Updating Species Distribution Maps for the Northern Redback Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)

Northern redback salamander (Plethodon cinereus)
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department has lists of every species in the state (excluding invertebrates due to the huge numbers) and for many, they have species maps showing confirmed sightings of the specific species by town. On their website, they ask for the public to help them keep their species maps updated by reporting sightings in locations in which the species has not been previously or recently reported. For example, the species map for the Northern redback salamander (Plethodon cinereus) has vouchered or confirmed reports of the species in many towns throughout the state, but not in Strafford, where I live.

However, As I was walking through the woods in my backyard, yesterday, I happened to lift a piece of wood from the ground and spy a Northern redback salamander on the ground underneath it. I am rarely out in the woods without a camera, so I took several photos which are required for NH F&G to voucher the species report for the town.

The Northern redback salamander is usually found
beneath fallen logs or stones in the forest. It prefers
a very moist environment.
Photo by Brad Sylvester. Copyright 2012

To get Strafford added to the species map for the Northern redback salamander, I'll send the photos to the non-game wildlife division of the NH Fish & Game Dept. along with the date and specific location of the sighting.

The towns colored white on the species map have no reported sightings of the species, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. In fact, if a number of towns all around the unlisted towns have confirmed sightings, then it is quite likely that the species does exists in those in between spaces, but simply hasn't been officially reported. That's where individuals like you and I can help. If we see a wild animal species in our town, we can check the map for that particular species to see if it has previously been reported there. If not, we can help NH F&G update their species distribution maps by providing them with a report of our sightings, as I am doing with the Northern redback salamnder that I found in my yard. If you can, include good photos that allow a positive identification of the species.

Here's the link with the reporting form and complete instructions.

Where to find Northern Redback Salamanders

The Northern redback salamander is a species that you will rarely see unless you are actively looking for it. It spends almost all of its time under fallen logs among the leaf litter on the forest floor. To find them, then, you'll need to carefully lift fallen branches that look like there might be room enough under them for a small salamander to wriggle around. Whether you find one or not, always replace the branch as you found it (being careful not to squish anything that might be living there, of course). Caudata. Culture notes that many of these salamanders live entirely underground and rarely come up to the surface at all. If you find them on the surface, they say, you can be assured that there are many more underground in the area.

Population Density

Bob Pickett's Appalachian Nature website cites studies showing that as many as 1000 Northern redback salamanders can live in a single acre of prime habitat. That means I might have thousands of these salamanders living in my yard which includes about 4 acres suitable for Northern redback salamaders. That makes them almost certainly the most numerous vertebrate in the Northeast forest.

They will often remain stationary if discovered, relying on their color to help them blend into the forest floor. They are deceptively fast, and will try to burrow underneath leaves or anything else they can find to get away. The Northern redback salamader makes up for its very short little legs by undulating its body from side to side almost like a snake. This movement effectively picks up its feet and moves them much farther ahead than they'd move on their own. If unable to escape, they use the lizard trick of dropping a part of their tail which wiggles to distract predators while they make their escape. Over time, the tail will regenerate.

Northern redback salamanders may be found either with the reddish stripe on their back as shown in my photos and video or in a more uniform slate color without the red stripe. They grow to about 5 inches long.

I mention that they are often found under fallen logs, and, in my experience they prefer wood to hide under, perhaps because it holds moisture better. This species, will, however, use almost any available cover, rocks, old tarps, or just about anything that will help keep them hidden and moist. It's not unusual to find them nestled into old woodpiles.

Quick facts about the Northern redback salamander (Plethodon cinereus):

The genus Plethodon denotes woodland salamanders. They are amphibians even though they do not willing enter water, even to lay eggs.

Diet and Feeding: The Northern redback salamander eats insects and almost any other small creature it can catch and swallow. According to a website compiled by Kathy Ching and hosted by Western Connecticut State University, they feed by thrusting their tongues forward, frog-like, to catch small prey. The University of Michigan website notes that during a dry spell or drought the Northern redback salamander is limited to foraging under rocks and logs where it is still moist. Because food is more scarce there, they may eat very little during these periods, living off stored fat acquired by gorging during periods more conducive to their feeding methods. After a rain, when the entire forest is still wet, they may wander the forest floor or even climb up on plants to find food.

Where does the Northern redback salamander go in winter? Salamanders are cold-blooded, and the ground here freezes fairly deep in the winter. That means that the Northern redback salamander must hibernate in the winter.

Range: This species can be found in a roughly triangular range with Wisconsin, Nova Scotia, and  South Carolina at the corners.

IUCN Red List Status: Species of Least Concern due to large population, widespread range, and adaptability.

Lifespan: The University of Michigan's Animal Diversity website lists a figure of 25 years in captivity for the lifespan of Plethodon cinereus, however, they note that there is little real data and that comparisons to other similar species must be used to calculate wild lifespans which they put at something over 10 years.

What eats Northern Redback Salamanders? Many birds, raccoons, skunks, opossums, and snakes prey on redback salamanders.

Lifecycle: The female lays up to 14 eggs in a cluster in the springtime, usually attached to the roof of the chamber in which she lives. She'll stay with the eggs until they hatch. Unlike most amphibians, the Northern redback salamander does not lay its eggs in the water, but has instead evolved to lay eggs which are encased in a water-filed sac. The babies develop inside the sac, thus bypassing the larval stage and emerging fully formed.

Behavior notes: Northern redback salamanders are highly territorial and will actively defend their territories against others of their species.

Physiology notes: The Northern redback salamander is a lungless salamander. It breathes through its skin and relies on moisture to make that process efficient.

Alternate names: Northern red-backed salamander

Taxonomy of the Northern Redback Salamander:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Caudata (Salamaders)
Family: Plethodontidae (lungless salamanders)
Genus: Plethodon
Species: Plethodon cinereus


 

Eastern Red-spotted Newt, From Red Eft to Salamander

Can you spot the red eft in this picture?
Click for a larger version.
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012

One of my favorite three-letter Scrabble words is "eft." An eft, more specifically a red eft, is the juvenile form of the Eastern red-spotted newt (notophthalmus viridescens).

Newts and Salamanders

The red eft is commonly called a newt, but where I grew up, the adult form is called a salamander. It looks and acts very different once it reaches the adult stage, so many don't realize that they are, in fact, the same creature.

