselves now. They must bulk up to live through hibernation, to emerge next spring to find an appropriate burrow in which to lay their eggs--the start of next year's colony.

Here are Common Eastern Bumble Bees in action, October 6-15, 2022:

Southern Plains Bumble Bees (Bombus fraternus), October 15, 2022. These large bumble bees are on the International Union of Conservation of Nature's "Red List" (threatened with extinction). That's one reason we are so glad to see them drinking nectar from the Gaillardia. The tallgrass prairie here in the Flint Hills is one place where B. fraternus thrives. Here are some photos of this welcome bee:

And here is B. fraternus in action:

Southern Plains Bumble Bee, November 15, 2022

There were Leafcutter and Resin Bees (Megachile spp., Family Megachilidae):

At the beginning of July, Leafcutter Bees (Megachile spp.) were the most common bees on Gaillardia pulchella. The females collected pollen on their furry bellies, instead of on their hind legs, and the males of some species got all gussied up with large white mitts on their front legs. The "mitts" are not pollen-baskets but brushes deployed in mating.

There were species of Sweat Bee (Family Halictidae):

 

Metallic Sweat Bees (Lasioglossum, Subgenus Dialictus). These are tiny bees with muted colors, so they are often overlooked, and even when they are seen, they are hard to see clearly.

Lasioglossum, Subgenus Dialictus

Metallic Sweat Bee, October 4, 2022

Striped Sweat Bee (Agapostemon). These Sweat Bees are larger and easier to see:

Agapostemon, July 13, 2022.

Agapostemon in action:

This shiny individual came to sip and sup on the Gaillardia pulchella volunteering by our barn. (S)he is a Striped Sweat Bee, a member of the genus Agapostemon. The name means Lover-of-Stamens, and clearly (s)he is finding lots to love on this composite! McDowell Creek, Geary County, KS.,

July 13, 2022.

There were Eastern Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa virginica). These bees look like bumble bees but are in a different tribe as well as genus.

Eastern Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica), October 16, 2022