A moth that keeps to the straight and narrow
Those of you who have been following this column since its early days may recall the Yin-Yang, celestial orb picture of a buttonbush flower head, Cephalanthus occidentalis, from early August of 2011. This bush (or even small tree) thrives near water, so it’s no surprise that I found one on September 5 of that year when I visited Twin Lakes Park in the town of Cedar Park, a rapidly growing suburb adjacent to the northern boundary of Austin. Not only did I find flowers, and below them buds, but on the already open flowers I found an Ailanthus webworm moth, Atteva aurea. Because of its elongated shape, colorfully patterned body, and often diurnal wanderings, the moth surprises some people by being, in fact, a moth.
© 2012 Steven Schwartzman
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Wow, that’s a moth? I never would have guessed that!! The colours and markings are beautiful that’s for sure :).
photosfromtheloonybin
September 4, 2012 at 6:08 AM
I’ve been learning that there are a lot of elongated moths in central Texas, though most are more toned-down than this one.
Steve Schwartzman
September 4, 2012 at 11:07 AM
I would have not guessed that it was. It almost looks like a fancy bead. We are supposed to have buttonbush here, but I have never seen it.
sandy
September 4, 2012 at 6:24 AM
The best place to find a buttonbush is along a creek or close to a pond or lake. I hope you find one, because the flowers have a wonderful scent.
Steve Schwartzman
September 4, 2012 at 11:08 AM
Was für ein wundervolles Makro!!
einfachtilda
September 4, 2012 at 6:42 AM
Danke. I wish you could have been there to see it.
Steve Schwartzman
September 4, 2012 at 11:09 AM
Fantastic photo.
bentehaarstad
September 4, 2012 at 7:00 AM
Thanks, Bente. I had this picture ready to post a year ago, and somehow it kept getting bumped. Now that it has seen the light of day, I’m pleased that people like it.
Steve Schwartzman
September 4, 2012 at 11:10 AM
Someday, someone’s finally going to capture a shot of the variegated link-hopper. I didn’t expect to be seeing a pygmy grasshopper that looks like a horned toad this morning, but around here it’s impossible to predict what’s next!
These are beauties – flower and moth both. I had the same thought about the moth – it looks like an African trade bead with antennae and feet.
shoreacres
September 4, 2012 at 7:38 AM
Linda, Look here: http://www.redbubble.com/groups/bug-hunt/forums/7106/topics/57801-leafhopper-identification You will have to scroll about 3\4 down. Is this is your wee beastie. 😉
pixilated2
September 4, 2012 at 10:59 AM
Sure looks like it! And isn’t the variety of these little critters amazing? There’s a whole world buzzing and crawling around us we never see!
shoreacres
September 4, 2012 at 2:39 PM
I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the variegated link-hopper, however elusive it may be. You and Sandy made an association with beads, something I wouldn’t have done, but something that seems appropriate. Maybe you two can get together and start making (or even selling) beads in the shapes of eye-catching insects.
Steve Schwartzman
September 4, 2012 at 11:14 AM
Nice click!
ROAS
September 4, 2012 at 8:27 AM
Nice moth!
Steve Schwartzman
September 4, 2012 at 11:22 AM
lol..
ROAS
September 4, 2012 at 1:58 PM
Steve, This is a beautiful photo, and thank you for the link to the moth information. I think I have seen a few of its cousins both here and in California.
~Lynda
pixilated2
September 4, 2012 at 11:03 AM
Thanks, Lynda, and you’re welcome for the link. What would 21st-century teachers be without links, right?
Steve Schwartzman
September 4, 2012 at 11:20 AM
😀
pixilated2
September 4, 2012 at 1:04 PM
The diversity of plants and animals in your area just amazes me! Super photo!!!
dhphotosite
September 4, 2012 at 12:26 PM
We do have a lot of plant species here, but they’re way outnumbered by the number of insect species, as I believe is true everywhere. I’ve taken pictures of various plant species that haven’t appeared yet in these pages, though they eventually will, and I still occasionally find more. I often see new insects.
Steve Schwartzman
September 4, 2012 at 12:37 PM
I am a big fan of the Buttonbush. Great place for Bees and Butterflies to stop by and savor its nectar. Also the deer here seem to love them. We have several stands of them on our place.
The Jagged Man
September 4, 2012 at 10:28 PM
How nice that you have several stands of buttonbush on your own property (I always have to go somewhere to see one). As you say, their fragrant flowers are great attractors of insects.
Steve Schwartzman
September 4, 2012 at 10:32 PM
Jamás había visto una polilla así, me gusta esta imagen, colores preciosos, besos
ManoliRizoFotografia
September 5, 2012 at 4:45 AM
Manoli says that she’s never seen a moth like this and that she likes the beautiful colors in the image.
Para mí también pareció extraña la primera vez que vi esta especie de polilla, pero la veo de vez en cuando.
Steve Schwartzman
September 5, 2012 at 6:33 AM
[…] you saw a picture of a buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis, getting a visit from a colorful moth. Now it’s time to show you that after the plant’s creamy white, wonderfully fragrant […]
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September 5, 2012 at 6:08 AM
Congratulations on a great fashion shoot.
lensandpensbysally
September 5, 2012 at 8:20 AM
Thanks, Sally. You’re the first person to characterize one of these sessions as a fashion shoot.
Steve Schwartzman
September 5, 2012 at 1:58 PM
Do you have a Hall of Fame for first?
lensandpensbysally
September 5, 2012 at 3:14 PM
No, no Hall of Fame, just cheery thanks.
Steve Schwartzman
September 5, 2012 at 4:30 PM
Truly an artistic endeavor, much more than a photo!
Bonnie Michelle
September 5, 2012 at 9:18 AM
And I appreciate that, too, Bonnie.
Steve Schwartzman
September 5, 2012 at 1:59 PM
That’s a beautiful photo!
Candace
September 5, 2012 at 11:26 PM
A lot was going on there. A year has passed, but I remember the occasion well.
Steve Schwartzman
September 6, 2012 at 12:09 AM
[…] in the seed core. This time the blue in the background is the sky, not the water that appeared in the moth-enhanced photograph from last year that you saw two posts ago. That’s because the creek along which this buttonbush was growing […]
A closer look at a buttonbush seed core, with remnants of visitors « Portraits of Wildflowers
September 6, 2012 at 6:00 AM
The moth’s a beauty, and the design of the flower is very special. Lovely shot against the blue sky.
Finn Holding
September 9, 2012 at 3:14 AM
Thank you. It took me a year to post this picture, but I finally got it in.
Steve Schwartzman
September 9, 2012 at 8:51 AM
Beauty of the nature — in its flora and fauna is a promise to human senses–to enjoy and be happy!
Firasz
September 12, 2012 at 10:05 PM
I was certainly happy to see this.
Steve Schwartzman
September 13, 2012 at 12:11 AM
[…] of plants with globose flower heads like buttonbush and sensitive-briar, here’s yet another: Cirsium texanum, the Texas thistle. You saw an […]
Globose | Portraits of Wildflowers
July 17, 2014 at 6:07 AM
[…] It seems that search engines have lost none of their prowess in deciphering misspellings. In this case the searcher was after a buttonbush. […]
A fourth year of search engine fun | Portraits of Wildflowers
January 1, 2015 at 1:35 AM