BONUS TIME!

I have discovered since moving to Chicago that after Labour Day there is a kind of siege mentality that seems to set in. Quite understandable considering the winters we have here! So any nice days we have after Labour Day are considered a huge bonus.


Today was definitely a bonus day, clear blue skies, 75 degrees and no humidity, just about perfect. The funny thing is that if this had been a couple of weeks ago, the lake front would have been packed with people, but not now. To most people the siege has begun so for us it is a great opportunity to enjoy the lake by ourselves.


After having sat by the lake and enjoyed the warm afternoon sun I was walking home when I spotted a now familiar sight on the side of a tree.


For those of you that read this blog on a regular basis, you will remember at the very beginning of summer I posted a very jazzy little caterpillar, then the next day I found the moth that develops from that same caterpillar, then about a month later I found a 'mystery bug' on a tree trunk which bug guide identified for me as the female moth of the same species. Well now I have the set! The picture above shows the female tussock moth which is wingless, at the top right. Below her is the egg mass she has just produced and then bottom left is the very cryptically coloured male tussock moth.


This picture shows the wingless female. Immediately to her right you can see the hole in the cocoon that she made her way out of. She stays put, producing pheromones until she attracts a male moth to mate with, and here he is.

Perfectly camouflaged against the tree bark.
So now I have every photo in the tussock moth life-cycle! I hope that the final link in my moth saga does not signal the end of summer or that I have to set up for the winter siege just yet, I love these bonus days outside.

Photo Credits - CJT

THE TUSSOCK MOTH SAGA CONTINUES.

You may have seen my various previous postings on different Tussock Moths, well it seems that this is my summer for finding this creature. I was out walking by the pond last week when I saw this bizarre creature on a tree trunk. It is hard to see from the photo but there is a mat of creamy coloured silk which is apparently a cocoon, the white foamy substance is an egg mass. I have to be honest when I saw this insect I had absolutely no idea at all what it was. Usually I can make an approximate guess, maybe beetle, ant, wasp and then I can narrow it down and work out what it is but this one had me completely flummoxed. So I consulted my 'oracle,' otherwise known as Doug - my department head. He is a pretty good entomologist and can usually answer any questions I have but even he was completely stumped! (At least that made me feel a bit less ignorant!) So I posted the picture on http://bugguide.net Within a few hours I had an answer - you guessed it - a White Marked Tussock Moth Orgyia leucostigma (again!) but this time it is the female moth. The female, as you can see, is flightless. It emerges from the cocoon, waits for a male, mates, lays its eggs on the empty cocoon and then dies. So mystery solved. What a fascinating creature.

Photo Credits - CJT

PERFECT SYMMETRY

After posting my cool caterpillar picture yesterday here is a nice symmetry. When I got home last night I noticed a little moth outside my apartment window - yes, that's right, it was the White-marked Tussock Moth Orgyia leucostigma! This guy was quite the high-flyer as I live on the twenty-first floor. Because of this we don't have fully opening windows so my photos are very poor as I had to shoot through glass.
If you want to see what they really look like then check out http://bugguide.net/node/view/173188/bgimage
This is a really useful sight for bug ID help by the way.
Unfortunately shortly after I took the photos, a vicious thunder storm blew through and the moth disappeared.

Photo Credits (!) - CJT

SOMETHING NEW

I often get teased by the rest of my Department about my arduous commute to and from work - I have a ten minute stroll through Lincoln Park to get from home to the Museum! Needless to say just as others become familiar with aspects of their commute like toll booths, train stations or bus stops, so do I. I notice when the geese start to pair off or when the first golden-crowned kinglet arrives in the spring. And yes, before you ask, I do realise how lucky I am! On my way home yesterday evening I spotted this little guy on the path in front of me (actually I would have probably stepped on him if I hadn't happened to be looking down at that moment.)It is the caterpillar of a White-marked Tussock Moth Orgyia leucostigma and although the caterpillar is quite stunning the moth is a plain little brown thing that would very easily be overlooked. Something about all those hairs and bright colours suggested not to touch but I was able to get a couple of reasonable shots anyway.

Photo Credits - CJT