Hummingbird Clearwing Moth
Welcome to the Vinalhaven Sightings
Report
July 5th, 2026 – Edition
Tip o’ the hat to the Maine Coast Heritage
Trust
‘Breakdown, Return, & Slurp’
Highlights – Luna Moth, Spiders and baby birds!, Visiting a
milkweed patch, plant stuff, Mushrooms, otter digs, and so much more!
Business: vinalhavensightings@gmail.com
Hey
– got some nature sightings/stories or photos you want to share?
Well, send them to the address above and all your wildest dreams will come
true. As long as they are not too wild.
otter digs - can you dig it?
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so you don’t have to think so hard. ‘It hurts to think!’ – Incredible Hulk
Looking for more VSR? – Well, no one envies your situation, but if some
deeper. inner force makes it so you must access to ‘VSRs of the past’ than
go no further than the bottom of this post! Links to many years of VSR posts
can be found there – have at it!
Giant Lichen Orb Weaver
photo by Beth Gilford
Sightings! – Beth Gilford snapped these shots of a Giant lichen Orb
Weaver spider that was actively wrapping up some prey along the Huber trail
recently.
orb weaver wrapping up prey
photo by Beth Gilford
Beth noted that the prey identification remained a mystery,
but ‘larger than a June bug’ was the catchy phrase Beth threw down to describe.
I don’t know – Cicada or something? Quality meal for down the road – ‘breakdown,
return and slurp’ – classic descriptive Estonian phrase for ‘Spider
digestive process’. One of many.
coral slime
(6/29) Beth also reported of a morning spent with young
critters – a family of 4 Pileated Woodpeckers, 2 youngsters with fuzzy
crests and being fed by ‘mom’. Family of 6 Red-breasted Nuthatches, as well
as a session with recently fledged Eastern Phoebes and family.
wolfs milke slime
June was good for baby birdies, round two is well underway. Late
June singing around island - Ovenbird, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglets,
Red Crossbill, Northern Parula, Black throated Green, Black-throated Blue, Blackburnian,
Magnolia, and Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroat….
Luna Moth - Kris Osgood was kind enough to send in this photo of a Luna Moth
she spotted in late June. Word is it was her first time seeing a live one, and
seeing a Luna moth is always exciting!
Luna Moth
Photo by Kris Osgood
Luna Moths are ‘Giant Silk Moths’, along with Polyphemus and Cecropia
moths. Fun fact – adult Lunas have no functional mouths/proboscis, we’re
talking strictly ‘vestigial’ when it comes to mouthparts. So there is no
confusion as to what they are here to do - that moth is looking/smelling for ‘love’,
looking to pass its genes, looking for Lunas in all the wrong/right places.
Thanks for sharing Kris!
dear remains
photo by Javier Penalosa
While we are thinking insects – if somehow you can stay up
late enough during the summer to actually see darkness, then think about
putting yourself near a field at dark and watch the Lightening
Bugs/Fireflies put on a show! Gotta earn that one – Pat Paquet made
the effort recently and was impressed with the show. And you know how hard it
is to impress Pat!
‘Funky Redirectionals’– Lisa Nanny sent in this observation, story and photo
of a wonderful ‘tree redirectional’ from along VLT’s Storybrook Trail.
Here we go ….jpeg)
Funky redirectional
photo by Lisa Nanny
‘Friday on the Storybook trail I was curious to learn
nature’s explanation for this formation. What I learned is this is a kind of
“layering” as the result of an injured sapling decades ago. Once stabilized,
the tree senses gravity and redistributes its growth hormones causing the stem
to reach upward toward the light. After decades, it has created a smooth curve
in the trunk.
Very cool when left alone, nature takes care of itself!’
 |
| milkweed |
Thanks Lisa! Cool observation and write up. We at the VSR are big fans of the ‘redirectionals’ on the Vinalhaven trails – seems like every preserve has at least one trunk, shelf mushroom, or sapling that has had to redirect itself for in the name of survival (or spore dispersal).
We invite you – yes, you specifically - to send in
your photos of ‘funky redirectionals’ Thanks for sharing Lisa! That’s
great!
yellow patches amanita button
photo by Kris Osgood
Gather ‘round for a little mushroom time – There’s a lot popping up in the
woods these days, and we’ll jump into some of the larger ones you might come
across.
Amanitas - Kris Osgood sent in this Amanita button of what looks to be a young
Yellow Patches (sure, we’ll toss in some Latin – Amanita flavoconia). Amanita
shrooms rise up from a mycorrhizal fungus that’s in the ground and helping
trees grow.
 |
| yellow patches post-button phase |
When they first rise, Amanitas don’t look much like ‘mushroom’
mushrooms, or the mushrooms they will become. Instead, Amanitas break
through the ground in a protective covering – much like an eggshell protecting a
yolk! – and at this stage they are often called ‘Amanita buttons’.
Doesn’t take much before the Amanita mushroom within the
protective covering breaks through. This may result in the protective covering
breaking into flakes which then remain scattered across the cap of the shroom. As
is the case with Yellow Patches.
