#patalene

[coolbugs]

Bug of the Day

Arachtober is over, that must mean it’s...Mothvember? ;-)

(Pretty sure this is Patalene olyzonaria, Juniper-twig geometer)

[calosoma-amitch]

Juniper Twig Geometer (Patalene olyzonaria), Newark DE. August 2017. 

Adult is a little old and beat-up, but was still able to fly off after the light event.  This is a species that can be collected at night in parks and woodlots as well as suburban neighborhoods. As the name implies, caterpillars of this species are mimics of twigs for evergreen trees like junipers, cedars, and arborvitae, feeding on needles during the night and remaining relatively motionless during the day. Adults are little more conspicuous against leaf litter or tree bark.  

At least two generations in the Mid-Atlantic, with adults as early as late spring and through autumn. Larvae throughout summer and autumn. The species overwinters as eggs. 

[coolbugs]

Bug of the Day

Wants to be a butterfly, I think...:-)

(Juniper-twig Geometer, Patalene olyzonaria)

[coolbugs]

Bug of the Day

We get tons of these Juniper twig geometers (Patalene olyzonaria) in our yard, so many that I’ve stopped photographing them, but I couldn’t resist capturing and then posting this photo of a Juniper twig geometer on an actual Juniper twig :-).

[coolbugs]

Bug of the Day

Dew-covered Juniper-twig Geometer (Patalene olyzonaria) at the moth light last night. Couldn’t decide on the best shot so I posted them all :-).

[coolbugs]

A very nicely marked Juniper-twig Geometer (Patalene olyzonaria) I found sitting in the grass in my back yard. From August 2013.

[dendroica]

Juniper-twig Geometer on Flickr.