marbling on the under side of the hind
wings. It is called the Falcate Orange-
tip from the shape and color of the
front wings, although only the males
are orange-tipped. A
(See also the next section.) *
YELLOWS
Several species of yellow butterflies
are closely related to the Whites just
described. They nearly all feed on
clover and its allies. It should be re-
??^ff^>^n '^
TIGER SWALLOWTAIL (Papilio glaucus)
Male, above; female, form turnus, below
167
WHITES AND YELLOWS
From above downward.— Cabbage Butterfly iPieris rapie); male, left, and female.
Mustard White (P. napi). Checkered White (P. protodice); male, left, and female.
Falcate Orange-tip {Anthocharis genutia); male, left, and under side. Little Sulphur
(Terias lisa); male, left, and under side
168
OUR COMMOX BITTEHFLIES
169
Regal Fritillary {Argynnis idalia) ; male, above, and under side
marked parenthetically that when the
food of a species is mentioned we mean
the food of its youngs for adult butter-
flies do not eat. At most they sip
water from wayside pools or nectar
from flowers through a coiled tubehke
mouth which entirely lacks teeth or
even jaws.
The most common Yellow in the
Northeast is the Clouded Sulphur. It
may be distinguished from the Little
Sulphur by its size and by the presence
of a silvery spot on the under surface
of each hind wing. Occasion allj^ the
normalh^ yellow parts of the Clouded
Sulphur are white but the silvery spots
differentiate it from the Wliites. This
variation is confined to the female.
THE FRITILLARIES
Three of our Fritillaries have a wing
expanse of at least two inches. They
are tawny or tawny-red above, variously
studded with silvery wliite spots be-
low. The upper surface of the hind
wings of the Regal Fritillary is nearly
black but the base is taw^ny and there
are tw^o row^s of hght spots. The outer
170
NATURAL HISTORY
^ f
Great Spangled Fritillary (Argynnis cybele) ; male, above, and under side
row of these spots is tawny in the male,
both being whitish in the female. The
Great Spangled and Smaller Spangled
have no white markings on the upper
surface and the wings are darker at the
base than elsewhere although not at all
black except for spots and irregular
bands. It is difficult to distinguish
between these two species, the chief
difference being on the under side of the
hind wings,which in the Great Spangled
have a much wider and paler yellow
band than in the Smaller Spangled.
The latter is the smallest of the three.
All of them feed upon violets, as do
the Meadow and the Silver-bordered,
their smaller relatives. The last two
species are very similar on the upper
side but on the under side the Meadow
does not have any silvery spots.
The Pearl Crescent, which feeds
upon asters, should be considered with
the last two mentioned, for each has the
upper side tawny, closely checkered
with black. The under side is yellow-
ish mottled with brown, a whitish cres-
centic spot near the middle of the hind
margin being usually present and fre-
quently accompanied by other similar
spots.
The Baltimore has the ground color
of both wings black, bordered with
OUR COMMON BUTTERFLIES
171
v^-^
Smaller Spangled Fritillary {Argynnis aphrodite) ; male, above, and under side
orange-red spots within which are two
or three rows of white spots. The
under side is similar to the upper but
with additional spotting. This butter
fly is subject to great variation. Dur-
ing the season in which they are born
the caterpillars are gregarious, living
mthin a web with which they envelope
their food-plant, the Turtle-head and,
less commonly, allied plants. After
molting three times, the whole colony
hibernates within the web, made more
dense for the purpose. In the following
spring,, they leave the web, disperse,
and feed upon a great variety of plants..
ANGLE-WINGS
The Angle- wings ''look as if Mother
Nature had with her scissors snipped
the edges of their wings, fashioning
notches and points according to the
vagaries of an idle mood." The wing
expanse is about two inches and, while
the upper surface is tawny, variously
marked, the under surface is a com-
bination of brown and gray which
corresponds so closely with the color
of dead leaves that an Angle-mng at
rest on the forest floor is extremely well
hidden.
