Diario de kencheeks

On July 4, 2024, I saw two dragonflies land on my cyclone fence. They were much more interested in each other than me, which allowed me to go inside and quickly grab my camera. Both appeared to be newly emerged dragonflies of the same species. After reviewing the photos, I thought they were either Bar-winged Skimmers (Libellula axilena) or Slaty Skimmers (Libellula incesta). I knew they were in the Genus Libellula - the Chasers and Skimmers, but wasn't sure about the exact species. I posted them with an ID of "Libellula" and waited patiently (at least I thought I was patient) for a more definitive identification. After no response for several days, I decided to tag Giff Beaton - a dragonfly expert who wrote "Dragonflies and Damselflies of Georgia and the Southeast". I had confirmed some IDs of other species for this expert, so I thought I'd tag him to get his opinion on mine. Sure enough, he confirmed one of my two observations as a Slaty Skimmer. I only had one view of the 2nd Dragonfly, which Giff said was not adequate for a definitive ID to species. However, he suggested that they were likely the same species - since they were so close to each other and interacting. These observations were cool, because they are a new species for my yard. Plus, I had one confirmed by one of the foremost experts on dragonflies in the Southeast. The photo on the left is a female that Giff Beaton confirmed. The right photo is highly likely to be the same species, but a concrete ID does not appear possible from this view.

Both the Tawny Emperor and Hackberry Emperor were attracted to sap from a white oak tree. This tree is serving as a natural bait station for moths, butterflies, beetles, and ants. Tawny Emperors are closely related (same genus) to Hackberry Emperors. The larvae (caterpillars) of both species feed on hackberry (Celtis sp.).

Adults may be distinguished from those of the Hackberry Emperor by the two complete dark bars in the front wing cell and the lack of a sub-marginal dark eyespot on the front wings. Also, the hackberry emperor has rows of pure white spots on the upper front wings that are pale yellow in the tawny emperor. Viewed from below, the hindwing of the Tawny Emperor (photo on right) has smudged, iridescent eyespots and is browner than that of the gray-brown Hackberry Emperor (photo on left), which has distinct eyespots. This post has ventral (below) views of each species.

In my area of South Carolina, Hackberry Emperors are far more common than Tawny Emperors.

On June 19, 2024, I observed Bald-faced Hornets, Nessus Sphinx Moths, an Epione Underwing Moth, and Hackberry Emperor Butterflies feeding on sap oozing from a white oak tree (Quercus alba). Several species of ants were also attracted to the sap. The hornets fought with the other insects and themselves. Apparently they didn't learn the sharing lesson in kindergarten. While I've lived at this location for almost 30 years, this is the first time that I've seen Nessus Sphinx moths. It's only the second time that I've observed an Epione Underwing moth. If you see sap oozing from a tree, stake it out. Insects are bound to show up. And, there may be some species arrive that you typically do not see at a location. The insects become so focused on feeding that they become somewhat oblivious to the photographer.