Floracliff Nature Sanctuary

It’s not everyday that a family of river otters is captured by our trail cameras. We’re happy the Elk Lick watershed supports these otters and thousands of other species.

Did you know that Kentucky’s land snails vary this much in size? The two species pictured here are Floracliff’s largest and smallest land snails - the broad-banded forestsnail (Allogona profunda) and the lamellate spot (Punctum smithi).

Join us on the evening of Thursday, September 5th, to learn more about land snails from Dan and Judy Dourson through their program “Kentucky's Land Snails: Citizen Science in Action” This free program will focus on the importance of land snails in a healthy ecosystem and provide an overview of results of Kentucky's statewide land snail survey in 2019-2020. Professional biologists and citizen scientists assisted in this ambitious endeavor that documented numerous new county and state records with a few new species to science!

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kentuckys-land-snails-citizen-science-in-action-tickets-934396935387?aff=oddtdtcreator

Photo by David Lang

Floracliff Nature Sanctuary Protecting, restoring, and sharing nature in the Bluegrass

Registration is now open for the Bluegrass Land and Nature Symposium. Join us on Saturday, September 28 for a full day of programs. This event explores the intersection of natural and built environments and how we can be better stewards of nature – at home and in our community. The day will start with bird walks followed by a keynote presentation in the Trail’s End Lodge. Afternoon sessions will visit the sanctuary trails. We are honored to host the following for this event:

Keynote:
Dr. Mary Arthur – Let’s talk about forests and carbon (and climate change too)

Session Leaders & Topics:
Joyce Bender & Michael Patton – Morning bird walks
Heidi Braunreiter – Prescribed Fire as a Management Tool in the Bluegrass Region
Tyson Gregory – Native Trees for Urban Landscapes
Dr. Nate Haan & Dr. Julian Dupuis – Bluegrass Bugs
Lee Moser – Soil and Water Stewardship in a Changing Climate
Rob Paratley - The Kentucky River Palisades – A Unique Ecological Corridor in the Bluegrass
Meaghan Petix – Learning from lichens: bioindicators of air quality and climate

Register at floracliff.org or the link in our profile.

On July 13th, we hosted and organized the 8th annual Central Bluegrass Butterfly Count at various locations within Lexington. Throughout the day, 45 participants recorded over 2,000 butterflies representing 47 species. In 8 years, it ended up being our best count for butterfly diversity, but the fourth best count for butterfly abundance. The Eastern tailed blues, Kentucky’s smallest butterfly, were particularly abundant this year, with 385 individuals counted. This is more than the previous seven years combined! On the other hand, numbers were significantly lower for one of our most abundant butterflies, the meadow fritillary. We typically see hundred of them, but only counted 66 this year. Thanks to our volunteers and partners for making this a successful community science project and helping us expand count efforts over the years: NABA-Central Kentucky The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky Lexington, KY Parks & Recreation Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves

All of this data is submitted to the North American Butterfly Association’s Butterfly Count Program to monitor changes in butterfly populations. Here are a few highlights from the day:

1. American lady at the Arboretum (Ward Ransdell)
2. Eastern tailed blues at Floracliff (David Lang)
3. Monarch at Floracliff (David Lang)
4. Red-banded hairstreak at Waveland (Sydney Penner)
5. Viceroy at Hisle Farm Park (Karen Michul)
6. American snout at Raven Run (Kathleen Ratliff)
7. Silver-spotted skippers at Floracliff (David Lang)
8. Red-spotted purple at the Arboretum (Ward Ransdell)
9. Eastern tiger swallowtail at McConnell Springs (Isabel Cochran)
10. Count circle

Discoveries from the Field:
It’s National Moth Week! At Floracliff, it’s one of our favorite weeks because we love Lepidoptera, the order of insects that includes moths and butterflies. We also love saying “Lepidoptera.” Say it aloud; it’s fun. While moths are often thought of as nocturnal, there are day-flying species, too, like this gorgeous Eight-spotted Forester moth, Alypia octomaculata. Frequently mistaken for a butterfly, this moth drinks nectar to supplement its energy needs and serves as a pollinator in the process. Primarily, though, the adult, like all moths, focuses its short life on reproduction. Its larvae can be found in forest edges dining on leaves in the grape family, such as Virginia creeper, peppervine, and porcelain berry.

