Sharp-shinned Hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk, by Steve Thornhill

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Harvester



Very rarely seen in Virginia, this Harvester was in my yard today in James City County. Its caterpillar is the only carnivorous one in North America, feeding on woolly aphids on greenbriar and beech, among other plants. The adult butterfly doesn't nectar on flowers, but instead feeds on aphid honeydew, dung, sap and mud.

Brian Taber