Tawny Grisette
rises from a sack
Or, as in the case of the Grisettes, the shroom may make
a clean break through the covering, resulting in a flakeless cap and a stipe/stalk
that appears to be rising out of a hole in a sack! Take a look!
striate and smooth
tawny
Grisettes are a favorite group of similar looking Amanitas
that are somewhat numerous on the trails right now. There are three flavors of Grisette – the tawny,
the regular, and the strangulated – and all three species have striate
edges that stand out. Striate in that the few centimeters around the edge
of the cap looks a little like a ruler, marking where the
mushrooms’ gills reach the edge. Easier seen than described – look at the photo
next to this writing!
Tawny Grisette and sack
Been seeing two Grisette species – let’s start with the Tawny
Grisette - Amanita fulva – my all-time favorite mushroom (lots o’ personal history with this one).
Mycorrhizal with the spruce, ‘just another amanita essential for the forest
to grow’.
 |
| strangulated |
One of my favorite things about Grisettes – (and
Amanitas and mycorrhizal mushrooms in
general) is that after a few years (or less) of noting where mushroom species
are seen, one can get a ‘feel’ for where the fungus that makes the mushroom
lives, and thus a ‘fungal tracking’ world has opened up. We live in a fungal
world, and the Amanita portion of this world is so cool, it can be worth ‘getting
to know your neighbors’.
strangulated much?
Strangulated Grisette – Amanita ceciliae - this is the species of Grisette where
scales/flakes of the protective covering remain on its cap. The result is a
fine mix of striation and flakiness (sounds like some of my friends).
strangulated
Grey cap rather than Tawny, Strangulated Amanitas have good,
subtle look for an Amanita. What’s more, Grisettes break the ‘Amanita mold’
(not the actual mold that attacks Amanitas) a little – Grisettes have no
veil around the stipe/stalk, where a veil is often mentioned as a
characteristic to look for on an Amanita. I’ve been ‘corrected’ by ‘knowledgeable’ people
that Tawny Grisettes are not Amanitas, even though they are. Sometimes it’s
impressive how few words it takes to learn that someone is talking beyond their
knowledge base. Yes, personal history here – Grisettes are Amanitas! And they
are Hot! Spread the word!
lilac brown bolete
Couple of fun Boletes in the Basin. While clearing out tick habitat on
the trails off Wharf Quarry Road, crossed paths with a Lilac-brown Bolete (Tylopilus
eximius). This chunker of a Bolete was just getting going size wise – as it
grows it will become more and more robust.
lilac brown bolete
The lilac brown bolete is another shroom that is a bloom of a
mycorrhizal fungus living in the ground. The fungus is attached to tree roots,
and a mutualistic exchange happens between fungus and root – the fungus gets
sugars from the tree and the trees gets nitrogen, phosphorus and other essentials
that the fungus readily absorbs from the ground. Fun to think of what’s happening below every
tree you walk by.
Dark Bolete
Dark Bolete – Tylopilus porphyrosporus – hadn’t seen this one in a while – dark
stipe, dark pores and dark brown cap. Always a pleasure though! This one had
been macked on pretty heavily by slugs. Gotta get up early to beat the slugs…
fairy stool
Coltricia polypores – Coltricia is a genus of Polypore fungi that bloom with stiped/stalked
shrooms that can be seen in trails. In fact, I can’t remember ever seeing a
Coltricia polypore even a few inches off the trail. Trail shrooms.
cinnamon fairy stool
Coltricia are interesting in that they ‘stick it to the polypore mold’
(not a mold that attacks polypores), as in they are mycorrhizal rather than
decomposers. Polypores are famous for shelf fungus that can last years and turn
the heartwood of trees into mush. Decomposers one and all – except for the Coltricia!
Way to be yourself!
cinnamon fairy stool
young and old
There are two species of Coltricia that I’ve been
seeing on the trails these days – Coltricia cinnamomea (Cinnamon Fairy
Stool) and Coltricia perennes (Fairy Stool). Look for their circularly mesmerizing
blooms in the trails – and if its cinnamony looking it’s the Cinnamon flavor,
yellow its yellow flavored. With me?
fairy stool
Lots of shrooms out there and more to come! If you get a shroomy photo you like, one
that you’d like to share, then send em in! Shrooms are very photogenic; some
will literally bring you to your knees.
milkweed below the rock
Milkweed session - always been a sucker for Milkweed (joined the MW fan-club
in 1988!), and so when a new patch pops up on a preserve they’re always noted
as a place to take a break by, eat lunch by, or simply veg out by (off the
clock of course!). Milkweed patches are special, and so are you.
milkweed and monarch
This particular patch is in the first field off the Wharf
Quarry Road trail and has only been around for a handful of years. I know
this because what used to be there was European Barberry, a whole bunch of it
that had been planted way back when and then spread around the area.
Well, about 10 years ago an effort was initiated to ‘rehabilitate’
the barberry and while I can’t say one thing directly led to another, there is
now little to no barberry to deal with (and less each year) and a big ol’ patch
of milkweed in the same spot. To quote Jimmy Pesto Jr - ‘I have a
calculator, you do the math’.