The Violet-tip has a tail suggestive
172
NATURAL HISTORY
*• •* ,^
From above downward (under sides on the right).— Silver-bordered Fritillary {Brenthif
mijrina); Meadow Fritillary (B. bellona); Pearl Crescent (Phijciodes tharos); and the Balti-
more (Melitsea phaeton)
of the Swallowtails. The upper surface
of this tail and the adjacent marginal
portions of the hind wing are tinged
with violet. On the under side of each
hind wing there is a pair of silvery
markings which are somewhat Hke an
interrogation point. The young feed
on elm leaves.
The Hop Merchant or Comma has a
silvery comma or parenthesis on the
OUR COMMON BUTTERFLIES
173
From above downward (under sides on the right). — Violet Tip {Polygonia intcrrogationis) ,
Hop Merchant (P. covima); and Gray Comma (P. progne)
under side of each hind wing and there
is considerable yellowish color on the
under surface of both pairs of wings.
The first name given here refers to
the feeding habits of the young but
wood-nettle is the preferred food-
plant.
The Gray Comma or Progne has a
silvery marking similar to that of the
Comma but smaller, and the under
174
NATURAL HISTORY
Mourning Cloak (Aglais antiopa) ; upper, above, and under side
surface lacks yellow. Its young prefer
the leaves of currant and gooseberry.
The Angle-wings hibernate as adults.
VANESSAS
The Red Admiral has "eye-spots"
(circular spots surrounded by one or
more rings of a different color) on the
under side of the hind wings but they
are usually very indistinct. This
species can best be recognized by the
brilliant red band crossing each black
front wing.
Eye-spots are very distinct on the
unc'er surface of the hind wings of
Hunter's and the Thistle Butterflies.
For some strange reason, these, but
more particularly the latter, are also
called the Painted Lady or Painted
Beauty. The Thistle is one of the most
widely distributed of butterflies — as
widely as the thistles on which it feeds.
There are usually four eye-spots on
each hind wing, below, these spots
being smaller than the two of Hunter's.
The Mourning Cloak, or, as the
English call it, the Camber well Beauty,
is blackish with a lighter margin
THREE COMMON VANESSAS
The upper sides are shown on the left; the under sides on the right. From above
down they are the Red Admiral {Vanessa atalanta), Hunter's Butterfly (T'^. huntera),
and the Thistle Butterfly {V. cardui) . Each of these has also been put in the genus
Pyrameis, instead of Vanessa
Ol'H COMMOX Bi'TTI'lUriJKS
175
iindonicath, and Iduc-bku-k-ln'ownish
edgetl with yellow above. Its spiny
young feed on willow, poplar, ebu,
and the like.
The Buckeye has a narrow orange,'
band near the border of its brown
wings. Each front wing is ornamented
with a whitish transverse band and a
large eye-spot. The hind wing has two
of these eye-spots. Beneath, the front
any rate, none of us has evei- found the
Monarch in the North duiing the
wiiitci'. alllioiigh its black ami yellow
banded larvae with their Icjiig flexible
"horns," and its gold-tlotted delicate
bluish-green chrysalis are as easily
recognized as the adult.
The Viceroy resembles to an astonish-
ing degree the common and wide-spread
l)ut not closely relat(>d Milkweed or
Buckeye (Junonia coenia); upper, left, and under sides
wings are similar but duller in color.
The hind wings are grayish, brownish, or
reddish, with the eye-spots represented
by mere spots or dots.
The Vanessas, like the Angle-wings,
hibernate as adults hidden away under
a pile of fence rails, in a hollow log or
in some such nook.
THE RULERS
The Monarch, or Milkweed Butter-
fly, during early autumn assembles in
great swarms in the northeastern
United States, large numbers hanging
quietly from the leaves and branches of
trees and shrubs. These flocks then
move southward, suggesting the migra-
tion of birds. It is believed, but not
positively established, that there are
return migrants in the spring. At
Monarch Butterfly. Its general color
is a tawny red; the wing veins are
outhned in black, and there is a white-
spotted black margin to the wings.
So far, the description will fit either
species, but the Viceroy has a narrow
black band across the middle of the
hind wings which the Monarch lacks.
Like other members of its genus (Basil-
archia), it hibernates as a larva in a
silken-lined tube formed of part of a
leaf of the food-plant and attached to
a twig by silk.
