large yellow underwing ~ 05/13/11 ~ at home

large yellow underwing moth / European yellow underwing
Noctua pronuba

Well, as I've said before, I'm not always spot on in my IDs and will correct myself whenever I can. On March 22, 2011, I found a pupa while turning soil in one of my compost containers (click the embedded link to read that particular post). You can see the split, empty pupal casing in the second picture above. I had hoped the pupa was a painted tiger moth (Arachnis picta), considering I released my 2nd instar caterpillars in that open container 4 months before. Nope, I was wrong. Jennifer, a regular commenter on Nature ID and local friend, was correct in guessing it was a cutworm, as the caterpillar stage of this moth is also commonly known as a winter cutworm, an introduced species to North America from Europe and elsewhere. The morning I took this picture on 05/13/11 (I'm backposting on 05/25/11), it was lethargic, yet walking around a bit, so I'm guessing it must have just emerged. The next day, I tried to get a picture of its beautiful yellow hindwings, but it flew off in a flurry toward the sun.

ps - Again, many thanks to Chris Grinter of The Skeptical Moth for identifying several moths for me from e-mailed photos during my illness. While I'm feeling much better now, I'm desperately trying to catch up with work and regular life stuff. For those who have commented or e-mailed me, it may take a while before I can get around to replying.

caterpillars & pupae ~ 03/31/11 ~ at home

moth caterpillars and pupae in containers

Here's my assortment of jars for raising caterpillars and letting pupae rest. No, I don't keep them on the banister all the time. It's often too windy and my friendly scrub-jay is too curious for her own good to keep them here all the time. I just placed some of the containers up there, because I thought it'd make a better photo with the Monterey Bay in the background.

I'm keeping them outside so that they develop naturally. My plan is to record when they pupate, how long it takes to emergence, ID the adults, and eventually release them so they can find mates. I'm generally not a collector anymore, except for photographs. It's been at least 5 years since I've raised anything, but my curiosity about what a couple caterpillars are got the better of me.

Since I've made a policy on Nature ID to post CA nature photos to the date of the actual photos, you'll have to wait for future posts for the close-up shots. I've already posted a close-up of what I hope is a painted tiger moth.

large yellow underwing ~ 03/22/11 ~ at home

large yellow underwing moth pupa
Noctua pronuba

While I was turning one of my compost bins last week (posted 03/27/11, pics taken 03/22/11), lo and behold I found a little surprise. And, no, it is not a turd. Good thing I didn't slice it with my trowel! Considering I released several dozen caterpillars in this compost bin last fall, I'm fairly sure this is a painted tiger moth pupa. I know, I know, I said I wasn't going to disturb this bin until October or November of 2011. However, the prolific weed of hairy bittercress set seed a month ago in this bin, and I pulled them all out. The pupa measures about 26mm in length and wiggled furiously when I laid a cold plastic ruler next to it. I've since placed the pupa in its own container with soil and pantyhose on top to await to see what emerges. I'm keeping the container outside so as not to falsely speed up the development of this pupa with the warmth of our home. The timing of my observations so far does not match the literature, e.g., W.E. Conner's Tiger Moths and Woolly Bears.

For those new to my blog, here's a timeline of past tiger moth posts with embedded links:
October 17, 2010 - found an adult female laying eggs next to our front door
October 26, 2010 - eggs hatched and I collected the caterpillars
November 6, 2010 - released 2nd instar caterpillars in compost bin

Here are couple things to note: 1) I frequently call caterpillars "cats." Even though I've loved up to 3 kitty cats at one time, usually I'm referencing the insect. 2) I'm actually raising several different Lepidoptera on my balcony right now.

ps 05/25/11 - I posted this originally as a painted tiger moth pupa and now that it emerged on 05/13/11, I have corrected the ID above. To read the new post on this large yellow underwing moth, click here.