Creatures of the Night

Most of us feel more comfortable in daylight, or in some other lit up situation. However in the natural world there is a whole lot of critters out there that mostly go under appreciated, at least by the human segment of the world.

One way to find what is out there is to spend time around lights at night, or checking around them in the morning if they have been left on all night. Another way is to set up a light in an area not normally lit up by anything other than the moon and stars.

On several occasions I have taken my black light equipment, along with a big white sheet, and gone to a hardwood forest clearing at Rondeau. It is an area that has no artificial lighting. In the declining daylight it looks like this.

 In full darkness with only the black light on. The black light makes every white thing really stand out, which is why I choose an area that doesn't have any competing artificial light.

There are noises in the forest after dark, ranging from Eastern Screech Owls and Great Horned Owls calling back and forth as well as one or more coyotes howling, sometimes at a fairly close distance. And just before it gets totally dark, the hum of insects almost drowns out the owls. But once it is fully dark, the insect chorus diminishes almost completely.

So there I am, usually by myself and the insects that are investigating this strange light in their back yard. It isn't long until hundreds of insects arrive. Many are too small to really identify, but others are at least large enough so that I can use my macro lens, extension tube and ring flash and get some worthwhile photos.

Moths are one group that I like to see. There are hundreds and hundreds, and many are very small and appearing drab, at least until the flash of the camera highlights the intricacies of pattern and colour.

However this post will deal with only the various beetles and bugs I managed to 'capture'. I will leave the moths to a future post. Many of the critters I was able to identify using my own literature references. However there were some that were just not apparent, and the online database BugGuide was very helpful.

One of the first big critters that arrived was this Diving Water Beetle (Dytiscus verticalis). It is normally found in wetlands on the prowl for smaller insects to feast on. Its body is about 4 cm long.

 By contrast was this much smaller beetle, about a quarter the size of the diving beetle. It is of the genus Berosus, a member of the aquatic beetle group.

 I was pleased that this planthopper arrived for a photo session.

Flatormenis proxima

A few stinkbugs were roaming around, sometimes on the sheet and sometimes on the pole holding the black light.

Banasa calva

 Large craneflies put in an appearance.

Tipula cf.furca

Other 'flies' were around, including this member of the Chironomids, or midges. The feathery antennae indicate it is a male.

Ablabesmyia sp

And another midge. I believe that the chorus of insects humming so loudly just before dark was due to a great number of these midge types of insects. Mosquitoes were hardly noticed at all, and I wasn't needing any repellant.

Chironomus sp

The type of flies that we normally see were very uncommon. This Pollenia, a species of cluster fly, was one of the few.

Syrphid flies, also known as Flower Flies, are more typically seen during the daytime. This one came by to check me out.

Toxomerus politus

 This next one is a Lace-wing type of fly.

Green Lacewing

Even members of the Orthoptera can show up, although they have been quite few and far between during the times I've been out this year. This one landed on the sheet and kept moving, making it difficult to get any part of it in focus. It is a type of Tree Cricket, probably a Snowy Tree Cricket, but one needs to see some of the small dots and markings on the front of the antennae to know for sure which species it is. This one kept on moving and left after a few seconds, making this the only photo I was able to get.

One of my favourite groups of insects to photograph via the black light is the Leafhoppers, which are members of the True Bugs (Hemiptera). There are hundreds of kinds, and they are either small at about 5-8 mm in length, or smaller, as small as 2-3 mm!

They can be quite colourful, or not. Some are hard to identify to species, as an underside photo is required to look at features there.

Bespeckled Leafhopper, Paraphlepsius irroratus

One of my favourites is this next one, the Sharpshooter, easily identified as one of the larger ones and with a very pointed nose.

A quite colourful one is this next one, the Gyponana octolineata. It is often green, but can have some distinctive reddish lines marking the wing veins. It, like the Sharpshooter, is one of the larger species.

 One of the smaller species is this next one.

Graminella nigrifrons

This next photo shows the previous two species side by side for size comparison.

Japanese Leafhopper Orientus ishidae

Scaphoideus sp

Osbornellus sp

Lemon-banded Leafhopper Empoa venusta

Bandera sp

That is it for this instalment. Next time I will feature a variety of moths, some colourful and some not.

The perils of being a Monarch

Monarch butterflies have been getting a lot of publicity in the last few years, and rightfully so. They are undoubtedly the best known butterfly in North America and beyond. They are large, easily identified (except for the Viceroy being an excellent mimic) and are known for their incredible journey to the highlands of Mexico to overwinter.