Parasa chloris, the Smaller Parasa moth, is nocturnal. The adult has a wingspan of about ¾” – 1” but despite being petite, its striking green and brown coloration and puppy dog-like furriness make it a real cutie. (That’s scientific terminology for delightful.) It is theorized that fur on a moth captures the clicks sent out from echolocating bats, serving as “acoustic camouflage.” Bat avoidance isn’t the only interesting thing about the Smaller Parasa. It is in the family Limacodidae or slug moths. Their caterpillars’ movement and the shape of their prolegs, which have suckers, resemble slugs. They feed on the leaves of oaks, elms, and dogwoods.

"Discoveries from the Field" highlights the wildlife that calls Floracliff home. Written by Carol Lea Spence. Photos by Colby Grant and Ward Ransdell

Discoveries From the Field: These critters make you wonder if you’re hanging with the wrong crowd, but unsavory names or not, we’re happy to have them in a balanced ecosystem at Floracliff. Besides, sometimes names say more about the namer than the namee. Take for example the bad-wing moth, Dyspteris abortivaria. This delicate, mint-green moth got its name because collectors had a hard time pulling its small hindwings into the right position for pinning. Humans got frustrated, so this pretty moth got a tough-sounding name. Bad-wing moths fly from April to August and are commonly found at forest edges and where their host plants, Virginia creeper and grapevine, grow.

The plain-tailed hanging thief, Diogmites neoternatus, is one of many robber flies found in Kentucky. Robber flies are predators, preying on both pests and beneficial insects. Heck, they even prey on each other. In a balanced ecosystem they also become food for birds, spiders, and other insects.

The twice-stabbed stink bug, Cosmopeple lintneriana, sounds like it’s living a dangerous life, but its name is derived from two red spots on the thorax. It’s also, less violently called the two-spotted stink bug, though another stink bug, Perillus bioculatus, shares that name, which is why common names can be misleading. They’re found widely throughout North America and feed on mint seeds as well as oats and asparagus. They’re tough little insects and can overwinter as adults in leaf litter.

The eastern bee assassin, Apiomerus crassipes, is an ambush hunter, waiting on plants for their prey to approach and then pouncing on them. Despite their name, bees are only part of their diet. This species has a mostly black body with orange or reddish margins that are believed to warn off potential predators. “I can bite!” the colors say.

“Discoveries From the Field” highlights the wildlife that calls Floracliff home. Written by Carol Lea Spence; photos by Laura Baird (1), Ward Ransdell (2 and 3), and Debbie Wakeman (4).

A program for all ages. Join us on July 23 as we dive down into the meadow with entomologist Blake Newton. We'll get CLOSE to investigate bees, butterflies, and other pollinators that are visiting Floracliff's flowers. The colors, shapes, and behaviors are as diverse as anything on a coral reef!

Tickets available at the link below.

Meadow Snorkeling w/ Blake Newton A program for all ages. Join as as we dive down into the meadow with an entomologist!

Our next Bluegrass Biodiversity Seminar is scheduled during Pollinator Week on June 20th. Kristin Conrad will be presenting "The Native Bees of Kentucky"

Learn about Kentucky's common groups of bees! We will dive a little deeper into each group and learn about the plants they specialize on and their nesting habitats, as well as how to provide resources for our native bees and their importance to our ecosystems.

Free tickets available at the link below.

The Native Bees of Kentucky Join us for a presentation on the native bees of Kentucky with invertebrate biologist Kristin Conrad.

Discoveries from the Field: One-flowered Cancer-Root (Aphyllon uniflorum)

This unique woodland flower is Aphyllon uniflorum, a native, parasitic annual in the broomrape family (Orobanchaceae). It can be found throughout North America in woodlands and along stream banks wherever you find its favorite hosts. Its common names are one-flowered cancer-root, one-flowered broomrape, ghost pipe or naked broomrape. For the sake of ease and word-count, we’ll call it ghost pipe here.

As you can see, ghost pipe is pale, with yellowish-white scapes looking a bit like a mushroom or a... let’s just state the obvious— a ghostly pipe. But it’s neither fungal nor paranormal; it just lacks chlorophyll. Without that green pigment, it’s not only a tad colorless, but it can’t make its own carbohydrates from sunlight. Instead, it depends on the industry of nearby green plants, drawing nutrients from the roots of its preferred hosts, namely sedums and members of the aster and saxifrage families.

