#lepidopterids

[somnambulant-seraphim]

I've been wanting to try embroidering something with a wing pattern, so here's a pine processionary moth and caterpillar (Haumetopoea pityocampa).☾⋆˚₊·𓆦∘.⍋༄࿔˚₊·.

They get their name from the behaviour of the caterpillars, which travel in a long, unbroken, single-file line. It provides protection from predators, along with their irritating, toxic hairs. They are a destructive pest to forests, but a visually beautiful insect none the less.

I fumbled the symmetry of the wings a little, but I'm overall happy with how this piece turned out!·₊˚𓆦˚₊·⍋˚₊·࿐࿔⋆·.

[uncharismatic-fauna]

tobacco hornworm

Nah, I'm pretty sure that's a blue raspberry gummy worm

[vintage-tigre]

Butterflies drink turtle tears in a behavior scientifically known as lachryphagy, or "tear-feeding," to obtain vital sodium, amino acids, and other dissolved minerals. While nectar provides butterflies with abundant sugars for energy, it severely lacks essential salts necessary for their metabolism, muscle function, and reproductive health.

Turtles, especially carnivorous river species, ingest far more salt in their diets than they require. To naturally flush out excess salts, irritants, or bodily waste, turtles excrete this high concentration of minerals through their tear ducts. Basking in the sun, turtles relax with moist eyes, providing a convenient and highly concentrated salt lick for nutrient-deprived butterflies.

Male butterflies particularly engage in this behavior more often than females. They need high levels of sodium to synthesize proteins and spermathophores, which they transfer to females during mating to support the health and vitality of their offspring. This interaction between the two species is considered a form of commensalism, where the butterfly benefits significantly from the nutrients while the turtle remains generally undisturbed and often gets its eyes cleaned of debris.

[guaracoded]

The “harbinger of death and destruction” kept crashing against everything and refusing to go back outside for a bit

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Who needs firework when you've got the wattle-cup moth caterpillar? Although they look celebratory, the caterpillar's bright colors and protruding, poison-tipped spikes are actually meant to ward off predators ensure that the caterpillar lives to see the new year!

(Image: A wattle-cup moth caterpillar (Calcarifera ordinata) by Peter Chew)

[uncharismatic-fauna]

I almost sent this to the wrong blog at first but here's a very large toad and luna moth that I found a few weeks ago. idk if luna moths count as uncharismatic fauna because they're so popular online but they're still a bug so that counts imo

Wow, what a pair!

[somnambulant-seraphim]

I recently tried out dyeing yarn, with the lesser-used yarns I already had. I included all my dyed yarns in this project, along with some other colours (kept as-is).

The yarns that I dyed are the flecked beiges (originally cream wool and acrylic), and the darker walnut and chestnut browns (originally mauve cotton and acrylic).˚⋆˚𐐪𐑂 ❀ 𓆦 ❀ 𐐪𐑂˚⋆.

I based the designs off of different white moths and butterflies, in a more tea-stained colour palette, reminiscent of old sepia photographs.

In order: cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae), white ermine moth (Spilosoma lubricipeda), Clara's satin moth (Thalaina clara), and the smallest one using the last bit of yarn, not based on anything specific. It’s sort of a dragonfly or butterfly with tattered wings.

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

This moth belongs in a museum! Known as the Picasso moth, the Miro moth, or Baorisa hieroglyphica, adults are noted for their striking wings, with patterns resembling the styles of famous abstract artists.

(Image: A Miro moth (Baorisa hieroglyphica) by Dave Sargeant)