Unfortunately for Monarchs, they rely almost exclusively on milkweeds for laying their eggs and therefore the survival of subsequent generations. For decades, the agricultural community despised milkweeds, as Common Milkweed is an aggressive invader of fields. There are lots of less common species, none of which are particularly problematic to the farming community but all species were painted with the same brush. Between the use of harsh chemicals and being officially on the Noxious Weed List milkweeds, and therefore Monarchs, did not have a promising future.

Fortunately as more and more people realized the serious decline of Monarchs there was a move afoot to remove milkweed from the Noxious Weed List, and more and more people started planting milkweeds in yards and gardens to provide some assistance to the survival of this magnificent butterfly.

The overall results have been fairly positive, with larger and seemingly more stable populations of Monarchs being observed. But every year is different, for different reasons. The limited overwintering habitat in Mexico is not all that secure from impacts. The weather is one of several factors there. Also the long journey by the survivors as they make their way northward in the spring, is not easy. Those that do survive overwinter begin moving north, laying eggs as they go and then dying, counting on the next generation to make the next leg of the trip north. It may take several generations for the species to get all the way back to the northern limits of their usual range.

In some years it seems there are relatively few that arrive here in southwestern Ontario at the beginning of the season, but gradually their numbers increase. In other years, such as 2018, it seemed there was a decent number present in May, leading one to hope for a good population throughout the summer. But it was not to be, at least in this area. The ones that did arrive in good time had some severe weather to contend with once they got here. Not as in stormy, hurricane type weather or cold, frosty weather. No, it was the shift from a cool damp spring to a very hot and very dry period for several weeks in the early part of the summer.

We regularly saw Monarchs in our yard, both male and female, for the early part of the summer. Eggs were laid.

But there were very few caterpillars that matured to adulthood. It was just too hot and dry for them. In fact many butterfly species experienced lower numbers than usual, which was reflected in the results of the annual butterfly counts in mid to late July. Small species of butterfly in particular were affected, but even the large Monarch was affected.

And then by late July and throughout August, we got more rain than usual. Lawns that were brown returned to luxuriant green. Milkweeds were less stressed and provided a better source for caterpillars. The tough, dry leaves of milkweeds responding to the hot dry weather earlier were not suitable for the caterpillars, so many of them did not develop until the moisture levels improved and there were more and younger, fresh leaves to feed on.

Between the milkweeds in and around our yard as well as those in a pollinator patch in a community garden close by, there are well over 125 milkweed stems. We started seeing more and more caterpillars. They developed and formed their trade mark chrysalis.

On one occasion, Marie noted a chrysalis behind a small cage in the garden. The cage was to protect the vegetables from marauding wildlife, such as cottontails. We didn't expect that a Monarch caterpillar would venture here. The nearest milkweed plant was at least 4 metres (12') away. It had to crawl through a lot of grass and other thick vegetation to get to this spot. But there it was.

 The butterfly eventually emerged, and we were concerned that it could not get out without damaging its fragile wings.

 Even though the 'foot' of the chrysalis was attached to the underside of the leaf, it was also attached to the wire of the cage. I decided to carefully tease the foot of the chrysalis away from the wire, and gently lift it outside the cage.

The Monarch managed to continue with its emergence and fluttered away not knowing how close it might have come to a much less desirable end.

As the season continued, we saw more and more caterpillars. On one occasion I could stand at the edge of the pollinator garden and count a dozen caterpillars of various sizes. But there was something concerning about this. None of them were under the leaf, where they would normally be feeding. Instead all of them were quite visible, including some which were just sitting in full view on the upper side of the leaf.

A closer look showed that some of these caterpillars were dead. Almost full size, but quite dead.

We also noticed that at least a couple of recently emerged adults had deformed wings.

One could fly a bit, the other could hardly even remain upright. Clearly something was not going well as both caterpillars and adults were suffering.

Was it something in the air? Were there pesticides that were affecting them? Were they trapped in a place and couldn't emerge properly?

We are not close to any agricultural field, so pesticide drift surely was not a factor. We had no way of testing air quality. We could only surmise that perhaps some caterpillars decided to place their chrysalis in a tight spot and the adults damaged their wings upon emergence.

But that didn't explain the death of so many caterpillars before ever getting to the chrysalis stage.

