FoxRidgeMay06

All photos copyright P.V. Switzer. No use without permission.

Question Mark Note the leaf-like camouflage pattern on the underside and the distinctive white "?" mark on the underside of the hindwing.	White M Hairstreak This little butterfly fooled us at first. On its upperside is a really pretty blue color; when we saw it briefly in flight, we thought it was an eastern tailed-blue. Then when it landed, we thought it was a different individual entirely (i.e. we had found another butterfly) and thought it might be an early (and worn) gray hairstreak. Enough was "screwy" with the butterfly that we caught it to figure out for sure what it was -- and it was a white M! This species is uncommon in Illinois, a new butterfly for many of us, and a new county record for Coles County, IL.
Pearl Crescent Pearl crescents were probably the most common butterfly we saw on our trip.	Pearl Crescents Two pearls nectaring on fleabane.
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail This was a great trip for swallowtails; we saw all of the common swallowtails in this region with the exception of the giant swallowtail, which will make an appearance a little later in the season. However, of all the swallowtails we saw, this one was the only one that perched -- and even it didn't stay long!	Mistflower Moth This pretty little moth, Tinagma gaedikei, was originally described by GPBC's own Terry Harrison in a scientific publication last year. The adults, which are only the size of a grain of rice, tend to perch on the flowers of Miami mist. The metallic coloration you see is not a camera trick; those are the actual colors on the moth. Terry named the species after Reinhard Gaedike, who is a German entomologist who has published the only substantial papers on the moth's family, Douglasiidae. Most of the species in this family live in Europe; 9 species live in North America, and all but two of these are found in the West. Thanks to Terry for pointing this pretty little moth out to us and giving us its story!
Carpenter Bee These large bees are about the size of a bumblebee. They can be distinguished from bumblebees by the shiny, all black abdomen. This individual was hovering near some garbage cans and chasing other carpenter bees. Based on its behavior, this was almost certainly a male defending a mating territory from other males while he waited for a female to come by. He was constantly in flight, which meant that any pictures had to be snapped while he was "on the wing"! Male carpenter bees have no stinger and so are completely harmless.	Dragonfly eyes This male dragonfly (a common baskettail dragonfly, Epitheca cynosura) was foraging in an open area near our rendezvous site of Raccoon Retreat. Like the eyes of the male carpenter bee at the left, this dragonfly's eyes are adapted to be extremely good at detecting small objects in motion. For the male bee, the objects of interest would be females (for mating) and males (for defense). The dragonfly would be spotting small flying insects to capture and eat, as well as females and other males.
Shield bug This shield bug (Family Pentatomidae), or "stink bug", was sunning itself on an an old dandylion seedhead.	Eastern tent caterpillar Eastern tent caterpillars are different than the "fall webworms" that make the large, conspicuous webs in trees in the late summer and fall. Eastern tent caterpillars are present earlier in the year and their nests are in the forks of branches. Fall webworm tents tend to be looser, on the end of branches, and to fold in leaves. Eastern tent caterpillars are very hairy and these hairs discourage many predators. However, in this part of the country the yellow-billed cuckoo, a fairly secretive bird about the size of a skinny robin, often seeks these caterpillars out for food.
Tiger beetle We saw two species of tiger beetles (see beetle at left). Tiger beetles are fast, agile predators (note the large mandibles) that tend to run around on areas that have little in the way of vegetation on them (such as roads, sidewalks, and dirt paths).	Tiger beetle Many tiger beetles have beautiful coloration. Their iridescent colors may serve as communication (as species or mate identification) and/or as a means to help them thermoregulate (by reflecting the sun).

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