Looking like Crap

This is not necessarily a bad thing, certainly not when you are a potentially tasty meal surrounded by dozens of predatory species often much larger and faster than yourself. In the unforgiving realm of nature the demands of survival take precedence over vanity, and unlike we, the people, insects don't have the luxury of worrying about the latter, their only goal is to live at least long enough to pass on their genes to the next generation.

A Small Bird-dropping Moth (Ponometia erastrioides) ... the name says it all. The usual color scheme is a mottled mixture of white with reddish-brown and/or black, combined with a lumpy irregular profile.

Schlaeger's Fruitworm Moth (Antaeotricha schlaegeri)

A mating pair of Pearly Wood-Nymphs (Eudryas unio)

White Banded Fungus Weevil (Eurymycter fasciatus)

A winged adult insect can always take flight as a last resort if the poop ploy fails. Larvae don't have this option and many strive look even more convincingly like bird droppings, such as this Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) caterpillar which comes complete with a glossy finish.

Should relatively small predators such as ants or spiders persist in their attentions the caterpillar has a secondary line of defense, the osmeterium, the "horns" seen in the following two photos. This gland is covered with a repellent 40:60 mixture of isobutyric acid and 2-methyl butyric acid – thus saith the various sources on the Internet, I didn't have my chemistry set with me.

Faking a piece of crap isn't solely about color, attitude and posture are also important. This White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis) larva curls its front end to imitate the appearance of a bird dropping. Hopefully this "ugly duckling" will live long enough to pupate and eventually metamorphose into an adult.

Although very different in appearance the Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) is closely related to the White Admiral. (The quite palatable Viceroy is, of course, mimicking the toxic Monarch.) Except for the brown being replaced by a grungy green the caterpillars definitely resemble one another – as well as bird droppings. Also note this caterpillar's posture – feeling threatened by my presence, it is keeping its head down while holding its convincingly head-like non-vital tail end in the air ... just in case its crappy camouflage fails ...

The larval stage of Tenthredo grandis, a species of Sawfly (order Hymenoptera) related to the bees and wasps. Is this pattern meant to fool a hungry bird, or does it serve some other purpose? It is somewhat too regular when compared to the butterfly larvae above, but who knows, maybe its good enough.

And I've always wondered about the pruinosity on a male Chalk-fronted Corporal (Ladona julia). These dragonflies prefer to perch in open sunny places on the ground. Are those chalky white markings meant to look like splats left by a passing bird?

A Fetch of Dragonflies

In case you've ever wondered what a group of dragonflies is called ...

About a kilometer east of Tweed "the Trail" crosses a sand bottomed creek. Pools of standing or slowly moving water in shady forested areas are combined with open sunlit patches created by the trail. This medley of habitats, very different than the river, lake or marshes, has its own collection of odonate species.

While it was on the wing I mistook this immature female Chalk-fronted Corporal for a species of Baskettail. Although this one is perching on a twig these small dragonflies (40 mm long) are more often seen sitting on the ground or on rocks.

Habits can be a good way to identify or at least narrow down dragonfly species. Springtime Darners (Basiaeschna janata) prefer to hang vertically when resting. At about 60 mm in length it's relatively small for a darner. The colors and markings of the males are the same as the female's.

The Stream Cruiser (Didymops transversa) is about the same length as the darner above but much more robust. This dragonfly's habit of perching on an angle, like the female in the next two photos, is typical of its species.

Both of our two local species of cruiser have a pale facial stripe and only one lateral thoracic stripe, making them easy to spot in the field ... other large dragonflies, such as darners, have two thoracic stripes (if any).

Male and female Stream Cruisers are similarly patterned. The male can be distinguished by its slightly flared abdomen and pale claspers.

A mating pair of Stream Cruisers

This is an immature female Mustached Clubtail (Gomphus adelphus). The markings and length (at 45 mm it's small for a clubtail) agree with the species account in my field guide. The colors threw me off at first, but eyes will turn green and the bright yellow on the body will change to grayish-green as the dragonfly ages.

The "7"-shaped pale marks on the upper thorax, the broken middle thoracic stripe, and particularly – the heavy black markings on the face – are the characteristic field marks of this species.

Many species of clubtails prefer to stay low when at rest, adopting a horizontal position on the ground, rocks or leaves like these two immature males. In the field males can be differentiated from females by their clubbed tails and claspers, visible even from a distance on the male to the right.

A closeup of an immature male's facial markings. Clubtail species can be hard to tell apart and it's often necessary to get a detail shot of the terminal appendages for a positive I.D. In this case the bold black cross-stripes on the face are sufficient.

An older male Mustached Clubtail ... this photo was taken about one month later than the others. Note the changes in color.

Obvious field marks aren't good enough to sort out three of our local Baskettail species, all are similarly patterned and about 45 mm long. The only noticeable difference between them is the amount of pigmentation at the bases of the hindwings (which can vary) and the presence or absence of a "T"-shaped spot on the top of the frons (no images of the latter, the dragonflies weren't co-operating). So let's have a closer look ...

Baskettail # 1
The hindwings have a generous amount of black at their bases.

Looking at the terminal appendages: we see that the cerci are constricted at their bases but there's no evidence of any teeth. Taken in conjunction with the relatively large amount of hindwing pigmentation we have to conclude that this dragonfly is a Common Baskettail (Epitheca cynosura).

Baskettail #2
Some black pigmentation is visible at the bases of the hindwings.

Views of the claspers from a couple of slightly different angles. A ventral tooth is barely visible in the first image, but this isn't necessary for an I.D. What is clear in both photos is that the cerci turn down at the ends, and – they definitely possess dorsal teeth. This is sufficient to identify this dragonfly as a Beaverpond Baskettail (Epitheca canis).

Baskettail #3
The hindwings have a small amount of pigmentation at their bases.

A dorsal view would be helpful but it's unneccessary because luckily I was able to obtain a good image of the claspers – the cerci definitely have a sharp ventral tooth. As always, the claspers are the final word as to species. This dragonfly is Spiny Baskettail (Epitheca spinigera).

A teneral male Brush-tipped Emerald (Somatochlora walshii), length about 45 mm. As a rule it's not a good idea to handle a teneral odonate, especially by its delicate wings. But this one is gravely injured (likely by a beaver, a dog or a hiker) and won't survive much longer. A pity this dragonfly in such rough shape, as it would have made an excellent subject with its amber-tinted wings and a thorax that looks like it's made out of colored metal foil.

The hairy claspers (which sustained injury as well) are visible in the field and leave no doubt as to the identity of this dragonfly.

Dragonflies of Early Summer

The Chalk-fronted Corporal (Ladona julia) is a common local skimmer, generally seen from June on throughout the balance of the summer. Both males and females have the "corporal stripes" on the thorax, the pruinescence or bloom on the abdomen indicates this is a male. The brown abdomen with the dark stripe down the middle suggest this male is a juvenile; the abdomen will darken as the dragonfly ages.

The Dot-tailed Whiteface (Leucorrhinia intacta) is another ubiquitous skimmer. Below is a picture of the aptly named male ...

a female ...

and a mating pair.