A closer view shows how the red eft's coloring
blends in with the browns, yellows and oranges
of the forest floor in addition to advertising
its toxic nature.
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012.

The juvenile Eastern red-spotted newt lives on the forest floor away from bodies of water, though it does prefer a moist environment. The adult is aquatic, and while it may occasionally climb out of the water onto the shore of a piece of driftwood, it lives, eats, and lays its eggs in the water.

They are also quite different in coloration and somewhat different in body shape. The juvenile red eft form is bright orange. It has small red spots outlined in black on its back and its belly is a lighter yellow-orange. The adult retains the red spots, but is a dark olive green that blends in well with mud. The underbelly of the adult tends toward yellow. Both have scattered, small black spots, like flakes of pepper on their sides and bellies.

The adults have tails better equipped for swimming. Unlike the juveniles', the adults' tail grows a thin ridge on the top and bottom to give it more surface area with which to push against the water as it swims.

Adult Eastern red-spotted newts prefer slow-moving bodies of water. They are most often found in still ponds or the shallow back-waters of larger lakes. They drift lazily at the surface or dive down to the bottom to forage in the muck. They are relatively easy to catch with a minnow net or even bare hands.

Despite the toxins in their skin, the Eastern
red-spotted newt can be safely handled.
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012.

The orange juveniles are usually spotted walking along the forest floor, especially after a rain when the leaf litter is damp. Red efts may live on land for as many as three years before returning to the water as adults, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. They also note that both the juveniles and the adults are poisonous, secreting toxins in their skin to dissuade predation. Despite this, they are completely harmless to humans and can be carefully handled (though not eaten) without fear.

Quick facts about the Eastern red-spotted newt:

Classification: The Eastern red-spotted Newt is an amphibian like all salamanders, and not a reptile like lizards.

Diet: The Eastern red-spotted newt is generally carnivorous, eating insects, small smalls, worms, and the eggs of frogs and fish. NHPTV says that the red eft especially dines on springtails.

Where does the Eastern red-spotted newt go in the winter? The adults can survive and remain active all winter long under the ice. The land-based juveniles hibernate under rocks or logs.

Life cycle: Adults lay eggs which are individually attached to underwater vegetation although a female may lay as many as 400 in a single season. The eggs hatch into a larval form, like a frog's tadpole. The larva develops into the red eft and leaves the water for a period of 1-3 years before maturing into an aquatic adult. (Note that the IUCN data page says that red efts may persist in the juvenile stage for as long as seven years, but most sources list 1-4 years as typical. It seems counter-intuitive to me, that they would spend seven years as juveniles with an overall natural lifespan of 5-15 years. Perhaps, in rare cases where persistent drought or lack of food stunts their development or prevents them from finding a resident body of water, but under ordinary conditions, I'm not convinced of the seven year figure.)

Lifespan: Eastern red-backed newts can live up to 15 years according to the Connecticut Wildlife website.

IUCN Red List Status: The IUCN lists the Eastern red-spotted newt as a species of least concern due to large numbers and widespread habitat.

Taxonomy of the Eastern red-spotted Newt:

Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Chordata
Phylum: Amphibia
Order: Caudata
Family: Salamandridae
Genus: Notophthalmus
Species: Notophthalmus viridescens



 

Using Light Traps to Catch Insects

A simple insect light trap can be
constructed using these four components.
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012

Up until now, for the most part, I have been simply recording the creatures that live in my yard as I find them, one by one. Sometimes, I go out looking for them, and I did use small insect pit traps to collect a couple samples. There's another way, however, to find some creatures that I would otherwise not be able to locate and to collect much larger numbers of species all at once.

What is a Light Trap?

That method involves using light traps. Light traps rely on the fact that many nocturnal insects are strongly attracted to light. By setting up lights to shine on white surfaces, we can induce large numbers of such insects to land on those surfaces. If the surface is slick and slanted sharply, many of them will fall to it's base where a collection bin of some kind can hold them until they can be gathered and examined. The sooner they can be collected, the better.

Many entomologists will line the bottom of the collection bin with poison that kills the collected insects quickly, before the specimens can be damaged by each other, or by struggling to escape. I'm not going to do that. Instead, I'll try to use a collection bin that minimizes such damage. One of the difficulties with live collection bins is catching live insects from the collection bin, without them either escaping once it is opened, or damaged by the collector when they are removed.

Limitations of Light Traps

These kinds of traps can not and will not catch every insect that hits the illuminated collection surface, and certainly not every species of insect in a given area. Some, if not most, will either rebound off the surface and miss the collection bin, or take flight again without falling into the bin. Some will be able to land on the collection surface and remain there due to their adhesion to smooth surfaces being stronger than gravity. Many other insects are not attracted to light at all and will be found in a light trap only by rare coincidence, if at all.

So, the absence of any particular species in a light trap does not mean it isn't there, just that it wasn't caught. Light traps do, however, provide a means of large scale species sampling of a location, and in some cases, can capture hundreds of species of insects in a single night.

The species that are caught by any given light trap will depend upon where it is placed. One placed in an open field, for example, will catch different species than one just 50 yards away in a thicket. There will, generally, be some overlapping species, but many will only be found in one habitat or the other.

I'm going to start with one light trap, placed in the woods. My time and ability to process large numbers of insects for this blog are limited, so I'll use a smaller light collection surface, and I may turn the lights out fairly early in the evening if the trap has accumulated a significant number of species. In any case, I'll post again tomorrow with an overview of the results and then I'll begin adding new species pages as quickly as I can.

How to Build a Simple Light Trap

Equipment:
1 collection sheet (A flexible sheet of white material, smooth plastic works best.)
1 collection bin, (may be almost anything with smooth vertical walls, a jar, for example)
duct tape
1 light source (This may be turned on for hours so use rechargeable batteries or an approved outdoor extension cord)

Figure 1: A small hole leads into the collection
bin. The hole is at least several inches above
the bottom of the collection bin.
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012

Step 1:
Curl the plastic so that it forms a small opening inside the collection bin, and the sides conform to the shape of the collection bin. Use a piece of duct tape to hold the collection sheet together, as shown in figure 1.

