Cicadas
The high pitched whine heard from the trees comes from moderate sized insects known as cicadas. These insects are sometimes called locusts but that term is normally reserved for grasshoppers. Cicadas spend most of their lives underground as juveniles sucking on the juices which flow through plant roots. When the time is right they work their way to the surface and shed the skin, emerging as the noisy winged form with which we are most familiar. It is time for these cicadas, now adults, to mate. The females will lay their eggs and soon now both males and females will die. There are at least two kinds of cicadas out at the moment - the larger one shows a lot of white on its abdomen when it flies and seems to prefer the open areas; the smaller one has no white and seems to prefer the more heavily wooded areas. These species are related to the famous, or infamous, 17 year and 13 year cicadas found further east. These latter cicadas spend 17 years and 13 years respectively in the ground feeding before emerging within a short period of time to complete their lives. Our cicadas probably only spend a couple of years there.
The cicadas are making at least three different sounds:
1) the high pitched whine that seems fairly continuous
2) a shorter harsher whine when disturbed (I notice it in the evenings)
3) the clicking sound heard from the trees.
(Two cicadas are in the insect collection in the Visitor's Center.)
Butterflies and Moths
Most common orange butterfly in the lowland - Variegated Fritillary
Most common white butterfly in the lowland - Checkered White
Large dark butterflies in the lowland - Pipevine Swallowtails and Eastern Black Swallowtails
These two butterflies like to nectar at the New Mexico thistle blooming now.
Largest butterfly around now - Two-tailed Tiger Swallowtail (in the Visitor's Center collection)
This large yellow butterfly with black stripes can be seen in wooded areas and along stream courses.
Largest day flying moth - White-lined Sphinx Moth
.
Sphinx moths are often called "hummingbird moths" or "hawk
moths" because of their habit of hovering to feed.
The juvenile sphinx moth is a hornworm caterpillar, so the juvenile here is related to the familiar hornworm caterpillar found on tomato plants.
Flies
Robber flies are quite common along all the trails. Many of these moderate sized, blackish flies have long tapered abdomens. Robber flies prey on other insects, often hunting from a perch on the rocks or vegetation. When disturbed by hikers they make a relatively loud buzzing sound as they move to a new spot, often just a little way up the trail. They tend to stay near the ground. (There is a large robber fly in the bottom right of the Visitor's Center collection.)
Beetles
Last night (June 9), two Giant Root Borers were attracted to the lights of the Visitor's Center. These dark brown to black beetles have a body length of 2 to 3 inches and two long antennae that each look like a series of cones attached together. (See the Audubon Field Guide to the Insects and Spiders page 597 and photographs 194 and 220 for more information.)
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