next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects
--Apple-Mail=_A54DD322-B78F-4BF6-9687-0A7B85C919C0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 During that period mentioned by Angus, Pat & I walked the west Kentville = rail trail (east Coldbrook), and we saw at least 4 of the banded = woolly-bears =97 2 of them were =93sucked out=94 as Angus described, and = the other 2 were openly crossing the path. Angus mentioned crab = spiders, but I=92ll bet that wolf spiders would also be present and = abundant and more likely to find caterpillars on the ground. =20 Many would-be predators, other than cuckoos, find hairy caterpillars = difficult to deal with or worse, since often the hairs are reported to = have irritating qualities, according to sensitive human observers. So = just their hairiness might partly explain how they get away with = movements in open areas =97 and sometimes that open area is a road or = highway, which would offer no protection! Parasitoid wasps and flies and the rates of parasitism are further wild = cards in all of this. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville. Begin forwarded message: > From: Angus MacLean <cold_mac@hotmail.com> > Subject: [NatureNS] Wooly Bear Caterpillars > Date: November 14, 2014 at 2:27:20 PM AST > To: naturens <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> > Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >=20 > =46rom about October 20 to early November, there were large numbers of = Wooly Bears on the move. On our property without any searching there = were 20 or more each day into early November when they started to = lessen. Surprisingly there was little predation that I could find. Since = they seem to prefer to travel across open areas one wonders how they = escape predators. The dead ones had their interiors sucked out so likely = the victims of crab spiders, although there are less likely suspects. >=20 > Wooly Bears are the larval stage of the Isabella Tiger Moth. I have = never found this moth. According to the literature. Wooly Bears = overwinter as "near adult" caterpillars which, I presume, means their = last instar stage so that in May/early June(??), 2015, there should be = plenty of Isabella Tiger Moths around. I hope to find one! > Angus --Apple-Mail=_A54DD322-B78F-4BF6-9687-0A7B85C919C0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=windows-1252 <html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html = charset=3Dwindows-1252"></head><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; = -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">During = that period mentioned by Angus, Pat & I walked the west Kentville = rail trail (east Coldbrook), and we saw at least 4 of the banded = woolly-bears =97 2 of them were =93sucked out=94 as Angus described, and = the other 2 were openly crossing the path. Angus mentioned crab = spiders, but I=92ll bet that wolf spiders would also be present and = abundant and more likely to find caterpillars on the ground. = <div><br></div><div>Many would-be predators, other than cuckoos, = find hairy caterpillars difficult to deal with or worse, since often the = hairs are reported to have irritating qualities, according to sensitive = human observers. So just their hairiness might partly explain how = they get away with movements in open areas =97 and sometimes that open = area is a road or highway, which would offer no = protection!<div><br></div><div>Parasitoid wasps and flies and the rates = of parasitism are further wild cards in all of = this.<div><div><br></div><div>Cheers from Jim in = Wolfville.<br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px;"><span style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, = 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>From: </b></span><span = style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica';">Angus MacLean <<a = href=3D"mailto:cold_mac@hotmail.com">cold_mac@hotmail.com</a>><br></spa= n></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica'; = color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>Subject: </b></span><span = style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica';"><b>[NatureNS] Wooly Bear = Caterpillars</b><br></span></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span = style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>Date: = </b></span><span style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica';">November 14, 2014 at = 2:27:20 PM AST<br></span></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span = style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>To: = </b></span><span style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica';">naturens <<a = href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a>><br= ></span></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span = style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, = 1.0);"><b>Reply-To: </b></span><span style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica';"><a= = href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a><br></s= pan></div><br><div><div class=3D"hmmessage" style=3D"font-size: 12pt; = font-family: Calibri; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; = font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; = orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: = none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div dir=3D"ltr">=46rom about October = 20 to early November, there were large numbers of Wooly Bears on the = move. On our property without any searching there were 20 or more each = day into early November when they started to lessen. Surprisingly there = was little predation that I could find. Since they seem to prefer to = travel across open areas one wonders how they escape predators. The dead = ones had their interiors sucked out so likely the victims of crab = spiders, although there are less likely suspects.<br><br>Wooly Bears are = the larval stage of the Isabella Tiger Moth. I have never found this = moth. According to the literature. Wooly Bears overwinter as "near = adult" caterpillars which, I presume, means their last instar stage so = that in May/early June(??), 2015, there should be plenty of Isabella = Tiger Moths around. I hope to find = one!<br>Angus</div></div></div></blockquote></div><br></div></div></div></= div></body></html>= --Apple-Mail=_A54DD322-B78F-4BF6-9687-0A7B85C919C0--
next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects