Insects & Spiders

 A number of interesting insects have visited in the past month or two. (I'll ignore the gnats, chiggers, and mosquitoes that have given us unwelcome itching bites.)

A walking stick on our window screen. I've seen more walking sticks this year than I remember seeing in past years.

Also on our screens: a praying mantis, looking directly at me.

A praying mantis has five eyes: two large compound eyes, and three in the middle.

A rosy maple moth on our grill cover.

Another rosy maple moth (I think) met a worse fate - being consumed by a Cordyceps fungus. Each species of Cordyceps parasitizes a specific species (usually an insect).

Spiders aren't insects, but to most of us, they still fall in the "creepy-crawly" category, and we've had some interesting ones this year.

August and September are the peak times for orb weavers to spread their webs across trails and small roads. The Spined Micrathena (Micrathena gracilis) hardly looks like a spider, but they are probably our most common encounter.

A side view of the spiny abdomen.

Another commonly encountered orb weaver is the Triangulate Orbweaver (Verrucosa arenata) with its namesake triangle on its abdomen.

Just outside our front door, an unidentified spider consumed a stinkbug over a day or two. We really could use spiders that would eat two or three stinkbugs a day.

This orbweaver (species not identified) was hard at work creating its web in the morning.

The same spider in action.

These "bowl-and-doily" webs are very common. They are easy to see when they capture early morning dew and become very easy to see. They also standout when they collect early or late season snow. (See a blog post from April.)

Caterpillars

 It's been quite a year for caterpillars. They might be just the larval form of butterflies and moths, but they are their own "thing", and my field guides either emphasize one or the other (Caterpillars of Eastern North America and The Butterflies of West Virginia and Their Caterpillars).

Let's start with the "nasties". While most caterpillars are pretty harmless if you touch them or pick them up, the Flannel Moth caterpillar (Megalopyge crispata or possibly M. opercularis) is one to avoid! The soft looking hairs conceal nasty venomous spines. These have been known to send people to the ER looking for relief (Roanoke Times, 9/22/20 and Caterpillars of Eastern North America, David L. Wagner, pp 53-55).

Another flannel moth caterpillar. We've seen quite a few this fall. Gotta keep them away from small children!

These downy feathers were nearby. At first we thought that they, too, were more flannel moth caterpillars. They do look remarkably similar.

Another common nasty caterpillar is the Buck Moth caterpillar (Hemileuca maia). Accidentally putting your hand on one of these (or sitting on one) results in extreme pain from stings that can leave a mark for many days.

This caterpillar was hanging by a thread above our road. Possibly "The Laugher", Charadra deridens. 

Best guess is the Banded Tussock Moth, Halysidota tessallaris.

Perhaps the White-Blotched Heterocampa (Heterocampa umbrata)? Many Hetercampa turn pink/red just before they pupate.

Variable Oakleaf Caterpillar (Lochmaeus manteo), or possibly the Double-Lined Prominent (L. bilineata).

Tulip Tree Moth caterpillar (Callosamia angulifera). We've got plenty of tulip poplars (tuliptree, yellow poplar)! (Or possibly Promethea Moth, C. promethea, since I found it on the ground.

Orange-Striped Oakworm (Anisota senatoria)

An early instar of the Hermit Sphinx (Sphinx eremitus)

Recent Hikes

One of the joys of living in western Virginia is taking advantage of the Great Outdoors. Most Mondays we join the "Monday Morning Hikers". Additionally, we frequently walk our own woods and the adjacent National Forest lands.

Flag Rock (August)

An easy hike in Bath County with great views at the top.

View to the east with the Blue Ridge in the distance.

View to the west over Warm Springs and into West Virginia.

Looking north along the ridge of Warm Springs Mountain.

Surprise! A nice-sized timber rattlesnake was sunning on the rocks. (Safely viewed from a distance!)

A closer look at the head showing the classic pit viper triangular shape.

McAfee's Knob (September)

The most-photographed overlook on the Appalachian Trail. It had been 18 years since I'd last been up here, and the route is much better and very well maintained. Even on a weekday there were a lot of cars in the trailhead parking lot. (On weekends, just forget trying to get a parking spot.) Last time we went was on a Sunday in June 2002 and we had the Knob to ourselves. No such luck these days!

Starting up the AT near the Catawba trailhead. On the way to the Knob we hiked the AT. It's a lot of up-and-down through the woods.

View from the Knob. (I really should have taken a panorama - it is a 180°+ view.)

The classic McAfee's Knob photo.

On the return trip, we followed the Fire Road instead. It pretty much follows the ridge, and there are a number of interesting boulders along the ridge top.

"Vintage" photo from June 2002. Yes, we were all younger then!

Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory (September)

It's becoming a September tradition. A trip to this former fire tower near Gap Mills, WV, is nearly guaranteed to feature at least a few hawks and/or eagles, especially during the fall migration, which peaks in mid-September. Today we only saw a few broad-winged hawks, one sharp-shinned hawk, a local red-tailed hawk, and a few ravens and turkey vultures.

Temporarily unmasked for our group photo.

Looking north(east) along Peters Mountain. Peters Mountain is one of the longest ridges in the Appalachians and provides excellent updrafts for migrating raptors. It is also the Eastern Divide (between the Atlantic Ocean & Mississipi River watersheds) and for most of its length the border between Virginia and West Virginia.

Looking south(west) along Peters Mountain.

On a clear day, you can see for at least 50 miles (80 km). The 100 MW Beech Ridge Wind Farm is in Greenbrier County, WV.