Marie took it upon herself to see if Google had any answers. And there were some.

Not surprisingly, there are various things that affect Monarch caterpillars, from fungus to bacteria to flies. Yes, flies, and specifically, Tachinid Flies, also known as parasitic flies.

There are more than 1000 species of Tachinid fly in North America, and at a glance they generally look like the flies we are most familiar with. However they do have some differences. These next few photos are all of Tachinid flies, and probably are all different species. A couple of the key features are that they have somewhat hairy bodies and large, reddish-brown eyes.

As adults, the flies feed on nectar of various flowering plants. But it is their reproductive behaviour that is of concern to Monarchs. The flies glue their eggs on to a caterpillar or, depending on the species of fly, sometimes inject the eggs directly into the body of the caterpillar. When the eggs hatch, they begin to feast on the caterpillar and it is doomed. In some cases the eggs are deposited on the surface of the leaf and it is ingested by the caterpillar. In other cases, the Monarch eggs themselves may have a fly egg attached or injected. Regardless, the result is the same. The caterpillar will not develop to a mature adult.

But before we castigate these flies for what we might consider their nefarious deeds, it is important to look at the bigger picture. The term 'fly' is not nearly as endearing as the term 'monarch'. Even the name of the butterfly is regal and something humans may admire. But these flies are not focusing just on Monarch caterpillars. In fact they are a huge benefit to agricultural and garden crops as they parasitize all sorts of other critters, some of which are very harmful. Think of all the damage that pests such as gypsy moths, squash bugs, cabbage loopers, army worms, Japanese beetles, cutworms, sawflies, codling moths, peach twig borers and tent caterpillars do to fruit and vegetables.

Any and every species of wildlife has natural enemies. It is what keeps things in check....the balance of nature, so to speak. If Monarch butterflies weren't so impacted by human activities, such as loss of habitat and the extensive use of harmful chemicals I suspect the effects of Tachinid flies wouldn't be much of a concern. If things were in a truly healthy state, and Tachinid flies weren't affecting Monarch caterpillars, we may be over run with Monarchs! I don't think anyone would complain if there were a lot more than there are, that is for sure. However Tachinid flies are just doing what they were meant to do, and have a place in the wild.

If you have noticed a similar situation in any milkweed patch/pollinator garden that you are involved with, it might be worthwhile to consider this: an emphasis on helping Monarchs is to plant milkweeds and generally speaking, that is a good thing. But if all you have is a big patch of milkweeds, it makes it easier for the flies to find a lot of Monarch caterpillars and eggs. In a truly natural setting, milkweeds are just one of a multitude of grasses and wildflowers, and are seldom in large patches. Instead they are widely scattered, likely giving any caterpillars on them a better chance at being missed by the flies. So add other pollinator plants to the garden patch, and spread out the milkweeds. You just might help a few more caterpillars survive to become a beautiful adult flitting about your yard.

More Great Kiskadee Adventures

The Great Kiskadee at Rondeau continues. Certainly the cold, windy and sometimes rainy weather seems not to have affected the bird much, although it remained in its overnight roost a bit longer on the worst of those days. But it emerged and eventually became fairly active. The light wasn't always the best for good looks or good photos. So with the prospect of improved weather on Tuesday Sept 11, I returned to the park hoping for a cooperative bird in a satisfactory setting.

The bird seemed to be a little more adventurous in exploring its first known Canadian residence. Was this a Texas bird, which had vowed to leave the country when the current president took office? But I digress.

It did show up in a few places a bit farther away from where it had spent most of its time the previous few days. For a time after it first emerged from its over night roost, it was seen well a bit north of its usual area, and then moved out of sight. For those of us waiting along the Marsh Trail hoping for a repeat of action observed by some the day before, as time went on we got concerned that it had found a better spot to hang out where it wouldn't have to put up with the paparazzi. While waiting (im?)patiently, we were able to observe a smattering of warblers, finches and raptors including Bald Eagle, Osprey, Broad-winged Hawk, etc. A Green Heron skulked quietly at the far side of the slough, picking off frogs and/or tadpoles. We were hoping it didn't clean things out entirely, as the Kiskadee was feeding on such fare in the general area from time to time, and presented good looks to those waiting for it.

But not to worry. At almost exactly 12 noon, someone spied the bird approaching the open spot just south of the S-bend in the trail. There was an immediate convergence of birders and most, if not all, got a clear view at it. However with it being mid-way up a leafless tree and against the bright, but bland sky, it was anything but ideal.