Ghostpipes are considered a spring ephemeral, disappearing after they set seed in May. The tiny plant, no more than 3 to 10 cm high with a single white or pale-lavender flower at the end of each scape, is easily missed by hikers in the spring woods. A sharp eye, though, can pick them out on the forest floor, especially in a patch of their favorite food providers.

“Discoveries from the Field" highlights the wildlife that calls Floracliff home. Written by Carol Lea Spence. Photo 1 of Aphyllon uniflorum by Dani Fauzi on April 11,2024; photo 2 by Josie Miller on May 3, 2021

Did you know that a breeding pair of chickadees feeds 350 to 570 caterpillars a day to their young? According to ecologist Doug Tallamy, this amounts to 6,000 - 9,000 caterpillars to successfully raise one clutch. While that sounds like a lot, each individual caterpillar contributes to their success.

Today, your individual contribution for Kentucky Gives Day also makes a difference.

Floracliff depends on donations for half of our annual operating budget. Kentucky Gives Day contributions have helped tremendously over the last few years, raising thousands of dollars to support land stewardship projects, nature-based programming, and wildlife monitoring.

Our goal for today is $8,000 and we are currently over 70% of the way there. Help us finish strong by donating here: https://www.kygives.org/organizations/floracliff
(link also in profile)

Thank you!

Photo: Carolina chickadees at Floracliff; taken by Ward Ransdell

Have you heard the buzz? Today is Kentucky Gives Day!

Every year, our community shows up to make Kentucky Gives Day an impactful day for Floracliff. We need your support again this year. By the end of today, we hope to raise at least $8,000. Thanks to early and generous donors, we are off to a great start!

Donations of all sizes will make an impact. Your gift of $5 or more before midnight will increase our chances to win additional prize funds throughout the day.

Whatever amount you donate to Floracliff, you will be supporting projects to promote our native biodiversity – at the sanctuary and in our community.

Learn more and donate here: https://www.kygives.org/organizations/floracliff (link in profile)

Thank you for your support!

Photo: mining bee on Miami mist at Floracliff; photo by Ward Ransdell

Have you noticed this flower popping up in your yard or community greenspaces? A native plant in Europe and northern Africa, star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum), is an invasive plant in North America. Although the bloom is pretty, this poisonous plant crowds out the native plants that are more nutritious for our local wildlife.
In early spring, star-of-Bethlehem emerges as tufts of grooved linear leaves, but at this time of year, the leaves begin to die back and are replaced by star-shaped white flowers on a 4-12” stem. Left alone, the plant will spread aggressively by bulblets and form dense colonies. The blooms signal our last opportunity to remove the plants before they hide away underground until next year.
At Floracliff, we use soil knives to dig these deep-rooted bulbs, then dispose of the entire plant in the trash. When digging from your own yard, you may find you have to wait for some mid-day sunshine to find them. That is because they are slow to open in the morning and close their petals completely on cloudy days and at night.
1. blooming star-of-Bethlehem with grooved linear leaves still evident in April
2. plants on their way to a proper disposal, hand-dug by Terri in February
3. closed flowers and large bulblets on a plant removed by Dani on a cloudy May morning

An exciting find by Dani along the trail today - mating cecropia moths! The cecropia is North America’s largest native moth. With one generation a year, the best time to find them is mid-late spring. The female will soon lay eggs on a hostplant. For this species, the caterpillars can feed on a variety of hosts, including cherries, maples, oaks, ashes, and more.

Photo by Beverly James

Today is the first day of the City Nature Challenge. From April 26 through April 29, iNaturalist observations of wild plants, animals, and fungi in Fayette County will contribute to Lexington’s participation in one of the largest community science events in the world. City Nature Challenge observations provide data about our biodiversity and help us better understand – and therefore, take care of – nature that lives in and around urban areas.

Lexington’s City Nature Challenge is hosted by Floracliff. Other Kentucky counties/regions participating: Jefferson County (Louisville), Franklin County (Frankfort), and Bowling Green & South Central Kentucky

More info: citynaturechallenge.org
Join the Lexington City Nature Challenge project on iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2024-lexington-fayette-county-ky-usa
Follow the Kentucky City Nature Challenge collaboration/competition during the challenge: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/kentucky-city-nature-challenge-2024-cities

Photo: green heron, taken at Jacobson Park by Ward Ransdell during the 2021 City Nature Challenge

Discoveries from the Field: Red-necked false blister beetle (Ischnomera ruficollis)

The red-necked false blister beetle (Ischnomera ruficollis) illustrates why biodiversity is so important. This striking beetle with its red neck-scarf, frequents a wide variety of woodland flowers for sustenance. While some pollinators love to sip nectar, these beetles eat pollen. This one, shown lunching at the twinleaf deli, is playing its part in wildflower reproduction by carrying pollen on its legs and torso from flower to flower.

