Is It a Butterfly or a Moth? It Might Be Both!
As the days grow shorter and night comes sooner, I enjoy all the fluttery things.
The brilliant day-flying butterflies delight me. I love the flashes of color across the open sky, the undulating patterns as they float like fairies on the warm fall days. Relaxing and gently pumping their wings as they nectar on a flower in full bloom. Would you believe that in Indiana, we have 95 species of butterflies that are listed as native to the state? At Kankakee Sands, we have documented 75 different species of butterflies visiting the prairie!
Now that night-time falls earlier, I cherish more night-flying moths, flocking to the light on the office porch. Swirling round and round, then settling at just the right distance from the warmth of the light. For all the pop and wow of most butterflies, most moths are in “I’m going to hide” or “I’m going to try to scare you” attire. Being stationary and resting during the day, blending in and being camouflaged with one’s background, is a brilliant strategy. However, should a moth be detected by a hungry predator, perhaps having big, round, scary, owl-like eye spots on its wings will help it avoid getting eaten!
The diversity of moths in Indiana is astounding… there are 2,765 species of moths documented in the state, of which 1452 have been sighted here at Kankakee Sands!
As different as they may seem, butterflies and moths are related in a rather shocking way. You may have a vague memory from science class in middle school that insects such as butterflies and moths in the animal kingdom fall into the Order Lepidoptera, meaning scaled-winged insects. As it turns out, moths evolved some 300 million years ago (right?!), and it wasn’t until some 100 million years ago that some of these species evolved to be day-flying, nectar-loving species. This means that butterflies are moths! This blows my mind every time!
Join us in celebrating the butterflies and moths of Newton County on Saturday, September 12!
Little do these winged beauties, in all their stripes and hues, know how much they do for the prairies. Yes, it is true that the butterfly caterpillars may eat the leaves and the moth caterpillars may eat the seeds or tunnel into the stems. Caterpillar frass (poo) can pile up at the base of a plant and look a little unsightly. Yet, as they reach into the flowers with their long tongue for nectar, butterflies and moths accidentally pick up one flower’s pollen and transfer it to another flower—pollination! Caterpillars are essential food for the many birds of the prairie; vulnerable caterpillars are unsuspectingly lifted from their resting place by an adult bird and fed to young, hungry, growing nestling birds. Moths, butterflies and caterpillars are eaten by adult birds as well.
In addition to all this, moths and butterflies give us insights into what plants may be growing in our area; the presence of particular species of moth or butterfly indicates that its host plant must be present. For example, should you see a Polyphemus moth, you know there must be birch, maple or oak trees nearby. A great spangled fritillary is a good indication that violets are in the vicinity. These little winged marvels are nuggets of information about our greater community landscape.
Celebrate moths and butterflies!
Join us in celebrating the butterflies and moths of Newton County that delight our hearts, inspire our spirits, and excite our minds! On Saturday, September 12, 2026, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm (Central Time), Friends of the Sands will be hosting Monarch Migration at Kankakee Sands to learn about tagging monarchs during their annual migration to Mexico.
Later this same day, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm (Central Time), there will be a mothing event to identify the moths that congregate around lights and sweet banana paste at Conrad Station Savanna.
August, 2026
A Rooted Rattlesnake
I’ve never seen a rattlesnake, and that is 110% ok with me! However, I’ll certainly brag about seeing thousands upon thousands of rattlesnake master plants, right here, right now, rooted and growing at Kankakee Sands!
Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) has such a striking appearance that you might think you have never seen anything like it before. However, it is in the Apiaceae family, which means that it is related to carrots, celery, dill and parsley. Like those plants, it has a hollow stem and many small flowers on short stalks that attach at a central points. If you look closely at the flowers, and use your imagination, perhaps you could imagine those tight flowerheads expanding to look like the wide-open flowerhead of a dill plant? At the base of each rattlesnake master plant are long, grey-green 2.5” wide, strap-like leaves with spiny edges. Seeing those leaves, you might be reminded of a yucca plant. Though the two plants are not related, the likeness shows up as a reference in the scientific name of the plant, yuccifolium.
Rattlesnake master typically grows 4 to 5 feet tall, which makes it pretty easy for me—at 5’4”—to admire those gorgeous flowers. The flowers are small, white, five-petaled and so densely clustered together that somehow more than 100 are packed into one flowerhead! On each plant, there are 20 or so flowerheads. That makes for so many little flowers! The bloom time of the flowers is peak summer, starting in July and continuing through August.