Step 2:
Use duct tape to pull the plastic collection sheet tight ot the edges of the collection bin so that no openings remain except the one inside the curled collection sheet.

Step 3:

Figure 3: Simple, home-made light
trap for catching insects at night.
Photo by Brad Sylvester,
copyright 2012

Lean the back edge of the collection sheet against a tree or other support, so that it will not fall down in the wind. Place the flashlight so that it shines onto the fron of the collection sheet as shown in figure 2.

Collecting Insects with the Light Trap

Once the collection bin has many insects inside, you can shake the collection sheet to drop any insects still haning on into the collection bin. Then, remove the collection sheet and quickly cover the collection bin.

Converting the Light Trap Collection Bin into a Killing Jar

The collection bin will have a number of insects of unknown species. If you are unsure of the safety of handling the inssects you have caught, or have any allergies to stings or bites, you may wish to convert the collection bin into a killing jar so that the insects are dead before you attempt to handle them. This can be accomplished by using tweezers to dip a cotton ball into nail polish remover and then placing the cotton ball inside a smaller container inside the collection bin. Cover the collection jar or bin immediately.

Depending upon the size of your collection bin, you may need to use several nail polish soaked cotton balls to achieve a concentration of fumes sufficient to kill the insect inside. Allow several minutes for the fumes to take effect. Be sure to avoid inhaling the fumes yourself and follow all safety warnings from the manufacturer of the nail polish remover.

Appreciating the Journey

With just 43 species identified from the hundreds or thousands that live in my yard, already I am able to take the knowledge I've gained by taking the time to learn about these creatures and apply it as I walk through my yard.

Instead of just walking past and thinking what a beautiful dragonfly and wondering what kind it is, whether it bites or stings. I know what species it is and I think: What a beautiful adult male Twelve-Spotted Skimmer. Looks like it's out hunting for flies. It must have hatched last fall down in the wetlands at the base of the valley. Most likely, it will return there to breed as well. I know how to hold it carefully in my hand for closer examination without harm to either it or myself.

Or I can hear a birdsong and know that the sudden stop to the whip-poor-will's song will probably only last 10 or 15 seconds as it moves to another spot around the perimeter of its territory and resumes singing. I know what nights it is more likely to sing and what time of the night I might expect to hear it. I know where it nests and how it feeds.

All of that is really the reason that I started this blog and this project in the first place. I wanted to understand more about the world in which I live. I wanted to know how the creatures that live in my yard interact with one another and how my presence here affects them. I wanted to know what I can do to make sure they stay and thrive here and to make sure that I don't do anything that inadvertently renders this habitat unsuitable for them.

I may not ever be as knowledgeable as some of the experts I have met over the last few years, but I certainly know much more than I did, and I'm learning more every day. I know who my animal neighbors are and how they're doing by watching their behavior and the state of the "neighborhood" in which we all live. I am not just leaving a footprint on this five acres of land, but becoming a part of it and the community that owned it long before I did.

Northern Pink-striped Oakworm Moth



Northern Pink-striped Oakworm Moth, male
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012.
Do not copy.

Some days I go out into my yard looking for a new species to chronicle in this blog. On other days, I just happen to run across interesting species serendipitously. On June 8th, I was out building a new shed when my son called me over to look at a moth that he found sitting on a piece of plywood we had lying on the lawn. It turned out to be a Northern Pink-striped Oakworm Moth (Anisota virginiensis virginiensis).

Moth or Butterfly?

It was one of the most colorful moths I had ever seen. Remember the checklist of butterfly versus moth traits I used to help identify the skippers (Hesperidae Family) last July? This one is not nearly as tricky as the skippers.

Northern Pink-striped Oakworm Moth
(Anisota virginiensis virginiensis)
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012
Do not copy.

It has broad, feathered antennae, a large head, a thick, hairy body, and holds it wings flat and swept back while at rest. The bright colors and the fact that it was out and about during the daytime are the only traits which might suggest butterfly, but the others are far more accurate indicators. So we can be sure that it is a moth.

There are many, many species of moths and I certainly don't know them all or even a large percentage by sight. This one was knew to me, but was reminiscent of the Rosy Maple Moth. The Rosy Maple Moth is member of the taxonomic Family Saturniidae (Saturn Moths or Giant Silkworms and Royal Moths). Therefore, I started looking for a match at the Family level.

In reviewing images of the Rosy Maple Moth, I saw several photos of its larval form at bugguide.net and in my Audubon Field Guide. I recalled having seen a very similar early instar caterpillar on some oak leaves very near where this caterpillar was found. Perhaps then, instead of a Maple Moth it was some kind of Oak Moth. Using the search term "Oak Moth Saturnidae," I was able to find the Pink-striped Oakworm Moth (Anisota virginiensis), which has three sub-species.

Sub-species of Anisota virginiensis

The sub-species are most easily differentiated by the regions in which they live. In New Hampshire, we'd expect to find the sub-species Northern Pink-striped Oakworm Moth (Anisota virginiensis virginiensis). The Southern Pink-striped Oakworm Moth (Anisota virginiensis pellucida) lives from South Carolina to Florida and west to Louisiana according to Bugguide.net. While the Texas Pink-striped Oakworm Moth (Anisota virginiensis discolor) is found, as you may have guessed, in Texas.

Sexual Dimorphism

We know the species, and because the species, like human beings, is sexually dimorphic (the males and females look different), we can tell that the specimen I found in my yard is a male. Size is a key differentiator. The female is significantly larger than the male, but without one of each sex to compare, and without a tape measure handy, this is difficult to determine.

Hyaline Area

The lower wing edge is clearly
visible through the transparent
window of the hyaline area of
the male's forewing.
Photo by Brad Sylvester,
copyright 2012. Do not copy.

The other key trait used to determine the moth's sex is that males have a large clear "window" on the forewing (the larger wing on each side). You can literally see right through this part of the male's forewing. This is called a hyaline area. The female has no such clear patch.

Starvation Diet

Normally, I'd include dietary information in the Quick Facts section, but this one's pretty interesting. The larva of the species, called simply the pink-striped oakworm, eats oak leaves. If present in large numbers they can do consider damage to a tree's foliage. When they metamorphose into adult moths, however, do not eat at all according to butterfliesandmoths.org. Once they pupate, they begin to slowly starve to death as the stored fats retained from the caterpillar stage are used up.