The Blue Emperor is also called the
Red-spotted Purple, the red spots
being at the apex of the front wings
on the upper side but more scattered
on the lower side. This is, perhaps, our
most l^eautiful butterfly and is subject
to great color variation. Some indi-
RULERS
From above downward. — Monarch {Danus archippus); Viceroj' {Basilarchia archippus)
and Blue Emperor {B. astyanax)
OUR COMMON BUTTERFLIES,
1'
vitluals have the reel spots on the
upper side entirely wanting. In others
there is a distinct "reenish cast, espe-
cially distinct on the hintl wings. It
has also a very rare form, albofasciata,
so called because of the white Inind on
r<jw of four small spots on the upper
surface of each front wing and the
Little Wood-satyr has but two. The
l)rown of both is rather pale and both
have the spots on the upper surface of
the 1 iiid wings "eyed."
Common Wood-nymph {Satyrus alope), above; Common Grass-nymph
(Satyrodes canthus), left; and Little Wood-sat\T (Neonympha eurytus)
both fore and hind wing. This form
closely resembles the AMiite Admiral
of the Catskills and northward, but
white-banded specimens taken in the
\'icinity of New York City are albo-
fasciata.
THE EYED BROWNS
The common NjTnphs have eye-spots
on the upper side of the front wings.
The general color is brownish. That of
the Common Wood-mTuph is dark but
the eye-spots of the front wdngs are set
in a yellowish band. There are not
usually more than two, if any, spots
on the upper surface of each hind
wing.
The Common Grass-nymph has a
HAIR-STREAKS, COPPERS,
AXD BLUES
We can give only a few examples of
this large family of small and often
brilHant butterflies. The legs of the
slug-shaped caterpillars are so short-
ened that these creatures seem to glide
rather than crawl. The larvae of many
species secrete a sweetish fluid which is
eagerly gathered by ants and the
larvae w^iU usuallj- be found with one or
more ants in attendance. Of the
species mentioned below, the larvae of
the Coral Hair-streak feed at night,
and during the day remain beneath
the surface of the ground in ants nests
at the foot of the food-plant. Their
chrvsalis is also formed there.
178
NATURAL HISTORY
From above downward (under sides on the right). — Gray Hair-
streak (Strymon melinus). Coral Hair-streak (S. titus). Banded Hair-
streak {S. calanus)
The Gray Hair-streak has the upper
side of both wings brownish-gray, with
an orange patch on each hind wing.
Beneath, the wings are light p^ray with
two dark, white-edged lines, in addition
to the orange patches. Each hind wing
is also provided with a long threadlike
tail.
The Coral and Banded Hair-streaks
are brown on the upper and under sides
of their wings and without markings
above. Below, the Banded has two
narrow blue bands, and, on each hind
wing, one or two orange patches, a
blue patch, and a threadhke tail; the
Coral has a row of black dots near the
center, and a band of coral-red spots
(sometimes absent on the front pair)
along the margin of each wing.
The American Copper has its front
wings coppery-red with some black
spots. Its hind wings are brownish
with a coppery-red border. The under
side is similar but much paler.
The Tailed Blue is a delicate little
blue creature which has tails that may
be seen b}^ looking closely, but it is
apt to be confused with the Common
Blue — its extremely variable relative.
Each of them has several generations
a year, although the latter is frequently
called the Spring Azure on account of
its abundance when other butterflies
are scarce.
OUR COMiMOX inTTERFLIES
179
V^^rj^'
«f
From above downward. — American Copper {Heodes hijpophlseas); male,
left, and under side. Tailed Blue {Everes comyntas); male, left, and under side.
Common Blue {Lycsenopsis pseudargiolus) ; male, left, and female; below them
three showine variations of under side.
THE SKIPPERS
These butterflies, belonging to the
faniih' Hesperiidse, get their common
name from their rapid, darting flight.
They are, for the most part, small and
dull-colored. The sexes of some species
differ in the markings on the upper side.
The Silver-spotted Skipper may be
recognized by the large silver}^ spot on
the under side of the hind wings. It is
extremely pugnacious and will dash at
any insect which flies near it.
