Western Chorus Frog (and other signs Spring is finally here)

Often heard early in the spring – even a small chorus of these tiny frogs can be deafening – but seldom seen, Western Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris triseriata) can survive being frozen and are out and about seeking potential mates when there is still snow and ice on the marshes and temporary vernal pools that are their breeding sites.

In addition to its song (reminiscent to running your fingernail along the teeth of a comb), the dark stripe through the eye, white upper lip and long spots or blotches distinguish this species from the Spring Peeper.

Calling for a girl friend ... the frog's vocal sac distends to twice the size seen in this photo.

It looks like this male sang loud enough and long enough to capture the attention of a female, and judging by their numbers these pairings no doubt happen many a time.

There's only one way to capture a close-up image of a 3 cm long frog with a point-and-shoot camera. My pants are wet up to the knees and my shoes still aren't completely dry two days later ...

Also seldom seen (and hopefully never heard, if so, see a psychiatrist) – Sarcoscypha coccinea, better known by the fanciful name Scarlet Elf Cup. This eye-catching early spring Ascomycete is not uncommon but it's often overlooked because it's buried under leaf litter.

Never heard, generally not considered to be eye-catching and frequently overlooked, and wish it was much less often encountered – the Black-legged Tick a.k.a. Deer Tick (Ixodes scapularis). I think I picked up this unwelcome hitchhiker when I bumped my head against a shrub during the incursion into the marsh – on my own head be it, so to speak.

I was onto the little sucker out not long after she started biting me, and while I'm not certain I got the hypostome out, it alone won't transmit Lyme Disease and the tick needs to be attached for several hours in any event. So it seems I'm off the hook, but just to play it safe I'm going to monitor the bite site for the next couple of weeks ...

There's a good reason a tick's hypostome is difficult to remove once it's firmly inserted. Have a look at the macro of the "business end", as it's so nicely put, of Dermacentor albipictus at Macromite's Blog.

Distant cousins of the Deer Tick – and a lot less bloodthirsty, at least from a mammalian perspective – Habronattus spp. are among the first jumping spiders apt to be encountered in spring. The next two images depict a Habronattus calcaratus maddisoni female and male. The spiders were found only a few centimeters from one another, no doubt there was a mating in the offing.

The male Habronattus viridipes closely resembles its cousin, but note the sinuous white line on the cephalothorax and the irregular borders of the black stripes on the abdomen. The first pair of legs of both species have a bright green inner surface, used by the males to signal to a prospective mate.

As always many thanks to the experts at BugGuide.Net for their help. I was fairly certain as to the genus these small Salticids (5 cm, give or take) but I couldn't have identified them to the species (let alone subspecies) level without some guidance. Another great website for identifying Salticidae is Jumping Spiders of North America.

Both of the Habronattus spp. were encountered on open rock outcrops in high and dry pine/oak/blueberry scrub habitat – the home of the Common Five-lined Skink. The little reptiles are still with us, first sighting for 2014 was Sunday April 27th, and a friend managed to get a photo before it scurried for cover.

The stony blueberry scrub is also a good place to look for the Bumble Flower Beetle (Euphoria inda). About the size of a June Beetle, this hairy scarab not only mimics the appearance of a bumblebee, it even drones like one while in flight. The larvae live in dung and decomposing wood, and there's lots of the latter laying around; they mature and fly in late summer and the beetles seen in the spring have overwintered as adults.

It's been a long cold winter and a late cool spring, I wonder if the "immigrant" species from warmer climes that have been extending their ranges northward made it through?

Butterflies, Beetles and a Baskettail

On a walk earlier this week, eastward along "The Trail", my daughter and I encountered a few immature male and female Baskettails. As is often the case with a cryptically colored subject, when trying to take a picture on "Auto" the camera's electronics didn't know where to focus. We were unable to figure out the manual settings but she managed to acquire one reasonably good image before the batteries in her camera died. The picture will be posted in the near future. Throughout the week I've sighted teneral Emeralds and Frosted Whitefaces as well.

One of the first butterflies to emerge in early spring is the Spring Azure (Celastrina sp.). Although the undersides of the wings are relatively drab, the dorsal surfaces are an eye-catching sky blue. The wingpan of this tiny butterfly is about 25 mm.

Due to its size (wingspan roughly 30 mm), color, and skipper-like manner of flying, at first I mistook this butterfly for just that, a species of skipper. Not so: this is an Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophrys niphon), a member of the family Lycaenidae which also includes Blues, Coppers, and Hairstreaks. This is my first encounter with an elfin ... and according to the books, there are three other species inhabiting this area.

