Syrphid Flies

Is it a bee? Is it a wasp? No it’s a syrphid fly also known as a hover fly. A small swarm of these little flies were hovering around at a picnic over Labor Day weekend. At first glance, I thought the little creature to be a sweat bee, it was black and yellow and awfully intent on sucking the sweat from my skin. But after it landed, I took a closer look and this little lady had only two wings!
 
Bees are in the insect order hymenoptera and have four wings. With only two wings, this was definitely a fly in the order diptera.
 
What then was with the bee get-up? That is this little fly’s clever disguise. A bird will not eat the fly for fear of being stung. You don’t have to worry however, as flies cannot sting. This defense mechanism where a harmless animal disguises itself to resemble a harmful animal to keep from being eaten is called Batesian mimicry.
 
So are syrphid flies good or bad? These flies are definitely all around good guys. As adults the flies feed on nectar, pollinating millions of flowers and fruit trees. The syrphid fly larvae feed exclusively on aphids, helping to alleviate the use of pesticides on our crops. To top it all off, even though they look like a bee, they have no stinger.
 
Summer is an excellent time to get a glimpse of these flies, so next time you see a “bee” hovering in the air, take a closer look. It may be our pal, the syrphid fly.

A Great Day for Butterflies at Grant Park
 
This is the time to shine, for butterflies that is. The fields and forest are a flurry of dainty, colorful wings. During a butterfly walk this week, Elisabeth Rothschild and I spotted 22 different species of butterflies and skippers. While recording one butterfly, three more would flitter past my head; I could barely keep up with them.
 
Most notable was this Little Yellow Sulpher. While not rare, it is much less common than the Clouded Sulphur it closely resembles. The little yellow is smaller than the clouded and has two brown dots next to the body on the ventral side of the wing.

With the exception of the Zebra Swallowtail, we spotted all of the Ohio swallowtail butterflies: Tiger, Giant, Black, Spicebush and Pipevine. At one area near the old wetland we dubbed “teasel alley” they were everywhere. Some were older, faded and tattered, while others were perfect specimens. All were hungry, and voraciously sucked on the sweet teasel nectar, barely bothered by our curious and close examinations.

At the wet meadow, a large orange and black butterfly caught our eye. Due to its size, it seemed at first certain to be a Monarch, but upon further investigation we noticed the black bar cutting across the hindwing of the butterfly in question. It was instead the common mimic of the Monarch, a Viceroy. As we watched, the Viceroy was not interested in nectar like the swallowtails. Instead it was sitting on a willow branch – a host plant of the Viceroy – laying eggs!

Take time to notice these beautiful creatures. If a butterfly is busy feeding, it may well be unfettered by your careful approach. Notice a butterfly spending time on a plant’s leaves and not the flowers? Look for a pearly egg left behind.

List of all butterflies and skippers found in Grant Park on September 1, 2010:

Black Swallowtail	17	Painted Lady	1
Buckeye	9	Pearl Crescent	6
Cabbage White	5	Peck's Skipper	46
Checkered Skipper	1	Pipevine Swallowtail	2
Clouded Sulphur	11	Red Spotted Purple	2
Eastern Tailed Blue	26	Silver Spotted Skipper	18
Giant Swallowtail	3	Spicebush Swallowtail	1
Grey Hairstreak	4	Summer Azure	6
Little Yellow	1	Tawny Edge	1
Monarch	2	Tiger Swallowtail	19
Orange Sulphur	12	Viceroy	31

• Is lethargic and unresponsive – even while hiding, the deer should appear aware of its surroundings
• Has been in the same spot for more than 10 hours - the doe should return within this time to feed the fawn
• Is vocalizing its distress and a doe does not appear - deer remain silent to stay under the radar of predators, a loud fawn is a panicking fawn

Summertime is upon us and it is a great time to take a hike through the cool, shady forests. During your walk you may hear various birds singing high in the treetops. We have many summertime singers that go unseen among all the green leaves of the forest, but we sure can hear them! The songs may be familiar, but the birds’ appearance may not be. The following are birds that dwell in our mature forests during the summer months.

Wood Thrush - The Wood Thrush's melodic "Ee-oh-lay" song alerts visitors to its presence. Sexes are alike in this robin-sized bird. Distinct features include the warm reddish-brown color of the crown and nape (fading to olive-brown on the back and wings), the white underparts, and the bold, dark spots on the throat, breast, and flanks. The Wood Thrush also has pink legs and a white eye-ring.