The long-lasting white flowers are loaded with nectar. And because the nectar is located at the base of the shallow flower tubes and easy to reach, it is a favorite of many insects. On a sunny day you can often see a wide variety of beetles, wasps, bumblebees, solitary bees and butterflies—such as monarchs, fritillaries, viceroys, sulphurs and crescents—all feeding at the flowers.
Nectar isn’t the only thing about this plant that is attractive to insects. There are two insects which are completely dependent upon rattlesnake master for their survival.
Nectar isn’t the only thing about this plant that is attractive to insects. There are two insects which are completely dependent upon rattlesnake master for their survival. The Eryngium flower-feeding moth (Coleotechnites eryngiella) and the larvae of the Eryngium stem-borer moth (Papaipema eryngii) feed only on the plant material of rattlesnake master. Flower-feeding moths, which consume the seeds of the plant, are well documented at Kankakee Sands.
During the evening sheet lighting programs led by Jeanette Jaskula with Friends of the Sands, the Eryngium flower feeding moth has shown up! There is no sign yet, however, of the Eryngium stem-borer which is state endangered in Illinois and state extirpated in Indiana. Jeanette has been able to see evidence of the stem-borer moth in Illinois; however frequent searches for the stem-borer at Kankakee Sands have not been successful yet!
Rattlesnake master is having a banner year here at Kankakee Sands. It is easily visible and in massive abundance in many of our sand prairies. A great place to walk among them, and to get up close and take a look at all the critters dining on them, is on the Meadowlark Trail in the north bison pasture. The one-mile mowed trail is accessible from the Bison Viewing Area.
Considering joining us for an evening sheet lighting event at Kankakee Sands to possibly see the Eryngium flowering moth, and so many other moths! The next Friends of the Sands mothing event is scheduled at Conrad Station Savanna on the evening of Saturday, September 12, from 7 to 9 pm (Central time). Find out more about this event.
Nature Notes for July
Questions, so many questions…and one for you!
At Kankakee Sands, as we delve into all the layers of the natural world, we have so many questions! University students and our own TNC staff are helping us to answer some of those questions through research. This year alone we have research underway on vegetation, butterflies, birds, bees, Franklin’s ground squirrels, bison…
And we know that our visitors to Kankakee Sands have questions, too! How many calves are there? What was that lizard I just saw? Did I just hear a bobwhite quail? Luckily, we have a dedicated group of volunteer Bison Rangers who are trained, prepared and excited to greet visitors and answer any questions visitors may have.
Our bison rangers have experience with many aspects of our Kankakee Sands conservation work, including seed harvesting, invasive species removal, native plant propagation, trail hiking and hosting outreach programming. If you have questions, they have answers!
The Kankakee Sands Bison Ranger program began in 2016 with one ranger and has grown to 12 rangers strong. On most weekends of the year, our volunteer bison rangers can be found at the Bison Viewing Area. Three of our rangers—Mary Kay Emmrich, Stephanie Ferguson and Chrysta Walker—have these thoughts to share:
Mary Kay Emmrich
Rangering allows me to meet new people, share the area's history, learn about plants and bugs and critters, and talk about bison. I have been in awe of bison since they were brought to Kankakee Sands 10 years ago!
I rangered one Sunday several years ago, and the bison were simply magical that day. The whole herd was near the fence line, easy to view, playful—doing all the bison things I knew about but had never witnessed. I was just as amazed as our visitors!
Chrysta Walker
I enjoy visiting with people who stop by the Kankakee Sands Bison Viewing Area—answering their questions, plus sometimes helping them to see the world a bit differently.
My favorite memory was when the herd was moving past the fence. One of the bulls stopped to stare at me. He was beautiful! I wonder what he thought of me?
Chrysta Walker, Bison Ranger
Stephanie Ferguson
Sharing my love of nature with youth groups that pay us a visit is my fave! Sharing fun facts about the Bison and then watching them light up with wonder is absolutely priceless! Youth are our legacy for keeping this thing called stewardship alive and I’m always honored to play a part in shaping future leaders!
One of my most memorable experiences while Rangering was witnessing the herd of over a hundred walking out of the north pasture in a single file; it was a quiet moment as they all marched slowly past the east overlook. Then all of the sudden they all began to pick up speed and began running. These massive animals kicking up a long trail of dirt and dust as they went by. At that point the stillness of the moment turned into the thunderous sound of hundreds of hooves as they raced to the other side. It was a beautiful awe-inspiring sight that I’ll never forget!
Come on out for a visit to Kankakee Sands to experience the beauty and awe-inspiring bison, and bring those questions! If you have questions about our Bison Ranger program, please ask our rangers. Perhaps you’d like to be a bison ranger, too?!
The Kankakee Sands property is free and open to the public, every day of the year, from sunrise to sunset. See you soon!
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