The beautiful iridescent green insect in the following images is a Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata). These predacious beetles, approximately 12 mm long, are fast runners and strong fliers, extremely wary and difficult to approach. It took a no small amount of time to get these few images.

That's a pretty wicked set of jaws ...

The Bronzed Tiger Beetle (Cicindela repanda) proved to be even more alert and challenging to stalk, let alone see due to its camouflaged front wing covers (elytra). Had this specimen not suffered an injury to its wing, I doubt if I could have taken its photo. The Bronzed Tiger Beetle is also common along the shore of Stoco Lake; both species can be found in hot sandy environments.

Megan hasn't emailed me her photo of the Baskettail so here's one of my own (in case anyone is wondering what a Baskettail is) but as a stand-alone image it's unsatisfactory. Without being able to see the top of the frons or a lateral view of the claspers, this dragonfly, roughly 40 mm long, could be one of three species: the Common Baskettail (Epitheca cynosura), Beaverpond Baskettail (Epitheca canis), or Spiny Baskettail (Epitheca spinigera).

EDIT ... after posting this image I tried zooming in for a closer look at the claspers. Although out of focus the cerci appear distinctly bent and possess a blunt dorsal tooth: this dragonfly is a male Beaverpond Baskettail (Epitheca canis).

Fungal Fly Photos

Throughout the summer it's not uncommon to encounter flies infected with the Entomophthora muscae fungus. The parasite doesn't merely consume the body of its host indiscriminately, it grows into specific areas of its brain to control the insect's behaviour, and before its demise the fly will climb to the greatest elevation possible in order to maximize spore dispersal.

When I chanced across this Greenbottle Fly I had the good fortune to have access to a digital microscope, and took advantage of the opportunity to capture images in more detail than is possible with a digital camera. Some of the images were taken by Laurie Campbell.

Not pretty pictures, but nature doesn't care about our human sensibilities.

Views of the greenbottle fly's head ...

... the abdomen, and the thorax.

This is the greatest magnification possible to achieve with the instrument.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery ...

... and for many species it's also a means of ensuring survival. Batesian mimicry is a kind of mimicry where a harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a stinging, toxic or in other way dangerous species. (This is different than mimesis, where the mimic assumes the colors and/or profile of, for example, a leaf, twig or bark).

Hummingbird moths generally hover while nectaring and are seldom seen sitting as this one is. I'm calling this a Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis) but since this is the only image thus far perhaps the name should be left at the genus level. Ventral view(s) would have helped confirm the species. Further reading at BugGuide.Net

This helps. Not the best of pictures since it's hard to aim the camera at a moving target, but the underside of the moth is visible, and it fits the description for Hemaris diffinis. In the field, even while hovering or flying, this clearwing appears smaller and its color is distinctly greenish compared to ...

... the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe), nectaring at wild bergamot. This moth has red on the dorsal surface of the abdomen and whitish legs (compare to the legs of the moth depicted above).

Ventral and dorsal views of another Hemaris thysbe

Its overall solid blue-black colors, habit of flicking its tinted wings, and quick nervous manner of moving about while nectaring ... everything about the appearance and behaviour of this Chalcosyrphus chalybeus indicated it was a solitary spider wasp. This insect is actually a species of flower fly, of the family Syrphidae, related to the ubiquitous little black-and-yellow striped hover flies commonly encountered in fields and gardens.

Here are a few more insect imposters I've stumbled across on my travels through thickets of thistles, nettles, prickly ash and poison ivy.

A Tachinid fly, Cylindromyia sp.

A female Clematis Clearwing Moth (Alcathoe caudata)

A species of Long-horned Beetle, Clytus ruricola

A fly, Macroceromys terminalis (formerly genus Xylomya). Thanks to David Bree for help with the I.D. on this one.

This small wasp-like robber fly is only about 10 mm long. At first I thought it might be a species of Eudioctria but having done more research on the Internet it seems this is more likely a member of the Laphria sicula/canis/winnemana complex. The first image is a bit out of focus but the long proboscis is quite visible. And it wasn't long before the fly put it to use ... it looks like it has captured a small beetle.

Ladybird Larvae

Beetles experience complete metamorphosis, passing through four stages during their life cycle ... egg, larva, pupa and adult. The larval and pupal forms of a beetle look very different than the adult.

Seven-spotted Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata)

Asian Ladybird or Multicolored Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)

Anatis sp., not certain if the adult is of the same species as the larva. I think the adult is a Fifteen-spotted Lady Beetle (Anatis labiculata). The adult beetles darken with age making the spots are difficult to see. Although not discernible in the photo the spots are visible if the light hits the insect at an angle.

Pink Spotted Lady Beetle (Coleomegilla maculata)