The Beauty in Nature
Interesting Local Insects Clyde McMillan-Gamber
July to the end of October is the time crescent butterflies, which have 1-inch of insects in southeastern Pennsylvania wingspans, swarm upon thousands because those invertebrates are coldof lovely aster flowers in sunny fields, blooded and active only during warmer meadows, and roadsides to sip nectar. weather. Asters are one of the last big sources Some of the more interesting, and of nectar at the end of each growing obvious, insects in this area include season. fireflies, true katydids, snowy tree Also during October, as a response crickets, monarch butterflies, pearl to colder nights, many differential crescent butterflies, differential grasshoppers and wooly bear caterpillars grasshoppers, wooly bear caterpillars, cross country roads. ladybug beetles, and ash-leafed maple, The large, gray-green grasshoppers or box elder, bugs. leap across those rural roads to find These insects are either courting for favorable places in soil to spawn eggs reproduction or preparing for winter, before they die in frost. Wooly bears Photo courtesy of Micha L. Rieser depending on the life cycle of each undulate over the blacktop to find Wooly bear caterpillar. species. sheltered places in the ground to spend Male fireflies flash their cold the coming winter. abdominal lights as they emerge from By late October, swarms of attractive vegetation most every July evening. ladybug beetles and ash-leafed maple Those fireflies continue lighting their bugs, or box elder bugs, congregate in beacons every few seconds as darkness groups of their own in sheltered places, descends across the countryside. including under logs, leaf litter, or rock And, in the dark of night, their piles, where they will spend the winter thousands of lanterns sparkle beautifully in relative safety. among trees and grass as males and These great gatherings are seldom females congregate to breed. seen by most people, but it’s still Male true katydids begin scraping interesting to acknowledge their their wings together continuously each presence. evening in August and September to These are just a few intriguing insects make a courting sound that resembles living in southeastern Pennsylvania. “katy-did, katy-didn’t.” There are many other kinds that offer These treetop grasshopper interest to times spent outdoors. relatives look like green leaves, which Photo courtesy of Kenneth Dwain Harrelson Clyde McMillan-Gamber is a retired camouflages them, and are seldom seen. Pearl crescent butterfly. Lancaster County Parks naturalist. But their uproarious fiddling in woods and older suburbs, to bring the genders together for mating, is unmistakable. Male snowy tree crickets live in shrubbery and chirp steadily every night during August and September to invite females of their kind for mating. These pale-green, 1-inch crickets are also called temperature crickets. By counting their wing-produced chirps in 15 seconds and adding 40, one can estimate the outdoor temperature. The handsome monarch butterflies are famous for migrating to Mexican A nature blog forests each fall to avoid northern winters. But it’s only the fourth generation by Clyde McMillan-Gamber, retired Lancaster County Parks naturalist of monarchs each year that makes the trip south during September and and longtime 50plus LIFE columnist October. Each spring, monarchs that spent winter in Mexico push north, sip flower Each story is like a walk with your own naturalist. nectar, lay eggs on milkweed plants, and then die. The next two generations each summer consume milkweeds as caterpillars, pupate, and continue north, sipping nectar, laying eggs on milkweed, and dying. NaturesWondersByClyde.BlogSpot.com But each year’s fourth generation journeys to Mexico to escape winter. During October, many hundreds of fluttering, orange-and-brown pearl
Nature’s Wonders
by Clyde
www.50plusLifePA.com
50plus LIFE
September 2021
11