Northern Crescent male
The patch was super lively and active, so I decided to sip
on a little water while sitting on a big rock and see what buzzed by. Lepidopteras
(butterflies and moths) were the main distraction on the Milkweed flowers,
which are amazing in their own rights. It must have been hard for the Lepids to
resist – I feel like I could smell the Milkweed from the trail – so strong and
pleasant, like the heat got the scent machine cookin’ – baked milkweed smells great!
face to face with a northern crescent
northern crescent female
Northern Crescents were the most numerous butterflies observed that day – with both
males and females in attendance – sucking on plenty of nectar and chasing
each other around in classic Crescent frenzy style. Small flashes of
orange ‘dancing’ from flower to flower or mosh pitting it in midair
with another Crescent – it’s a thin line between sweet and rough.
Atlantis Fritillary
Slightly larger - The mid-range sized flashes of orange
were also a couple of Atlantis Fritillaries, which were also tapping
into the sweet nectar of the weedmilk!
 |
| face to face with an Atlantis Fritillary |
Atlantis Fritillaries are separated from other similar sized Fritillaries
(Aphrodite and Great Spangled) by markings on the underside of their hind
wings. What you are looking for is the cream-colored band towards the outer
edge of the undercarriage of the hind wing (you with me?).
The thickness of this band
, along with the black dots within the band
(the dots touch white ovals that extend into the cream band – you still with
me?) tell you it’s an Atlantis Fritillary. Your eyes are bound to
tell you it’s a lovely butterfly, and your eyes would be right.
monarch
Adult Monarchs really ‘bring the orange’, and there were one or two of them flitting around the milkweed that particular afternoon. This female Monarch may have been laying eggs, but I didn’t catch a close look to see. As a rule, I don’t go into Milkweed patches. Too much life to impact, and really, my knowing if a Monarch is laying eggs or not is not necessary…
Somebody laid eggs - … Especially since there were Monarch caterpillars feasting
on the milkweed itself! I don’t see Monarch Caterpillars too often – (maybe I
need to start going into Milkweed patches – not necessary!) – so finding a couple
from my seat as I was ‘sippin’ the hydration’ (For the Hydration!) was
kind of a thrill.
monarch caterpillar
monarch mackin'
By now, we all are probably familiar with the connection between
the Monarch caterpillar eating Milkweed which is poisonous – Don’t eat it
unless you are a Monarch – and the Monarch adults being poisonous/tasting
bad/burning sensation if eaten, so predators ‘leave them alone’ to a
certain extent.
In reality, not all Monarchs are poisonous, but enough
are to make critters think twice about going after one if their
mouths/throats ever been ‘Monarched’ before! Back in the summer of ’97 on Hog
Island in Muscoungus Bay, I found myself eating a sandwich and watching a
Merlin falcon hunting a Milkweed patch. The Merlin caught and then macked on
Monarch after Monarch after Monarch. I think I watched it eat 5 or 6 –
completely wiped out the population that was at the patch at that moment. So, apparently
they tasted fine to the Merlin, or maybe the predator was hungry enough that
painful food was acceptable. My hummus sandwich tasted good too, but they always
do. I’m also a sucker for hummus, pickles, mustard and cheese sandwiches.
not milkweed or monarch
deflated Jack
crappy photo of pine sap
old and new
in the Basin
Nature being nature – So Monarchs and their ‘poisonousness’ inspires a
whole world of mimicry; Mimicry is where a species evolves superficial
traits of another dangerous/poisonous/etc. species and then benefits from being
mistaken for the mimicked species. Within Monarch inspired mimicry, the most
famously noted ‘other species’ is the Viceroy butterfly, which is
amazingly similar in pattern and color to Monarchs, but does not eat Milkweed (eats
willows and poplars) and thus, no Viceroy is poisonous. Not poisonous, but also
not messed with because of its mimicry. I mean, ‘not messed with’ other than
Merlins, and Corvids, and ……
There is a thought out there that all orange butterflies are benefiting
from mimicry of Monarchs. All I know is that we all benefit from seeing the orange
– any orange in nature is cool. Kinda glad the mimicry isn’t with a color like a
‘puke green’ or something. Also think it would be cool, since butterflies are actually
pretty gross –
face to face - northern crescent
Moths in general, like the Luna above and these Clearwings
here, tend to take a back seat in awareness and appreciation to Butterflies
(sometimes referred to as ‘day moths’), but in reality the diversity, adaptations
and overall number of species of moths in North America is impressive. Moths
are cool!
And one of the coolest groups is the Clearwing moths. Here’s
a bunch of photos of them sippin’ nectar with their proboscis while hovering. So
cool.
And speaking of Hummingbirds! – This female Ruby-throated
Hummingbird swung by for some nectar while I was sippin’ the H2O – this patch
would have been a great place for a hummingbird to have a nest nearby.
Bottom line – milkweed is dreamy. Catch some of the action when
you can!
Hey – this has gone on long enough!
Hope you enjoyed and hope to see you out there!