And then it moved a bit farther south towards the dead trees and branches overhanging the slough where it had successfully caught amphibians the day before. It was lower down with a much more suitable background.

Needless to say there was an intense chorus of camera shutters being heard, but it didn't seem to bother the Kiskadee.

 On occasion it could be heard giving its call.

 Views were for the most part, not obscured by branches, at least after a bit of careful repositioning our view point. The bird was noted to peer carefully into the shallow water below, before dropping down and capturing a frog. I did not get a shot of it with a frog in its mouth as I was busy texting someone to let them know the bird was present, but I saw photos that someone else captured.

 On occasion the sun would be a little brighter, creating a bit harsher light conditions. We photographers were hoping the bright cloud cover would remain for a little longer. And it did.

After about 20 minutes of terrific views and collectively hundreds and hundreds of camera clicks later, the Kiskadee moved farther away from the trail. It spent some time behind a cluster of dogwood shrubs, presumably digesting its recent meal. It did pop up briefly again, but from a distance. As the sky cleared and the sun became brighter and brighter, the light was about as harsh as it could get, so even if the bird did return for another frog feast, the photos would not likely have been as good as before. Many of us left, hoping that once we got the photos on the computer they would be the best they could possibly be.

Oh yes, it was a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the camaraderie of several dozen birders with such satisfying results.

A GREAT Day at Rondeau

It was a great day at Rondeau, for a number of reasons: it was cooler and much more comfortable to be out than the hot hazy humid days of late and the rain held off. But for birders, it was the report of a Great Kiskadee, a first occurrence for Ontario and Canada. This flycatcher's normal North American range is in southern Texas and Mexico, and many points a lot farther south. There are various extralimital occurrences, however, including as far north as South Dakota, Kansas and Tennessee. All of the North American records are hundreds of kilometres south of the Canadian border.

The word got out yesterday, September 7, when a local hiker captured a photo of an unusual bird along the Marsh Trail. After being uploaded to iNaturalist, it quickly got circulated amongst the birding community that a Great Kiskadee was present. A few birders arrived in time late yesterday to get a brief look at it before it went to roost for the night. This brings the Rondeau area bird checklist total to a respectable 366 species.

Today the Marsh Trail was almost literally crawling with birders as early as 6:30 a.m. It is likely that over the course of the day, at least 150 or more birders from far and wide ventured down the trail in search of this mega rarity. Fortunately all of the action was within the first 200 or so metres down the trail, making the effort to get to the precise location minimal. Not everyone saw it, unfortunately, as it only showed itself for a few moments at a time, and spent the majority of the time out of sight, but apparently not entirely out of hearing, so I'm told. With the brisk ENE wind and my less than ideal hearing, I didn't hear it clearly enough to be certain of its presence. But I did see it on two occasions, about an hour and a half apart.

For my first view, the light was flat, and against the bland sky it made capturing much detail of the bird extra difficult.

The second view was more distant, but with a better background it showed up a lot more clearly, although branches interfered with the focus so several of my photos had to be deleted.

There were many huge smiles of relief amongst those that saw this bird, of course.

During the extended periods in between the times this bird popped up, there was a good variety of other resident and migrant birds to be seen. Other species which made the birding GREAT were Great Egret.....

.....Greater Yellowlegs probing around in the washed up vegetation along the edge of the trail:

and Great Crested Flycatcher, although I didn't get a photo of the latter species.

There were vireos, grosbeaks and warblers, among others. I got 12 species of warbler in just this short distance, which was a greater diversity of warblers than some days in May!

There were several Palm Warblers.....

...and a cooperative Cape May Warbler.

It was great to see so many birders, some familiar and some not familiar, and the camaraderie was excellent. Several fellow bloggers were present, three of which were photographed together on Dwayne Murphy's phone, taken by Rondeau staff member Pilar Manorome. It can be seen here.

After leaving Rondeau, I decided to check out the Keith McLean Conservation Area to see if the young Snowy Egret was still around. It was, along with one of its GREAT cousins.

Snowy Egret

Just to complete this post with the GREAT theme, there was the occasional Great Blue Heron around as well.

 With all of the rarities that have shown up in Ontario so far in the last few weeks, what will be next???? What could be better than a Canadian first, as well as being fairly bright and colourful?