Diurnal or Nocturnal?

I've already said the specimen of this moth that I found was out during the daylight hours, and I've identified it as a male. Males frequently fly during the day, seeking females by scent. Females, on the other hand, fly at night to find oak leaves suitable for egg-laying and can be attracted by light traps.

Quick Facts about the Northern Pink-striped Oakworm Moth:

Where does it live? Anisota virginiensis virginiensis ranges from Nova Scotia to North Carolina in the East and from Minnesota to Manitoba in the West.

Where does it go in winter? The Northern Pink-striped Oakworm Moth pupates in late fall and overwinters in the pupa just below ground according to butterfliesandmoths.org.

Habitat: Pretty much anywhere that oak trees are found from deciduous forest to city parks.

When is it here? Anisota virginiensis virginiensis does not migrate and is present here all year round. Its flight season, however, runs only from June to July in New Hampshire according to Bugguide, but as one goes farther south there may be two or even three generations each year depending upon how far south one goes. Of course, these are likely the Southern or Texas sub-species.

Lifespan: Up to one year, but perhaps only a few months in warmer climates.

Notes: Eggs are laid in bunches on the underside of oak leaves. According Forestryimages.org, they are spherical and yellow, laid in batches of several dozen at a time. Each egg is individually attached to the leaf.

Date found in my yard: June 8, 2012

Taxonomy of the Northern Pink-Striped Oakworm Moth:

Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta (Insects)
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Family:Saturniidae (Silkworm Moths and Royal Moths)
Genus: Anisota
Species: Anisota virginiensis
Sub-species: Anisota virginiensis virginiensis

Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata): Damsel in Distress

Note that the leading edge of the wings are metallic green like
the body of the ebony jewelwing. This one shows
evidence of injury to its wings, abdomen and legs.
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012. Do not copy.

If you're a bug, life is precarious, even if you are a top predator in the insect world. Dragonflies and damselflies, for example, are nature's version of the Predator Drone. These agile and fast flyers criss-cross their hunting grounds looking for other flying insects. When they find one, they grab it out of the air and eat it.

Unfortunately, when you're a bug, there's always something bigger and badder than you. That appears to be the case for the Ebony Jewelwing I found in my yard today. This distinctive damselfly appeared to have seen better days. It was missing a leg, had an unnatural bend in its abdomen, and its rear wings appeared to be skewed to one side.

Of course, you'll remember how to differentiate damselflies and dragonflies from one another, right?

Top view of ebony jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata).
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012. Do not copy.

Perhaps it had a near miss with a bird or a larger dragonfly, both of which will eat damselflies like this one. Although still alive and able to stand, its wings seemed incapable of mustering a flight of more than two inches at a time. Granted, ebony jewelwings are not the strongest flyers of the damselfly world, but they can certainly do better than that if not injured. They have a distinctive flight pattern among odonatae. They fly more like butterflies than the high speed, precise flight of most dragonflies and damselflies.

According to Dennis Paulson's field guide "Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East, " ebony jewelwings live along slow-moving forest streams with lots of leafy, green plants around. That is exactly the type of habitat in which I found this specimen. There is a seasonal brook that runs through my back yard along the forest edge. It's banks are covered with ferns, raspberry plants, and other small to mid-sized plants. This is absolutely ideal for the ebony jewelwing. Even so, this is the first specimen I have ever seen in my yard (or anywhere else for that matter.

Identifying the Ebony Jewelwing Species (Calopteryx maculata)

To identify the species of this particular damselfly in New England. The wings are the main clue. This is the only damselfly in this range that has solid black wings. In the Southeast, the smoky rubyspot (Hetaerina titia) also has black wings, but does not have the metallic green-colored body of the ebony jewelwing.

Identifying the Sex and Age of Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata)

Ebony Jewelwing caudal appendage detail
Damselflies and Dragonflies can often be precisely identified
and sexed by examining details of the caudal appendage.
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012. Do not copy.

The female of this species has a little white dot on the outer wings near the end of the wing at the top. In fact the Latin species name Calopteryx maculata means beautiful spotted wing. This specimen does not have that dot, so we can easily determine that it is a male without a detailed inspection of the caudal appendage. Females would also tend to be less brightly colored through the abdomen. Immature individuals, according to Paulson would have paler wings and the eyes would be a lighter brown color. This leads us to the conclusion that this one is a mature adult.

Of all the odonatae, the ebony jewelwing, in my opinion is the most strikingly beautiful in appearance. I'm hoping the presence of this one in my yard, means that there are more here this year and that they'll be laying eggs in the stream bed.

Injured ebony jewelwing. Ordinarily the abdomen would be
straight without the bend shown here.
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012. Do not copy.

Quick facts about the ebony jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata):

When is it here? The ebony jewelwing is here year-round, but adults are typically found only from June through September, according to Paulson.

Habitat: Ebony jewelwings live near forest streams with abundant vegetation.

What do Ebony Jewelwings eat? Their diet consists of other insects both in adult and nymphal forms according to bugguide.net.

Life Cycle: Adults live about 2-3 weeks with females laying as many as 1700 eggs during that span. Nymphs grow underwater, climbing out of the water before they undergo their last metamorphosis to become adults.

Lifespan: Ebony Jewelwings live about one year.

Range: Eastern U.S. and Canada from Florida to about Nova Scotia and west to about Kansas.

IUCN Red List Status: Not assessed. The other references I checked (noted above), say that the ebony jewelwing is common throughout its range. Personally, though, I have never seen another one despite frequenting New England forests all my life.

Where does it go in winter? I could not determine whether the ebony jewelwing overwinters in the egg or as a nymph from available sources. It certainly overwinters underwater, and my guess would be that the eggs hatch before winter and the nymph overwinters under rocks at the bottom of the stream bed, but I have no documentation to support that guess.

Behavior Notes: Paulson says that males defend their territory from other males of the species in an attempt to keep all the females there for itself. Perhaps the injured specimen I found in my yard, was driven out of another male's territory and suffered its injuries in the scuffle. I'm not sure if they actually fight or use display and aerial harassment to defend the territory though.