Pollen serves as an attractant for both males and females and a flowerhead is both a food source and a "dating site.” Food first, though. The female has to fill her gut with pollen before she’ll accept the male’s advances. She stores the pollen in a sack in her intestines, where an enzyme will cause the indigestible cover on the grains to rupture. This frees up the contents for digestion. It’s then used to produce eggs, which she lays under tree bark. Both beetles and plants benefit reproductively.

In nature, bright colors like this creature’s red often warn predators to stay away, but if that warning is ignored, the beetle will release cantharidin, a chemical blistering agent used for defense. If we humans squash the beetle or brush it away, we could end up with a nasty blister the next day. Any predator who attempts to eat it will likely spit it out pretty fast. Cantharidin is quite poisonous in large doses – larger than a single beetle can produce, but we still recommend giving it some space. We also recommend enjoying the sight of a beautiful beetle having lunch (or making more beetles) on a spring wildflower.

 "Discoveries from the Field" highlights the wildlife that calls Floracliff home. Written by Carol Lea Spence.  Photo of red-necked false blister beetle on twinleaf taken by Patty Pennington on April 1, 2024.  Photo of red-necked false blister beetles congregating on yellow trout lily taken by Elizabeth Hench on March 13, 2024

Discoveries from the field: Rough Greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus)

For those of us who love snakes – and if you don’t, please reconsider – seeing a beautiful specimen like this rough greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus) delights us. Why should you love -- or at least appreciate -- these fascinating creatures? Snakes play a vital role in keeping an ecosystem in balance. The rough greensnake is a nonvenomous snake found throughout Kentucky. While this individual probably was looking for a little warmth in leaf litter on a chilly morning, they are usually up in trees or other vegetation, slurping up invertebrates like grasshoppers, crickets, larvae, and spiders.

Spring is mating time for these snakes. A few months later, in early summer, the female will lay 3 to 12 eggs under decaying logs or rocks or in tree cavities.

If you enjoy learning scientific names, Opheodrys comes from the Greek words ophios, which means “serpent,” and drys, or “tree.” Aestivus is Latin for “summer.” So, it’s a summer tree serpent found on the ground in the spring. OK, nothing’s perfect.

"Discoveries from the field" highlights the wildlife that calls Floracliff home. Writing by Carol Lea Spence; rough greensnake photo taken by Josie Miller on 3/13/24

Caring for our biodiversity includes keeping our waterways free of pollutants. Today our stewardship team removed large amounts of garbage dumped along Elk Lick Falls Road and into the headwaters of Falls Branch. Thanks to our partners at LFUCG Division of Environmental Services for hauling off the collected trash for proper disposal.

Discoveries from the field: White fawnlily (Erythronium albidum)

There’s no denying spring is sprung when one of the first spring ephemerals emerges from the forest floor. You may know it by any of its common names, such as white fawnlily, white dog’s-tooth violet, trout lily, or adder’s tongue. No matter what you call it, Erythronium albidum is a common sight at Floracliff in the spring, brightening both the trails and our hearts when we see them.
If you want to sound smart to your friends, tell them the plant is a herbaceous geophyte. And if they ask, tell them a geophyte has an underground storage system for food and water. “Isn’t that just a bulb or a corm?” they’ll inevitably respond. Well, yes, but geophyte is such a good word. BTW, their corms resemble dog teeth, hence the common name dog’s-tooth violet.
These beauties can’t grow in compacted soil. In a rich, untouched forest environment, however, the plant spreads by sending out underground runners from a central corm. An abundance of fawnlilies is a good indicator that the forest floor was never compacted by heavy machinery.

