Applegater Winter 2019 13 BIRD EXPLORER The tale of the Lewis’s Woodpecker BY PETER J. THIEMANN In autumn we had a Colors bumper crop of acorns, of iridescent Peter J. Thiemann from both white and black green, pink- oaks and, higher up, from red, and white, which are not seen in tan oaks. any other North American bird, adorn Many animals benefit the stunning Lewis’s Woodpecker. from this bounty, They are highly territorial and will including several species chase Acorn Woodpeckers away from of woodpeckers. There are their granary trees and foraging area— two that really stand out: the two woodpeckers really don’t like the Acorn Woodpecker and each other. the Lewis’s Woodpecker. The best places in our area to see this Acorn Woodpeckers, unusual winter guest are Agate Lake, the “tribal clowns,” are Emigrant Lake, and the Cascade- often seen near their Siskiyou National Monument. granary trees, working hard to store acorns Acorn Woodpeckers are resident birds in and unique habits. It catches insects in Peter Thiemann for winter. This is a community effort, with our oak savannah, nesting in tree cavities. mid-air like a flycatcher, then works to store [email protected] family and friends working together to But there is competition from a winter acorns. Unlike the Acorn Woodpecker, the drill holes where acorns are stored whole, guest, the Lewis’s Woodpecker, named Lewis’s will hammer the acorns open and Photos courtesy with shell and all. Some granary trees have after Lewis from the Lewis and Clark store smaller pieces for ready use in winter. of thousands of holes in them and are fiercely Expedition in the early 1800s. This So, different bird species use different peterjtheimann flickr photo stream. protected by the Acorn Woodpeckers. woodpecker displays some unusual colors techniques to accomplish the same goal. we found a caterpillar of Day-flying Wild the latipennis. I was able to take it home and rear it with houndstongue Forget-me-not Moth from the woods on BY LINDA KAPPEN our property. We kept it in a small protective The Gnophaela latipennis is a diurnal There is a single small white spot on habitat on our porch (active in daytime) moth, of the Erebidae each side of the head. The forewings have with a houndstongue family of moths, that sips nectar from two clusters of four white spots each. plant, where it formed wildflowers alongside the many butterflies Each of the hindwings each has clusters of its cocoon. A couple of of summer. The common name of this white spots, one of three spots, the other months later, it finally day-flying moth is Wild Forget-me-not, of two. Adults feed on the nectar of many appeared as an adult day- Wild Forget-me-not Moth but I will call it “latipennis” for most of wildflowers. The latipennis have one flight flying moth. We let it go this article. period near the months of May, June, and to fly among butterflies. The caterpillars are yellow with black July. The caterpillar and the adult moth are The Gnophaela latipennis patches, blue spots, and clusters of white very striking. can be misidentified as hairs. The head of the caterpillar is reddish. The habitat of the Gnophaela latipennis Gnophaela vermiculata. The caterpillars feed on Cynoglossum is a mixed forest of conifers and hardwoods, Although I have never seen grande—houndstongue of the Borage oak woodlands, or other wooded areas the two species fly together, family. The adult latipennis has black wings with openings in the canopy where the I have witnessed them in two with white houndstongue plants grow. The range of separate meadows that were markings this moth is from central California north very close together. During a showing a to western Oregon. lepidoptera survey of Crater distinctive I usually see latipennis flying in mid- Lake National Park this past pattern. elevation areas in the Siskiyou Mountains summer, I photographed Wild Forget-me-not caterpillar and western Cascade Mountains. I the vermiculata in one have observed populations of latipennis meadow; then, during a hike through in flight among the wildflowers, the moths Caterpillars remaining in an area from two to three the forest, I photographed latipennis in a would be hard to miss with their nectaring feed on weeks, actively sipping the nectar of second meadow. Just like the moths, the and mating behavior! Cynoglossum wildflowers and mating along our flower- hostplants for these two species are also of Linda Kappen grande— laden mountain trails. the same family. [email protected] houndstongue In March 2013, my son Dakota and I If you are out on the mid-elevation trails of the Borage went on a hike on the Enchanted Forest this coming spring, look for this beautiful Photos by family. Trail in Applegate. After reaching the top caterpillar feeding on houndstongue. Once Linda Kappen. WEST COAST CONTRACTING Matt Krauss 541-659-3207 Excavation, Trucking, Water Delivery CCB #213190 Support your local Applegate businesses! JOIN THE 20 YEAR TRADITION ! Every Thursday until April, it’s Oysters & Ale night. Live music - A new beer each week from local breweries and distributors - Specials throughout the night. And,of course oysters on the half shell. It’s always a great time at the Bella Union! $1 Oysters and $ 4 Beers 541 899 -1770 www.bellau.com 170 West California St. Jacksonville, OR.