The feet of the damselfly or dragonfly are well designed
to snatch flying insects from the air and hang onto them
until they can be eaten.
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012. Do not copy.

Taxonomy of Calopteryx maculata:

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta (insects)
Order: Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies)
     Sub-order: Zygoptera (damselflies)
Family: Calopterygidae
Genus: Calopteryx (jewelwings)
Species: Calopteryx maculata

Revisiting Old Friends: Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus)

Eastern chipmunk at burrow entrance
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012

For me, one of the best things about learning what lives in my yard, is that I can easily recognize things I couldn't identify before. Another benefit of this effort is that over time I can see the same creatures in different places, seasons and situations and really get to know them in more depth.

This morning, I was sitting on a small footbridge that I built over a stream that leads into the forest in my backyard photographing a new insect for this blog. As I pulled my eye away from the viewfinder after taking some macro shots, I noticed that I was under observation.

Eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus)
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012

A small brown furry head was peaking up from between some rocks about four feet away from me. Of course, anyone in New England can readily identify a chipmunk. Some may know that it is actually called the Eastern chipmunk or that its Latin species name is Tamias striatus. I didn't learn this particular species, or much new information about them when I initially described the Eastern chipmunk in this blog last July.

Those who read that post may remember that the chipmunk lives in underground burrows that measure from 5-10 feet in length with one or more living and storage chambers. Knowing this, when I saw the chipmunk watching me from between two rocks near a stream, I suspected that it was sitting right in one of the entrances to its burrow.

The small hole in the center of the picture
is the entrance to a chipmunk burrow.
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012.

After snapping a few pictures of the chipmunk, I saw it turn and disappear into the cleft between the rocks where it had been sitting. As I suspected, this was the front door of its underground home. So I'm able to add a few extra pictures of the Eastern chipmunk and one of its den.

Quick facts about the Eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus):

Lifespan: Eastern chipmunks live 2-3 years on average in the wild according to National Geographic.

When is it here? Eastern chipmunks live in New Hampshire all year round, but will remain below ground in their burrows during the cold winter months.

Nature's Hoarders

The Eastern chipmunk is a hoarder. It collects food all summer long, carrying it back to its burrow in preparation for the winter. The chipmunk does greatly reduce its activity level during the cold months, but doesn't go into a full hibernation. The food stored in its burrow sustains the chipmunk through the winter.

Tree Climbing

Although the chipmunk lives underground and generally forages on the forest floor, it is a quick and agile climber and will quickly scamper up a tree and sound a warning if threatened while away from its den.

Hand Feeding Chipmunks

Chipmunks are readily acclimated to humans by food offerings, and will take peanuts or similar food from the hand if food is given and gradually moved closer and closer to human presence. This is not recommended because it can lead to reliance on human feeding and selection of foods that have improper nutrition and resistance to spoilage to keep the chipmunk alive through the winter. It can also lead to chipmunks becoming a nuisance as they learn to associate people with food. Not to mention the fact that they can and will bite if startled or threatened and can carry serious diseases.

Nightsongs of the Whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferus)

Some creatures only come out at night and these can be very hard to see. The Whip-poor-will is one such creature. A nocturnal bird that feeds on moths, the whip-poor-will not only flies under cover of darkness, but, like many nightjars, it has an extremely effective camouflage that makes it difficult o see even if you should happen upon one during the day.

How, then, can I add it to the list of animals that live in my yard? By using my ears instead of my eyes. Some of the people with whom I go birdwatching are extremely adept at identifying birds just by listening to their song. I can pick out a few reliably by voice, but the great majority of our summer warblers are beyond my skill level.

The whip-poor-will, however has a very distinctive night-time call. Furthermore, I have some experience with this particular bird, as this marks my third year of participation in the Northeast Nightjar Survey organized by Dr. Pamela Hunt of the Audubon Society of New Hampshire.

The Northeast Nightjar Survey enlists volunteers to travel a ten mile route after dark during a certain phase of the moon when weather conditions are right to listen for whip-poor-wills and record their numbers and locations along the survey route. I cover the Loudon route. I am quite familiar with the call of the whip-poor-will and can identify it with 100% accuracy.

So, by listening to the bird's call in my backyard at about 8:30 p.m. this evening, I can now add the whip-poor-will to the list of animals that live in my yard. Even though the call of the whip-poor-will can carry about a half mile in good conditions, my ears tell me this one is within the boundaries of my yard.

Whip-poor-will Eyeshine

Although I haven't seen it myself, according to Chuck Fergus' report for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, a strong light catching their eyes will reflect back red or bright orange caused by a reflective layer (tampetum) behind the retina which sends available light back through the retina improving the bird's night vision. If you can follow the song at night, you might be able to catch the fiery eyeshine with a bright LED flashlight.

Quick facts about the whip-poor-will ( Caprimulgus vociferus):

Diet: The whip-poor-will eats nocturnal flying insects such as moths and beetles. It overtakes its prey with its mouth gaping open to engulf them in flight.

Habitat: Whip-poor-wills live in deciduous forests.

When is it here? The whip-poor-will visits New Hampshire for the summer to breed.  According to the Northeast Nightjar Survey instruction and data sheets, whip-poor-wills arrive in New Hampshire in very early May, take two weeks to situate themselves and then engage in a six week nesting period. It is during this six week period, averaging May 15th through June 30, that they can be heard calling at night, especially near times of a full moon when the skies are relatively clear. Sterry & Small's "Birds of Eastern North America, A Photographic Guide" has whip-poor-wills heading south and leaving New Hampshire in September.

Where do whip-poor-wills go in winter? Whip-poor-wills migrate south in the winter heading for Central America or the Gulf Coast of the United States and Mexico.

Nesting habits of the whip-poor-will: The whip-poor-will doesn't actually build a nest. Instead it lays eggs on the leaf litter of a forest floor according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, laying two eggs per clutch.

IUCN Red List Status: Species of Least Concern. Although declining in numbers, there is a large population spread out over a broad range.

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Wireworm (Click Beetle Larva) Identification Notes

Underside of the head of a wireworm (click beetle larva)
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012

One of the things I really enjoy about the "What Lives in my Yard?" project is that it forces me to take a closer look at the animals I find and to discover relationships between them (and the flora of my yard). For example, as a kid growing up in New England, click beetles are quite familiar. I recall finding them and placing them on their backs and waiting for them to "click." The unleashed elastic force of their click would not only make an audible noise, but would pop them quite high up into the air.

As an avid gardener, I am also familiar with wireworms. The hard-bodied, little, orange caterpillar-like larvae that are often found in garden soil that is rich in organic material. I never would have suspected that they were actually the same animal. Wireworms are click beetle larva.

Wireworm measuring 26mm (1") in length
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012.

I am sure that I have click beetles on my property here in southern New Hampshire. I have seen click beetles here, but don't recall specifically seeing any other species. At any rate, I'll need to identify the larva itself, and then look for the specific adult form of the same beetle later in the season.

I can start with the click beetle family (Elateridae) and work down the taxonomy tree from there. There are seven sub-families of Elateridae listed at Bugguide.net. Clicking on these, however, nets us photos of adult click beetles, and while bugguide.net does have some pictures of click beetle larvae, there are relatively few with positive identifications and I could not find a single one that matched the tail appendages of my specimen.

Top view of the tail end of the unknown wireworm
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012.

One of the first things that I discovered as I began searching through other sources is that wireworms are a significant agricultural pest. The larva live and feed in the soil for 2-5 years before pupating and turning into an adult click beetles according to an Oregon State University web page. They eat roots, tubers, germinating seeds, and sometimes other insects and can cause significant damage to garden crops such as peppermint, potatoes, corn, strawberries and other food crops. Note that this particular specimen was found in the soil of what was a strawberry bed ( a fact which may help in the identification).

As an agricultural pest, of course, pesticide manufacturers are among the major sources of information about this insect. Syngenta has a complete field guide for wireworms detailing their behavior and life cycle along with copious amounts of data about almost every aspect of their existence --except determining exactly which species they are. As far as the Syngenta guide is concerned, wireworms are wireworms and they're all bad. This is despite the fact that the majority of wireworms eat decaying matter and a few eat other insects.

Side view of tail end of wireworm showing a single, central
proleg
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012.

Interestingly, though, once they do pupate and metamorphose into click beetles, they cease to be a problem and no longer eat agricultural crops at all. Syngenta also provides a simple technique for determining whether you have wireworms in your fields. Just plant a small ball of dough and check it a few days later. Wireworms, they say, are attracted to CO2 emitted by the dough or by germinating seeds. I might try this one day to see if I can find more than one species of wireworm.

Another problem with trying to identify insects using field guides like the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders  is that they are not truly comprehensive in scope. They may list a few representative species from a taxonomic Family or Genus, but many are left out. From my own experience, I know that the Eyed Click Beetle is not the only one found here, but it is the only one listed in the Audubon guide.

This wireworm had one set of legs on each of the first three
segments after the head.
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012.

According to Majka and Johnson as published in Zootaxa, however, there are 965 individual species of Elatiderae in North America of which only about 20% have described larva. Granted that not all of them are found in New Hampshire (Majka and Johnson list 91 New Hampshire click beetles) that still leaves a lot of work (and perhaps a nearly impossible task) for an amateur entomologist like myself in trying to identify the one specific species I have found, especially since it is a larval form.

The personal web page on wireworm research of Wim Van Herk, says "A little research into the classification of the Elateridae will likely lead to both confusion and frustration." Herk notes that depending upon which expert one consults, Elateridae are divided into either 3, 7, or as many as 18 subfamilies.

Face of the wireworm
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012.

One way to identify an insect when you have only a larva and only have resources to identify the adult form, is to keep it alive in captivity until it metamorphoses into the adult form. When it spends 2-5 years in the larval form, however, that can be problematic. Another option might be to look and see where I found the larva to see if I can find adult beetles as well. The research suggests that adults will often be present overwintering in the same locations as the larva, although that would be more circumstantial than conclusive evidence. I could also keep the wireworm in captivity and offer it several food sources, strawberry roots and grubs, for example to determine what this particular species eats, which might narrow down the choices.

It seems that wireworm or click beetle larva species identification is a highly specialized field and certainly beyond my skills at present. I have, however, included some photos that show details an expert might use to identify the specific species, if you know one, please send them this way.

The best I can do for now (with help from bugguide.net) on the taxonomy of this wireworm is:

Side view of wireworm showing spot, vertical line, and
horizontal crease on each body segment
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera (Beetles)
     Sub-order: Polyphaga
Superfamily: Elateroidea (Click beetles, fireflies & soldier beetles)
     Family: Elateridae (Click beetles)
          Subfamily: unknown
Genus: unknown
Species: unknown
         

Which One is a Harmful Invasive Species?

Five animals found while turning and sifting the soil in
my garden to remove an old strawberry bed.
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012.

One of the tasks I had to take care of today was pulling out an old strawberry bed to prepare the plot to become a vegetable garden this year. I moved a number of new strawberry plants to a new plot last fall. Pulling out the old plants involves shoveling and sifting roots out of the soil. Well any good garden soil is home to a community of organisms and mine is no different.

As I turned over the soil and pulled out the old roots and plants, I found a number of tiny creatures living in the soil and I put a few of them aside to detail for this blog. Each will get its own entry, but I just wanted to take a minute to show you what I dug up. Mind you I wasn't really searching carefully and I undoubtedly missed a number of smaller creatures.

Nevertheless, there are five distinct animals in the picture. Although, to be fair, it's possible that fewer than five species are represented if any of the grubs are larval beetles. I don't think they are, because I'd expect each species from a given sample plot to be in close to the same stage of development at this point.

Without going into research to formally identify theses species, I can tell that at least one of them is an invasive species to New England brought over from either Europe or Asia (depending upon which of several species it turns out to be) and is potentially a harmful invader to forests like those in my backyard. Which one is it? Believe it or not it's the earthworm although there may be others in this group as well. I haven't closely examined or identified them yet, but the smaller white grub in the top center of the picture could be a Japanese beetle larva which would make it a harmful invasive species as well.

While earthworms might be good for the garden, several common varieties are quite bad for forested eco-systems, but I'll dig into that a bit more on the individual species page when I post it.
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Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) - The Cross-bearing Frog

This little climbing frog was making its way up the glass
panel of one of the doors to my house on a rainy evening
in April.
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012.

One of the signature sounds of the New England forest is the evening chorus of spring peepers. Unless one goes traipsing through the woods at night to find the pond or vernal pool from which their spring serenade erupts, however, they can be difficult to find. Unless, that is, they come almost literally knocking on your door as this one did.

As soon as you see the little suction pads on the toes, you might think tree frog, but there are three different New Hampshire frogs that might have feet like this and be agile climbers. The gray tree frog is one, the wood frog another, and the third is the spring peeper.

Tree frogs have a very distinctive dark marking under their eyes that makes them easy to rule out in this case. That leaves the gray tree frog or the spring peeper.

Spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) found in my yard on
April 23, 2012.
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012.

This frog measures about an inch long and is predominantly brown on the upper side which could fit either species. When we look at the Latin name for spring peeper, however, we get a stronger clue to the identity of this particular specimen. The spring peeper is Pseudacris crucifer in Latin. It's another of those species which has been reclassified in recent years. It was formerly called Hyla crucifer. In any event, it's the crucifer part of the name in which we're interested.

Crucifer translates to cross-bearing. If we look at the back of our little frog we see that it has an elongated "X" or cross pattern. That, along with the frog's other characteristics makes this frog a spring peeper. The X shaped markings on the back of spring peepers vary pretty widely. Some may be an ordinary X, others like our specimen may have a long straight connection in the middle, and on some, one or more of the "legs" of the X may be broken or interrupted (also present in our frog).

Spring peepers are small frogs, measuring between .75 and 1.5 inches in length in resting position (as shown in photos), according to the NH F&G Dept. They can be tan, brown or gray.

A good resource to hear the spring peeper call and that of other North American Frogs is Sounds of North American Frogs (downloadable version from Amazon) or click the image below for the CD version.  


Quick Facts about the Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer):

Diet: The spring peeper is an insectivore subsisting on small insects.

Habitat: Spring peepers live in marshes, ponds, vernal pools, and wet meadows and forests.

When is it here? The spring peeper lives in New Hampshire all year round.

Where does the spring peeper go in winter? The spring peeper hibernates during the winter months. It seeks cover and can be found hibernating under moss, fallen logs, loose tree bark or matted leaves according to NHPTV and the NH F&G Dept.

Reproduction: The spring peeper female lays up to 1000 eggs each spring. Each one is individually attached to plants under the surface of the water (as opposed to the large egg masses laid by some frog species). NHPTV says the eggs take 6-12 days to hatch. My guess is that the range depends mostly upon temperature and possibly oxygen content of the water surrounding them, but that's only my guess. A controlled experiment to determine if this hypothesis is correct could be conducted if eggs from a single batch could be kept in water at varying temperatures and both with and without aeration.

Spring peepers, of course, hatch as small tadpoles. They'll first add hind legs, then front legs as they absorb their tails into their body to become adult frogs. NHPTV says this happens during "late summer." If you are able to track the evening chorus of spring peepers to a particular pond in the evening, you might revisit it throughout the summer to watch the progress of the tadpoles as they develop.

Lifespan: National Geographic estimates the lifespan of the spring peeper at three years in the wild.

Predators - What eats the spring peeper? Although the spring peeper is well camouflaged, many, many different animals will eat them if given the opportunity. A variety of birds from great blue herons to domestic chickens, foxes, raccoons, snakes, large fish, domestic cats and dogs, and many other animals all eat small frogs such as the spring peeper in New England.

Taxonomy of the Spring Peeper:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hylidae
Genus: Pseudacris (formerly Hyla)
Species: Pseudacris crucifer (formerly Hyla crucifer)

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) Kits (not in my yard)

Baby red fox spotted in Strafford, NH
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012.

Yesterday, I happened to spot three baby red foxes, known as kits. They are not located in my yard, a fact which I'm sure would be good news to my chickens, but they are in my town, Strafford, NH. They were just too cute to exclude from the blog.

I saw three kits, but did not see any adult foxes with them. They were playing outside the opening to their den. The mother was undoubtedly just inside keeping a watchful eye and ear on them as they played. I took these photos using an 840mm equivalent zoom lens at twilight, so I apologize for the poor quality of the images, but it was the best I could do under the circumstances.

I was standing about 50 yards away from the kits when I took the pictures. They took no notice of me whatsoever, which is just the way I wanted it. I do not want to either make the mother fox feel as though her den is not safe or acclimate the babies to the presence of humans so I made sure to keep a good distance. For the same reason, I will not divulge the exact location of the den. Although, I may return under better light conditions to take more photos from an equally distant vantage point, I will not approach the den or any wild fox.

Although it is looking in the direction of the camera, the
red fox kits took no notice of me as I watched from 50 yards
away.
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012.

Foxes, especially a mother guarding a den, can be aggressive at times. If you should see one, observe from a long distance using binoculars or a spotting scope. Never approach a wild fox. If it appears injured and you think it might need aid, call a NH Fish and Game Department Wildlife Conservation Officer.

It is highly likely that red foxes do frequent my yard, but until I can photograph or provide other direct evidence, they don't get on the list of what lives in my yard.




At times, the baby foxes seemed to disappear as they played in and around the opening of their den.
Photo by Brad Sylvester, copyright 2012.

A firefly that doesn't light up, Ellychnia corrusca

Winter Firefly (Ellychnia corrusca) hiding in the bark of a
maple tree.
Photo by Brad Sylvester. Copyright 2012. Do not copy.

As I catalogue each species of animal that I find living in my yard, I include quick facts about each animal. Things like: Where does it go in the winter? For one entry, the banded net-wing, I told you that it hides in crevices in the bark of trees during the winter. Given this bit of information, and the fact that I hear woodpeckers digging bugs out of trees every morning around my yard, I thought it might be interesting to look under the bark of a maple tree to see what I might find.
Within seconds, I spotted three specimens of an insect that bears some similarity to the banded net-wing, but which had quite different coloration. Having grown-up in New England chasing bugs very much like these, I had a suspicion about what they were. If I hadn't known, then I would have been able to start with the similarity to the banded net-wing and work backward through taxonomy using the handy tools at bugguide.net to identify it.
How to identify insect species

This is the same Ellychnia corrusca in the above and below
photos, but with it's head clearly extending beyond the
pronotum, which goes counter to species descriptions.
The other photos all show the head tucked and hidden,
so it seems that position is preferred, but a matter of
behavior rather than basic body architecture.
Photo by Brad Sylvester. Copyright 2012. Do not copy.