Eastern Wood-Peewee - One of the hallmark species of the Eastern deciduous forest, the Eastern Wood-Pewee is an inconspicuous dull brown bird. Despite its abundance, this bird could be easily overlooked if not for its persistent "pee-ah-wee" song.

Red-Eyed Vireo - The Red-eyed Vireo is a Neotropical migrant that makes its way from its home in Central and South America to the deciduous woodlands of North America to select a territory, win a mate and raise its young. Its persistent song of short individual phrases, as many as 40 to 60 per minute, is commonly heard in forests throughout the summer breeding season.

Warbling Vireo - The best place to look for this modestly plumaged vireo is in a grove of tall shade trees on the bank of a stream. Here, in the breeding season, one may hear its rambling song and, after a careful search, spot it moving deliberately through the foliage in pursuit of insects. Although still common in many areas, the Warbling Vireo has decreased considerably because of extensive spraying of pesticides on shade trees.

Eastern Phoebe - Perhaps the most familiar flycatcher in eastern North America, the Eastern Phoebe nests near people on buildings and bridges. It can be recognized by its emphatic "phee-bee" call and its habit of constantly wagging its tail. Around 1840, John James Audubon became America's first bird bander, and the Eastern Phoebe became America's first banded bird, after he "fixed a light silver thread to the leg" of several nestlings. When he returned to the area the following year, he located two of the banded birds with their own nests, evidence for his supposition that birds return to their natal home to breed.

	While the wetland mitigation project at Oak Creek South is still considered in its infancy – three years of growth and plant establishment is finally showing off. The first thing you will notice at the wetland or driving by is a sea of yellow.   Black-Eyed Susans – Rudbeckia hirta  - are in bloom with full force. This flower is a food source for Painted Lady butterflies and Hummingbird moths. Culturally it has been used by the Ojibwa as a poultice for snake bites and for treating colds and worms in children. The plant was also used as a diuretic by the Menominee and Potawatomi tribes.
Ohio Spiderwort – Tradescantia ohiensis   This three-petaled lavender flower blooms from late spring to mid-summer. The flowers and shoots are reportedly edible by humans and are certainly a favorite of White-Tailed Deer, Cottontail Rabbits, and Box Turtles. As you can see in the photos, many insects including this Syrphid fly enjoy visiting the flower for nectar and pollen.
	Butterfly Milkweed – Asclepias tuberosa   This native perennial has terminal clusters of bright orange blossoms that attract Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds, Fritillary and Swallowtail butterflies, among others. Unlike other members of the milkweed family, Butterfly Weed has a clear sap and the amount of cardiac glycosides is consistently low. It is a host plant for Monarch butterflies.
Swamp Milkweed – Asclepias incarnate   The large, showy terminal blossoms of this 2-4 ft. perennial are made up of small, rose-purple flowers. The juice of this wetland milkweed is less milky that that of other species. The genus was named in honor of Aesculapius, Greek god of medicine, undoubtedly because milkweeds have long been used to treat a variety of ailments. While milkweed is poisonous consumed raw, the young shoots, leaves, and buds can all be eaten boiled. Perhaps with such a subtle distinction, the plant is best left for Monarch and Queen caterpillars to consume.
	Elderberry Bush – Sambucus Canadensis With long, opposite branching, feathery compound leaves and large lacey clusters of white flowers, the blooming Elderberry bush is hard to miss. A long favorite of sailors and foraging enthusiasts, Elderberry flowers can be fried into a delicious fritters while the ripe berries often made into jams are rich in phosphorus, beta-carotene and vitamin C. The berries are also an important food source for birds than can strip a bush in under an hour. In addition, the most powerful wand in the famed children’s classic Harry Potter is made of sambucus and is known as the “Elder Wand.”
Rattlesnake Master – Eryngium yuccifolium   This odd looking member of the carrot family has blue-green leaves that closely resemble that of the yucca plant. The white prickly seed heads are a great nectar source for long-tongued bees and butterflies alike. Pioneers and Native Americans incorrectly thought that the root of this plant was an antidote for rattlesnake bites, hence its common name.
	Purple Coneflowers – Echinacea purpurea   Among a sea of yellow flowers, the Purple Coneflowers pop in stunning beauty. Echinacea means “hedgehog” in Greek and is named such for its spikey centered seed head. The plant is popularly brewed into a tea and used as an immunostimulator and treatment for the common cold. Look for Swallowtail butterflies to stop and drink nectar from this flower and Goldfinches to feast on the seeds.