The Sooty- wing has nearh' black
wings, the front with some minute
white dots; the female has additional
indistinct white dots on the hind wing.
The under side is similar but paler.
Numitor is called the Least Skipper
because of its small size. Its wings are
tawny and dark brown. The front
wings are generally dark above but have
a light front margin below.
The Tawny-edged Skipper has the
front wings in the male tawny with
a brown border and the hind wings
brown. The female has brown wings
180
NATURAL HISTORY
wffP
^^^ %liiiff %i^^
wfpT Wf9 â–¼?â–¼
^M^
Ww
From above downward. — iSilver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus tityrus), upper and under
sides. Left, Sooty-wing (Pholisora catullus); right, Least Skipper {Ancyloxypha numUor)
Males, left; females, center; under sides, right: Tawny-edged Skipper (Polites cernes);
Yellow-spotted Skipper (P. peckius) ; Volcanic Skipper (Caiia otho egeremet)
with a few tawny spots on the front hind wings are dull greenish-yellow
pair, which also have a tawny upper with an indistinct band of minute whit-
edge in some specimens. Beneath, the ish dots across their centers,
front wings are similar but paler; the The Yellow-spotted Skipper has
OUR COMMON BUTTERFLIES
181
hLfj^ te^^ ^^
•yV #fP^ ^IP^
From above downward. — Mormon Skipper {Atrytone hobomok) ; male, left, and
under side; female, left, and the variety pocahontas. Little Glass-wing (Atry-
tonopsis verna); male, left; female, center; and under side.
bright yellow spots, as shown in the
figure, on a brown ground color. These
are brighter and larger on the under side
of the wings. Other species have similar
colors but the pattern is different.
The Volcanic Skipper is dark brown
with a few yellow spots on the front
wing. The under side is similar to the
Tawny-edged, but darker, with the
band on the hind wings more distinct.
The Mormon Skipper has two fe-
male forms. The typical one is tawny
orange with dark brown borders; the
other (variety pocahontas) is dark brown
with white markings. They are less
common than the typical form.
The Little Glass- wing has dark brown
wings with whitish-translucent spots
on the front pair. The under side is
similar to the Volcanic, but the spots
are whitish, not yellow.
In addition to those already men-
tioned, there are about twenty other
species which are rather common in
this vicinity, but longer and more
technical descriptions than can be
given here would be necessary for
their identification. The}' are, for the
most part, Hair-streaks and Skippers,
small brownish or brown and yellow
creatures which flit before our eyes and
then, aided by their conceahng colors,
disappear.
Explanation of Following Table:
E = Egg. L = Larva (caterpillar). P =
Pupa. A = Adult. The "calendar" will vary
somewhat with locality and weather.
TABLE OF LIFE HISTORIES
NAME
Nov. to
March
Tiger
Swallowtail
Asterias
Swallowtail
Spicebush
Swallowtail
Cabbage
Butterfly
Mustard White
Checkered
White
Falcate
Orange-tip
Clouded Sulphur
Little Sulphur
Regal Fritillary
Great Spangled
Fritillary
Smaller Spangled
Fritillary
Silver-bordered
Fritillary
Meadow
Fritillary
Pearl Crescent
Baltimore
Violet-tip
Hop Merchant
Gray Comma
Red Admiral
Hunter's
Butterfly
Thistle
F
P
P
P
P
P
P
LP
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
A
A
A
PA
PA
A
April
PA
P
PAE
PAE
AE
AE
AE
PA
?
L
L
L
LP
LP
LP
L
A
A
A
A
A
A
May
AEL
AEL
AEL
AEL
AEL
AEL
AEL
AEL
June
LP
LP
LP
PAEL
LPA
PAEL
LP
AELP
AELP
LP
L I LPA
July
AEL
AEL
AEL
AELP
AELP
AELP
P
Aug.
Sept.
AELP
AEL
ALP
AELP
LPAE
AELP
P
L
PAE
PAE
AEL
LPA
AEL
AEL
AEL
AEL
AEL
AEL
LPAE AELP
LPA
AELP
AELP
AELP
LPAE
AELP
AELP
AELP
AELP
AELP
AELP
AELP
PA
PA
PA
LPAE
LPAE
PAEL
LPAE
Oct.