Starting from the banded net-wing page, we can click on the taxonomy links at the top of the entry. First, we click the Genus Calopteron and scan the pics. They all appear to be bicolored with a different wing-shape than the specimens I found today. Continuing back, we don't see anything close in appearance to our specimens until we get to the Superfamily Elateroidea which is comprised of click beetles, fireflies, and soldier beetles.
Even then, I don't see a picture that closely matches what I've found, but there is enough diversity here that it might be included and I don't want to have to go further up the chain into much broader beetle categories until I have exhausted possible candidates at the Family level. Within the Superfamily Elateroidea, there are twelve Families. I can immediately rule out click-beetles which tend to have a hard, chitinous outer wing cover (elytra). I can rule out borers and Texas beetles.

From there, it's a process of elimination. I choose one family, enter it into the search box at the top of the page and look for a close match to what I've found. I started with Lampyridae (Fireflies) and quickly found that the images of various species in this group look very much like our mystery bug. From there, we have another process of elimination. There are a handful of subfamilies, and then tribes within the subfamilies, but clicking on an image that looks almost exactly like our subject, I find the species Ellychnia corrusca. Ellychnia corrusca is sometimes commonly called the winter firefly.

The body length of 14mm is the surest clue to the exact
species once it's been narrowed down to the Genus
Ellychnia.
Photo by Brad Sylvester. Copyright 2012. Do not copy.

That gives me a strawman that I then try to rule out.

• Size of my specimen: 14mm, reported size of Ellychnia corrusca 10-14mm. Check. 
• Complete lack of bioluminescent organs at tip of abdomen? Check.
• Pronotum shape and markings, check.
• Elytra details, check. 
• Antenna segment details? check.
• Range? Northeast United States, check.
• Habitat? check.
• Behavior: overwinters as adults in tree bark? Check.
• Behavior: adults known to feed on maple sap in early spring? These specimens were found on a maple tree on March 15th, check.
• Head hidden by pronotum when viewed from above? Uh-oh. No. In an ID photo I took, the head is clearly visible from above. Let's dig deeper.

I search the web for other photos and descriptions (from reputable sources) of Ellychnia corrusca and find some showing the head visible as in my photo. I then go back out to the tree where I found this insect and look for others. They have their heads "tucked" under the pronotum.

In reviewing the photos I took of the original specimen in situ, I see it similarly posed, with head tucked and not visible from above. Apparently, this identification key listed by bugguide.net refers to certain postures and is not absolute for this species.

Ellychnia corrusca with pronotum angled down and head
hidden from view from above as in most species accounts.
This is the same specimen as in the photo to the above-right.
Photo by Brad Sylvester. Copyright 2012. Do not copy.

When I can't rule out Ellychnia corrusca, I see if I can rule in any other species. Every resource I can find tells me that although there are three known species of non-luminescent lightning bugs in New England. Only one is larger than 7.5 millimeters in length, which rules out all the others as this is clearly a lightning bug. So there we have it. Ellychnia corrusca, a lightning bug or firefly that doesn't ever light up and is active in the daytime instead of the night.

Undiscovered new sub-species?

What's particularly interesting is that the University of Alberta suggests that the insects currently identified as Ellychnia corrusca as "possibly consisting of several species, but not sufficiently studied or understood to differentiate between them." This is based on observed differences between specimens identified in different regions of their accepted range.

UA suggestion is correct) currently classified as Ellychnia corrusca. Thesis material, anyone?

Given the tremendous complexity of the wild forest biosphere, I've often thought that there are surely species of plants and animals (particularly arthropods), even in well settled areas like my own backyard, that have not yet been discovered or identified. Do the various sub-species of Ellychnia corrusca qualify? Because the differences may occur geographically, it's unlikely that I would be able to find more than one of the proposed sub-species (if such exist) in my yard, nevertheless, I will keep a specimen preserved and compare it against future finds to look for inconsistencies. I will certainly never look at a lightning bug in my yard the same way again knowing it might be an unrecognized sub-species!

Quick facts about the Ellychnia corrusca:

Lifespan of the winter firefly: about one year

Life Cycle: Ellychnia corrusca, according to the University of Alberta's E.H. Strickland Entomology Museum, spends the winter in the crevices of tree bark, moving very little and never leaving the tree until March. In March, it begins flying again. mating season is April and May. The adults die in late spring, sometimes prematurely by drowning in the sap collection buckets of those tapping maple trees. The larvae of Ellychnia corrusca, says the E.H. Strickland Entomology Museum, live in rotting wood and are predators, likely eating grubs and slugs that are also found in or on rotting wood.

Diet: Adults live on plant liquids such as maple sap, maple flower nectar, and possibly fluids from flowers during the fall before they find a winter hiding place, according to the E.H. Strickland Museum.

Range: Bugguide.net credits researchers Downie and Arnett with stating that the winter firefly lives in the eastern United States, from Maine to Wisconsin and as far south as Maryland. Populations are also found on the western coast of the Untied states into Colorado and Arizona. In Canada they are found in the east and in British Columbia.

Where does it go in winter? The winter firefly stays hidden in the folds of tree bark in the winter, although it may move a few inches from one place to another, it otherwise stays put during the cold months.

Notes: Most people think that all lightning bugs or fireflies light up and come out at night, but Ellychnia corrusca does not possess bio-luminescent organs and is diurnal. Most (if not all) northern, luminescent fireflies overwinter in larval form inside rotting wood. Ellychnia corrusca, however, pupates before the winter snow and overwinters in adult form.

Ellychnia corrusca taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class: Insecta (Insects)
Order: Coleoptera (Beetles)
          Suborder: Polyphaga (Water beetles, Rove beetles, Longhorn beetles, Leaf beetles, 
          Snout beetles, and Scarabs)
Superfamily: Elateroidea (Click beetles, fireflies, and Soldier beetles)
          Family: Lampyridae (Fireflies)
                    Subfamily: Lampyrinae
                             Tribe: Photinini
Genus: Ellychnia
Species: Ellychnia corrusca