"Discoveries from the field" highlights the wildlife that calls Floracliff home. Writing by Carol Lea Spence; Photo taken by Terri Koontz on 3/4/24

Discoveries from the field: Devil’s Urn (Urnula craterium)

The appearance of the devil’s urn fungus is an indicator that spring is on the doorstep. If you prefer a more seasonally appropriate name, it also goes by black tulip fungus. A saprobe, meaning it feeds off dead and decaying wood, this fungus plays an important role in decomposition and in recycling nutrients. Preferring moisture, it is often found where logs or twigs are semi-buried in forest litter. Its fruiting bodies, which appear in early spring, can last for several weeks under the right conditions, appearing as small urn-shaped vessels when young and opening to a chalice or goblet shape as they age. Its spores spread by the whim of a breeze, released in a puff when the air around it is disturbed. Fungi are important parts of a thriving forest ecosystem.

"Discoveries from the field" highlights the wildlife that calls Floracliff home. Writing by Carol Lea Spence; Photos: David Lang (1) and Dani Fauzi (2)

Our spring hike season starts in a couple of weeks! The March hikes featured here still have spots left. For any hikes that are full, we strongly encourage joining the waitlist. Register for any of our programs at floracliff.org.

Ready, set, count! The Great Backyard Bird Count begins tomorrow and continues through Monday (February 16-19). Join birders throughout the world to learn about and celebrate birds by counting the birds anywhere around you. It  only takes 15 minutes. Have you seen any of these Floracliff visitors in your neighborhood recently?
    1.    white-breasted nuthatch (photo by Ward Ransdell)
    2.    red-bellied woodpecker (photo by Patty Pennington)
    3.    eastern towhee (photo by David Lang)
    4.    downy woodpecker (photo by Ward Ransdell)
    5.    song sparrow (photo by Patty Pennington)
    6.    Carolina chickadee (photo by David Lang)
    7.    yellow-bellied sapsucker (photo by Ward Ransdell)
Learn more at birdcount.org and get counting!

Meet Dani Fauzi. Dani started working at Floracliff in December as our Part-time Land Stewardship Technician. She’s been working on invasive plant management, species list updates, community science projects, and more. Dani is currently a senior in the Natural Resources and Environmental Science program at the University of Kentucky. Having grown up in Lexington, Dani enjoys being able to explore the biodiversity of the Palisades through working at Floracliff. She is excited to see the spring wildflowers in bloom and other wildlife as the seasons progress.

Elk Lick Falls, a week ago and today

📷: Dani Fauzi (1) and Beverly James (2)

Winter is the perfect time for noticing evergreen vines and ground covers. You probably know that wintercreeper and English ivy have been planted in many landscapes as sprawling ground covers, but did you know they’re invasive species that smother native plants in our greenspaces and natural areas? You can help to protect biodiversity by removing planted wintercreeper and English ivy, and keep them from spreading into our greenspaces by cutting any climbing vines from trees—the climbing vines are typically the ones that flower and fruit.
1. Our Floracliff stewardship team has been hard at work removing wintercreeper and English ivy from the base of Elk Lick Falls. Thanks Dani and volunteers!
2. wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei); rated a Severe Threat by the Kentucky Invasive Plant Council
3. English ivy (hedera helix); rated a Significant Threat by the Kentucky Invasive Plant Council

Over the past few years, Floracliff staff and volunteers have focused on photo-documenting insects and other invertebrates. Many insects are often easily overlooked and under reported, so we’ve been on a quest to learn more about their diversity and ecology at Floracliff. With identification confirmations from Kentucky biologists and experts in the iNaturalist community, we have added over 50 new records of invertebrates for Floracliff in 2023. Here are a few highlights:

1. bare-winged Aphideater, Eupeodes perplexus - 1st iNaturalist observation in KY; - larvae feed on aphids and psyllids
2. Linden Prominent, Ellida caniplaga - feeds on basswood; the caterpillars feed high in the canopy, so are rarely seen
3. Andrena gardeneri - a pollen specialist of our spring blooming ragworts (Packera); 1st iNaturalist observation in KY
4. peacock fly, Callopistromyia annulipes- both males and females perform a peacock-like mating display
5. brown wasp mantidfly, Climaciella brunnea - This mantidfly is not a wasp, a mantid, or a fly. It is in the order Neuroptera. Mantidflies parasitize spiders for their development. This one uses wolf spiders as hosts.
6. thin hanging fly, Bittacus strigosus - the front pair of legs are modified for grasping to hang from vegetation. The other legs have tarsal claws for catching prey
7. Zethus spinipes ssp. spinipes - a member of the potter wasp family, this species does not build a clay “pot”. The females may nest in another insect’s abandoned burrow or create a new nest from vegetation and resin
8. Menesta tortriciformella - a micro-moth that feeds on hazelnut and Allegheny blackberry; 1st iNaturalist observation in KY
9. chokeberry cuckoo sweat bee, Sphecodes aroniae - adults of this genus feed on nectar. They are kleptoparasitic, using other bees' provisions to feed their young, so they do not collect pollen; 1st iNaturalist observation in KY
10. yellow-spotted falsehorn, Temnostoma daochus - an uncommon flower fly and a wasp mimic; 1st iNaturalist observation in KY

