Lesser Snapdragon

With a diminutive name, this alien species has settled well in Missouri.

It comes to us from Europe and grows in our waste areas. In the light of George Washington Carver, this little plant helps to renew the soil in many of these places. It is a light plant, with tiny, pink, lipped flowers that are only slightly more than a quarter of an inch across. The long, simple leaves curl if they get too long (kinda like toenails). The plants grow in clusters, but usually don't spread to fill large areas.

They also smell slightly sweet, but you'd have to get reeeeeeeallly close to even get that much out of it.

Scientific name:
Antirrhinum orontium

Giant Swallowtail on Swamp Thistle

Known as being the largest of butterflies in North America, the Giant Swallowtail makes its yearly trips through the state during the end of the summer months. As it grows colder and darker, the butterfly will float on south of here where it will spend the winter.

The butterfly can live for several generations which means there can be many generations living in one area. They are attracted to moist meadows and woodland edges. They are attracted to the largest of flowering plants, but they will land on fruit trees.

This one has landed on the large Swamp Thistle (Cirsium muticum, which is a native species of Missouri. It is large enough to carry the weight of this relatively heavy butterfly. The butterfly can have wings nearly six inches (+145 mm) in span. The hindwings are what set this species apart from its mimics. The wings are brightly colored and consistently patterned. Mimics usually have random patterns with smaller colorings.

The Swamp Thistle can be distinguished from its non-native relative Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense) by the bulb. The Swamp thistle has a near-translucent appearance up close. The green is soft and light. Canada Thistle appears more purplish with smaller bulbs. Both species are large, but Swamp Thistle can be over nine feet tall (+3 m).

Scientific name:
Giant Swallowtail - Papilio cresphontes
Swamp Thistle - Cirsium muticum

Supplemental Diets

Nighttime Series Shot #3
Ever seen a grasshopper eat a wasp? No? Maybe katydid? No? Well, here I give you the best of both worlds.

Yesterday I introduced you to the Gladiator Katydid. Today, I'll show you how some of the younger ones survive on an omnivorous diet. Most such insects live on leaves, but many are omnivores. They need some meat in their diets. So, they hunt out other insects that have fallen victim to something or other. This little fellow (notice the forked cerci) is nibbling on a wasp that was trapped in a spider's web. I found them on the ground near the web.

The wasp was gone in under two minutes. I guess this guy was hungry. He was also smart; the stinger was eaten last as he attacked the abdomen and worked his way up and down. Though his teeth are tough enough to chew through the softened body of the wasp, he probably won't be able to chew through you. He might nibble if you pick him up, but he won't damage you.

Anyway, I also thought this was a cool shot, so enjoy!

Gladiator Katydid

Nighttime Series Shot #2
Well, today I present a Gladiator Katydid hanging out on some White Sage. Though you can see these little fellers during the day, it's best to catch them at night. At night, they are much cooler and tend to stay calmer. They also come up higher in the grassy areas to feed. Therefore, you probably will catch a glimpse of them on top of some of the larger plants.

Gladiators are named so because of the pincer or fork-like protrusion (cerci in males)at the tip of the abdomen. Females have much longer ovipositors which look like swords and are nearly equal in length to the abdomen. Based on that, this one is probably a female. There are 18 species of Gladiator Katydids in North America alone. Identifications are made by close examination of the cerci on males.

Notice the sleek shine and the bright-green color. Even though it resembles a grasshopper, it has the longer, thinner legs of a katydid, and the hindwings extend much further than the forewings. The sound it makes is also close to a katydid in that it is a chirping click rather than a drone.

Scientific name:
Orchelimum gladiator