Few Monarchs but lots of Milkweed tussock moth caterpillars!

The milkweed pods are huge.
Soon, they will be flying like snow.

.

Fuzzy-wuzzy caterpillar

They are everywhere.

I spotted only a single Monarch this year.  Their population is estimated to be down by 80% due to 2012 drought. The Milkweed tussocks are cleaning up! It doesn't harm the milkweed, as they have happily produced seed pods. They are ripe with seed pods, hanging heavily from the plants.
Our fields are densely populated with milkweed.

I was fascinated with them. I took a walk yesterday and spotted four of them all lined up, efficiently grazing in a row. Daisy and I didn't have the camera. They make me think of my macrame days, when we made anything, or the endless rug-hooking we did.

These moths lay two broods, especially in a good year like this one. With luck, the Monarchs will come back, too.
The caterpillars look like they aren't real, made of wiry wool, with lovely orange, black and white colouring.

Isn't it sweet?

My attempt at a drawing.
Interesting moths.

I scoured my files to find a photo of a Milkweed tussock moth, and failed. Instead, I decided to draw one, rather than steal an image, based on a series of photos on bugguide.net. The white moth I have has spots, which these guys do not posses. The specimen images seem to be more of a buff colour, but ID.net says they are grey.

I'm sure the ones in some of the photos are dead, as it is tough with some moths to poke it enough to peek at the underwing. I've been getting more bold with them, and pulling out the Tiger moth's orange underwing. My large Imperial moth, 4" across, who sat on my front fence for 24 hours, was quite brave.

This might be close!
Bipectinate antennae

Either way, it is late in the season to see them. I played outside in the lights in the dark and couldn't spot any. 

They have cool antennae, with little feathery bits on either side, which means it is a bipectinate antennae. It can be pectinate, with feathers on one side, or filiform (none at all). Butterflies have a clubbed antennae.

Imperial moth,
is the diameter of my finger.
The same feathers on the head!

This one is close to the Tussock
but not quite.

They are fuzzy-wuzzy headed things, feathered almost, with a soft gray colouring, depending upon the photographer. The underwing and forewings are not coloured much. Their hidden bodies are a bright golden yellow, and yellow band with a dark spot. 

I submitted my post to Paint Party Friday, hoping to be further inspired and motivated to sketch a bit more. 

Buster Brown, spot lights and moths

I've been mothing, again. Not on purpose. You see, Buster Brown, my black cat, has been much more even tempered going out at night. He is able to hunt and has a place to sleep.

Buster and my Bird of Play

He contemplates going after something

I put on the porch light, which has a motion sensor. That way, if the light goes on in the dark, I know he, or something, is on the deck. This is what I did when the kids were teenagers, and would stay out later than my bedtime. I'd leave a light on, and if I woke up and it was out, I knew they were home.

Not that Buster doesn't go for walkies with me and my white buddies, but he does prefer the night life, and seems to stay at the bar until closing time.

Three of them, oops, 2 more beside them

Dorah on my chair.
The bottom comes out for a foot rest!
She was uninterested
in the moths all about her

What will happen, then, is he'll come around the back door, if I wake and let him in he'll snuggle up against my feet. If I don't hear him, he'll nestle into the towel in the basin and sleep until he gets hungry or I hear him.

Some nights, if he's come in near dawn, the light will go on and stay on until dawn, when it automatically goes off.
By this time, the moths have taken a daytime position on the wall, where I can manage some fun photos. I've figured out which ones have underwing colours, most of the time, and poke them until they reveal their pretty parts.
Dorah took over my new chair, an anniversary present for Aug. 22nd!

Here is one sleeping on the plant.

Large maple span worm (upside down!)

buddies on the wall!

Large ruby tiger moth  

White moth

Carpet - Xanthorehoe

White slant-line geometer

Pearly wood-nymph 

Tiger moth

Tiger's underwing

Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillar

Milkweed tussock moth caterpillar
They are su cute!


Milkweed tussock moth caterpillar in Ontario.