Photos: David Lang (1), Josie Miller (2,5), Rick Metzger (3), Patty Pennington (4), Ward Randell (6), Mary Carney (7), Terri Koontz (8,10), Beverly James (9)

Red-spotted newts breed in ponds at Floracliff, but we rarely see the terrestrial red eft stage. We were delighted to cross paths with this one today. Red-spotted newts are one of ten salamander species that call Floracliff home.

Photos by Beverly James

What happens at Floracliff when we are not around? Recently, a black bear visited the sanctuary and was captured by one of our trail cameras. This is our first record of a black bear at Floracliff, so we were pretty thrilled to see the photos from July 14th and 16th. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists believe this is the same young male that was spotted multiple times in northern Jessamine and southern Fayette Counties during that time. From KDFWR: “Offspring remain with their mother for the entire year after birth and generally throughout the second denning season. After spring emergence, the mother will run off the yearling bears as she comes into estrus and prepares for the new breeding season.” Black bear populations to our east are doing well, so these young males often venture several miles westward during the summer months. They have been spotted in Central Kentucky more frequently in recent years.

More information on bears in Kentucky: fw.ky.gov/Wildlife/Pages/Black-Bears.aspx

Last week, our stewardship staff and volunteers inadvertently added three new butterfly records for Floracliff while managing invasive plants along Elk Lick Creek and monitoring a rare plant in an upland rock outcrop.

The harvester is North America’s only carnivorous butterfly. As a caterpillar, it feeds on a few different genera of woolly aphids. Many woolly aphids alternate between two hostplants during their lifecycle, so the harvester also depends on those hostplants being present. As an adult, the harvester feeds on dung, carrion, aphid honeydew, and wet sand. You will likely not find this one with the flowers. It’s in the gossamer-wing family with hairstreaks and blues.

The Hayhurst’s scallopwing is another small butterfly that could be easily overlooked. It’s one of our spread-wing skippers and uses Chenopodium as a hostplant. It can be distinguished from similar looking skippers by its scalloped wing edges.

The swarthy skipper, also small, is a dull, brown grass skipper with highlighted veins on its hindwing. It uses little bluestem as a hostplant.

Even though last week was National Moth Week, it was also a great week for butterflies. This brings Floracliff’s butterfly diversity to 73 species!

1. harvester, photo by Beverly James
2. Hayhurst’s scallopwing, photo by Josie Miller
3. swarthy skipper, photo by Lisa Morris

This week is the 12th annual National Moth Week. People around the world are documenting moth diversity by photographing the moths they see and submitting the photos to community science programs like iNaturalist. You don’t have to stay up late to see some of Kentucky’s moths. Here are a few diurnal, or day-flying, moths we see at Floracliff. So far, over 300 different moths have been documented at Floracliff through daytime and nighttime surveys. Learn more about how to participate at nationalmothweek.org

1. ithaca clearwing moth - caterpillar hostplants are plants in the Aster family (photo by David Lang)

2. hummingbird clearwing moth - hostplants include viburnums, honeysuckles, hawthorns, cherries, and plums (photo by Ward Ransdell)

3. boneset borer moth - hostplants include thoroughworts and bonesets (photo by Debbie Wakeman)

4. ironw**d clearwing moth - a wasp mimic, hostplants include the roots of ironw**d and joe-pye w**d (photo by Josie Miller)

5. eight-spotted forester - hostplants include grapes and Virginia creeper (photo by Colby Grant)

6. spotted thyris - hostplants include Clematis spp. and Houstonia spp. (bluets) (photo by Beverly James)

7. yellow collared scape moth - caterpillars feed on grasses, lichens, and spike-rushes (photo by Dan Patrick)

8. snowberry clearwing - include snowberry, dogbane, and honeysuckle (photo by Beverly James)