AELP
AE
AE
AE
LPAE
LPAE
AELP
L
AEL
AEL
AEL
PAEL
PAEL
PAEL
AELP
AELP
AELP
LPA
LPA
LPAE
AELP
AELP
AELP
AELP
AEL
AELP
P
LPAE
AELP
AEL
AEL
AEL
AEL
AEL
AEL
L
LPA
LPA
LPA
PA
LPA
PAEL
P
LP
LP
ALP
LP
ALP
P
AEL
A
L
L
L
L
L
AL
L
PA
A
A
PA
PA
PA
Preferred
Food-plant
Wild Cherry
Wild Carrot
Sassafras
Cabbage
Two-leaved
Toothwort
Wild
Peppergrass
Lyre-leaved
Rock-cress
Clover
Sensitive Pea
Violet
Violet
HAUNTS
Open Fields
and Woods
Open Fields,
Meadows
Open Fields,
Woods, Meadows
Gardens,
Open Fields
Open Woods,
Wood Roads
Open Fields,
Waste Places
Open Woods
Open Fields,
Meadows
Open Sandy
Fields
Wet Meadows
Wet Meadows
Violet Wet Meadows
Violet Wet Meadows
Violet
Aster
Turtle-head
Elm
Wood Nettle
Currant
Nettle
Sweet or
White Balsam
Burdock
Wet' Meadows
Open Fields,
Meadows
Wet Meadows
& Marshes
Open Woods,
Lanes, Roads
Open Woods,
Lanes, Roads
Open Woods,
Lanes, Roads
Wood Roads,
Lanes
Open Fields,
Meadows
Open Fields,
Waste Places
182
TABLE OF LIFE HISTORIES
NAME
Mourning Cloak
Buckeye
Monarch
Viceroy
Blue Emperor
Common
Wood-nymph
Common
Grass-nymph
Little
Wood-satyr
Gray Hair-streak
Coral
Hair-streak
Banded
Hair-streak
American Copper
Tailed Blue
Common Blue
Silver-spotted
Skipper
Sooty-wing
Least Skipper
Tawny-edged
Skipper
Yellow-spotted
Skipper
Volcanic Skipper
Mormon Skipper
Little
Glass-wing
Nov. to
March
A
A?
Absent
L
L
L
L
L
P
E
L
P
L
P
P
L
P?
P
LP
L
LP
L
April
AE
A
Absent
L
L
L
L
L
P
E
L
PA
PA
AE
P
LP
P
P
LP
L(P?)
LP
L
May
AEL
AEL
AEL
LP
LP
L
L
PA
PAEL
EL
L
AEL
AEL
AEL
AEL
PAEL
PA
PA
PA
(LP?)
PA
June
July
LP
AELP
LP
AELP
LPAE
LP
LPA
AEL
AELP
LPA
LPA
AELP
AELP
AELP
LPAE
AELP
AEL
AEL
PAE
PAE
PAE
LP PAE
AEL
PAEL
AEL
AEL
AEL
PA
PAE
AEL
PAEL
PAE
AE
PAEL
LPAE
AELP
PAEL
LPAE
PAEL
AELP
AEL
AEL
AEL
AEL
Aug.
LPAE
PAEL
AELP
ELPA
LPAE
AEL
AEL
L
PAEL
AE
AE
AELP
AELP
AELP
AEL
PAEL
LPAE
LPAE
LPAE
AEL
L
AEL
Sept.
AELP
AELP
LPAE
AEL
AEL
AEL
L
L
AELP
E
EL
PAEL
AEL
AELP
ALP
AEL
AEL
AEL
AEL
L
LP
L
Oct.
LPA
LPA
ALP
L
L
L
L
L
LP
E
L
AELP
L
LP
LP
L
P?
