Applegater., November 01, 2019, Page 13, Image 13

Applegater Winter 2019
13
BIRD EXPLORER
The tale of the Lewis’s Woodpecker
BY PETER J. THIEMANN
In autumn we had a
bumper crop of acorns,
from both white and black
oaks and, higher up, from
tan oaks.
Many animals benefit
f r o m t h i s b o u n t y,
including several species
of woodpeckers. There are
two that really stand out:
the Acorn Woodpecker and
the Lewis’s Woodpecker.
Acorn Woodpeckers,
the “tribal clowns,” are
often seen near their
granary trees, working hard to store acorns
for winter. This is a community effort, with
family and friends working together to
drill holes where acorns are stored whole,
with shell and all. Some granary trees have
thousands of holes in them and are fiercely
protected by the Acorn Woodpeckers.
Acorn Woodpeckers are resident birds in
our oak savannah, nesting in tree cavities.
But there is competition from a winter
guest, the Lewis’s Woodpecker, named
after Lewis from the Lewis and Clark
Expedition in the early 1800s. This
woodpecker displays some unusual colors
Day-flying Wild
Forget-me-not Moth
BY LINDA KAPPEN
The Gnophaela latipennis is a diurnal
(active in daytime) moth, of the Erebidae
family of moths, that sips nectar from
wildflowers alongside the many butterflies
of summer. The common name of this
day-flying moth is Wild Forget-me-not,
but I will call it “latipennis” for most of
this article.
The caterpillars are yellow with black
patches, blue spots, and clusters of white
hairs. The head of the caterpillar is reddish.
The caterpillars feed on Cynoglossum
grande—houndstongue of the Borage
family. The adult latipennis has black wings
with white
markings
showing a
d i s t i n c t i ve
pattern.
Caterpillars
feed on
Cynoglossum
grande—
houndstongue
of the Borage
family.
There is a single small white spot on
each side of the head. The forewings have
two clusters of four white spots each.
Each of the hindwings each has clusters of
white spots, one of three spots, the other
of two. Adults feed on the nectar of many
wildflowers. The latipennis have one flight
period near the months of May, June, and
July. The caterpillar and the adult moth are
very striking.
The habitat of the Gnophaela latipennis
is a mixed forest of conifers and hardwoods,
oak woodlands, or other wooded areas
with openings in the canopy where the
houndstongue plants grow. The range of
this moth is from central California north
to western Oregon.
I usually see latipennis flying in mid-
elevation areas in the Siskiyou Mountains
and western Cascade Mountains. I
have observed populations of latipennis
remaining in an area from two to three
weeks, actively sipping the nectar of
wildflowers and mating along our flower-
laden mountain trails.
In March 2013, my son Dakota and I
went on a hike on the Enchanted Forest
Trail in Applegate. After reaching the top
and unique habits. It catches insects in
mid-air like a flycatcher, then works to store
acorns. Unlike the Acorn Woodpecker, the
Lewis’s will hammer the acorns open and
store smaller pieces for ready use in winter.
So, different bird species use different
techniques to accomplish the same goal.
we found a caterpillar of
the latipennis. I was able
to take it home and rear
it with houndstongue
from the woods on
our property. We kept
it in a small protective
habitat on our porch
with a houndstongue
plant, where it formed
its cocoon. A couple of
months later, it finally
appeared as an adult day-
flying moth. We let it go
to fly among butterflies.
The Gnophaela latipennis
can be misidentified as
Gnophaela vermiculata.
Although I have never seen
the two species fly together,
I have witnessed them in two
separate meadows that were
very close together. During a
lepidoptera survey of Crater
Lake National Park this past
summer, I photographed
the vermiculata in one
meadow; then, during a hike through
the forest, I photographed latipennis in a
second meadow. Just like the moths, the
hostplants for these two species are also of
the same family.
If you are out on the mid-elevation trails
this coming spring, look for this beautiful
caterpillar feeding on houndstongue. Once
WEST COAST CONTRACTING
Matt Krauss
541-659-3207
Excavation, Trucking, Water Delivery
CCB #213190
Support your local Applegate businesses!
JOIN THE 20 YEAR TRADITION !
Every Thursday until April, it’s Oysters & Ale night.
Live music - A new beer each week from local breweries
and distributors - Specials throughout the night. And,of
course oysters on the half shell. It’s always a great time
at the Bella Union!
$ 1 Oysters and $ 4 Beers
541 899 -1770 www.bellau.com
170 West California St. Jacksonville, OR
Colors
Peter J. Thiemann
of iridescent
green, pink-
red, and white, which are not seen in
any other North American bird, adorn
the stunning Lewis’s Woodpecker.
They are highly territorial and will
chase Acorn Woodpeckers away from
their granary trees and foraging area—
the two woodpeckers really don’t like
each other.
The best places in our area to see this
unusual winter guest are Agate Lake,
Emigrant Lake, and the Cascade-
Siskiyou National Monument.
Peter Thiemann
peterjthiemann@yahoo.com
Photos courtesy
of
peterjtheimann flickr photo stream.
Wild Forget-me-not Moth
Wild Forget-me-not caterpillar
in flight among the wildflowers, the moths
would be hard to miss with their nectaring
and mating behavior!
Linda Kappen
humbugkapps@hotmail.com
Photos by
Linda Kappen.