Any other hobby entomologists here?

[talkinboutchickens]

Just the other day I learned about the Poweshiek skipperling which was on the brink of extinction just a few years ago, but thanks to the efforts of my local zoo (among other organizations), numbers in the wild are rising!

Prairies are some of my favorite ecosystems. There are less than 1% of the original prairies left in the United States. Prairie restoration is something I hope to get involved with someday, and there are a couple of them right around here that I plan on visiting real soon. Maybe I'll see the Poweshiek skipperling!

Wow I didn't know John Ball zoo was breeding the species out of extinction, that is so cool!

 

[TOMTE]

Wow I didn't know John Ball zoo was breeding the species out of extinction, that is so cool!

I had no idea either! Next time I go there I want to talk to someone about conservation, and what I can do from home. I know they're a partner of the Habitat Heroes program so maybe they can tell me where to get some free native plants for our property!

 

[talkinboutchickens]

I had no idea either! Next time I go there I want to talk to someone about conservation, and what I can do from home. I know they're a partner of the Habitat Heroes program so maybe they can tell me where to get some free native plants for our property!

That's a great idea! I would get some milkweed (monarchs) and fennel (black swallowtails) to start off and raise the caterpillars from those plants. If you have any questions feel free to ask me because I have raised monarchs and black swallowtails!

 

[atomic]

I enjoy taking photos of insects, I will share some! Don’t ask me about specifics though, lol.

 

[TwoCrows]

I enjoy taking photos of insects, I will share some! Don’t ask me about specifics though, lol.

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BEAUTIFUL!!

 

[TOMTE]

I enjoy taking photos of insects, I will share some! Don’t ask me about specifics though, lol.

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That wolf spider (last pic)

Big fan of the orchard spider (pic 11), we get lots of those here. They're so pretty.

These are all excellent!!

 

[atomic]

Thank you so much! It was very interesting focusing on photographing insects versus pretty much anything else, lol. And I mean that in the sense that they are generally so small, and easily overlooked that unless you are specifically seeking them out you’d have no idea how many species there really are. I always wondered what the orchard spider was, he was so vibrant and pretty. I know you love wolf spiders but that’s about as close as I feel comfortable getting to it, I’ve always had a phobia of them. I’m never going out of my way to hurt them, but they creep me out. Any large hairy spider really, the smaller ones don’t bother me at all and I adore jumping spiders. And that’s basically the only thing I’m irrationally scared of.

By the way all those photos were taken in upstate SC/western NC.

Edited to add I forgot I posted photos of three spiders and I misunderstood which one was the orchard spider. Lol! I thought it was in reference to the lime green and pink one which, does anyone know what kind it is?

 

[TwoCrows]

I thought it was in reference to the lime green and pink one which, does anyone know what kind it is?

It appears to be some sort of Crab Spider. It sure is pretty!

 

[TOMTE]

And we have eclosion! Finally, after months (close to half a year)! He looks nice and healthy. Hopefully he doesn't fly around my room all night

I have a cap of sugar water set out for him in case he's thirsty. I'm going to have to sleep with my bedroom door closed tonight so he doesn't go on an adventure around the house and get himself killed by my cat.

 

[TOMTE]

His wing is a little crinkled at the end but it shouldn't impede his flight.

Disclaimer: This specimen was wild caught, is native here, and therefore goes back to the wild. NEVER release store-bought specimens. ALWAYS check whether a wild-caught specimen is native before re-releasing, and release where you found it, not into a new environment. Manduca sexta caterpillars are considered an agricultural pest.