LP
LP
L
LP
L
Preferred
Food-plant
Willow, Elm
Geradia
Milkweed
Willow
Wild Cherry
Grasses
Grasses
Grasses
Pea & Bean
Family
Wild Cherry
Hickory
Sorrel
Round-headed
Bush-clover
Maple-leaved
Arrow-wood
Locust
Pigweed,
Amaranth
Grasses
Grasses
Grasses
Grasses
Grasses
Grasses
HAUNTS
Open Woods,
Lanes
Open Fields
& Roads
Open Fields,
Meadows
Damp Places,
Meadows
Lanes, Orchards
Grassy Meadows
Wet Meadows,
Swamps
Grassy Places,
Edges of Woods,
Dry Fields
Open Fields
Wood Roads
& Woods
Fields, Roads,
Meadows
Open Fields,
Meadows
Open Woods
Open Fields near
Locust Trees
Waste Places,
Roads
Grassy Places,
Fields & Meadows
Grassy Places,
Fields & Meadows
Grassy Places,
Fields & Meadows
Grassy Places,
Fields & Meadows
Grassy Places,
Edges of Woods,
Meadows
Grassy Places,
Fields, Meadows
183
ALL THE INTERESTING FEATURES OF A BROOK ARE BY NO MEANS ABOVE THE
SURFACE OF ITS WATERS. NATURE HAS HIDDEN MANY FASCINATING
INSECTS THERE — WINTER AND SUMMER
184
Some Residents of a Brook'
By WILLIAM M. SAVIN
B\" no nu^uis all of the interesting
featm-es of a brook are above the
t^urfaee of its waters, nor are
they only the scaly vertebrates so
tempting to the angler. Nature has
hidden many fascinating insects under-
neath stones on the brook's bottom
and others among the submerged plant
life, while still others go darting here
and there, now up and now down.
Judging by several things, including
the respiratory system, scientists be-
lieve that many, or possibly all, of our
aquatic insects are descendants of truly
terrestrial ones. The whirligig beetles
that swing their dizzy circles on the
surface of the water, now and then
diving to escape danger from above,
have the same sort of breathing appara-
tus as the tiger beetles that live on the
hot sand of the dryest barrens. How-
ever, when they dive they carry down
with them a supply of air safely tucked
away between body and wings, a tiny
bubble usually showing at the wings'
tips. The young of these whirligig
beetles, somewhat wormlike creatures
living entirely in the water, have gills
along each side of the body; but these
gills are connected with an internal
respiratory system that is similar to
that of any caterpillar.
Whether adult or young, an insect
has in its body a system of tubes that
carries air directly to the various tissues.
This, you will note, is quite a different
arrangement from that of vertebrates
where blood goes to lungs or gills for a
supply of oxygen which it then carries
to the tissues. The gills of the j^oung
whirligig beetles mentioned above
cover openings into the system of air-
'lUustrations from photographs
tubes, called tracheae. Tlu-ough the
walls of these tracheal gills the air
contained in the body of the insect is
purified.
The whirligig beetles swing their dizz>"
circles on the surface of the water
These beetles, then, are really, as one
might say, terrestrial insects living in
the water just as whales are terrestrial
mammals that have taken to the ocean.
In a way they are like toads and frogs,
amphibia. However, aquatic beetles
make up only a small portion of all
beetles and the others are purely
terrestrial.
Each principal order of insects has at
least a few more or less aquatic repre-
sentatives, the degree of adaptation to
that environment varying from merely
an ability to live on the surface of the
water to a condition of affairs where the
entire life is spent underneath except
for short mating flights and journeys
from one locality to another. But, all
adult insects are fundamentally crea-
tm'es of the upper air and even those
adults that are usually submerged
by the author, except as noted.
185
186
NATURAL HISTORY
must come to the surface to breathe
just as whales come up to "blow."
Curiously, the orders in which every
species has aquatic young, such as the
dragon-flies, the May-flies, and the
stone-flies, have adults that never
enter the water excapt to lay eggs, and
few do even that.
Of the insects living on the surface
of the water and rarely going beneath,
the water-striders are among the most
Water-striders glide about on still places
in the brook, pouncing upon helpless insects
that have fallen in
interesting. They are true bugs; that
is, they have piercing mouth-parts,
four, if any, pairs of wings, and "in-
complete metamorphosis." By the
latter phrase we mean that the young
just hatched from the egg looks much
like the adult except that it is small
and has no wings. From time to time,
as it gets older, such an insect sheds its
skin, at each molt becoming larger and