#ostrya

Plant of the Day

Monday 12 April 2021

The branches Ostrya carpinifolia (hop hornbeam) were covered with the long male catkins and once I looked carefully there were the small female flowers, once fertilised the latter turn into fruit resembling a hop. This deciduous tree grows well in a warm and sheltered site in most soil types.

Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis). Caterpillar Newark DE, August 2017. Adult from July 2017. 

Caterpillars in this species vary in color--in fact, there are two distinct color morphs that can be found in the eastern US. The “light” morph is shown above, and varies between pale green to forest green. The “dark” morph (pics soon!) ranges from orange to chocolate. Both morphs have orange horns and white spiracles on the side.

The color morphs don’t seem to relate to its diet; that is, “dark” morphs don’t only feed on pine, nor does feeding on pine turn a caterpillar “dark”. Caterpillars feed on a variety of hardwood trees, as well as conifers, in the eastern US. The “light” morph above was found feeding on chestnut oak (Quercus montana). I currently have a “dark morph” population feeding on eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), and another feeding on hop hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana).