American Snout, Snout Nose Butterfly

Down in the south tip of Texas we see Snouts by the millions! There are times during the year that they are so abundant flying over the highways that often times folks have to pull over to scrap them from the grill because the vehicle heats up! Best to have a full windshield wiper reservoir too!

The caterpillars can quickly defoliate a spiny hackberry tree. One tree can have thousands of caterpillars happily munching away. It's pretty to see so many empty chrysalids lit by the sun!

My study window is large, bright and cheery and
looks out onto a west-side garden with lots of
color. Some weeks ago I noticed a snout-nose
butterfly clinging to the screen and considered
sadly how it had probably bought itself a few
extra days of life by clinging to the screen and
collecting some radiant heat from the house
before the winter freeze set in and killed her.

Over the next couple of weeks we experienced
much colder weather in Austin than usual, dipping
to 29 degrees during one 2-day period and
plummeting to 17 degrees on yet another.

Then today I was shocked to notice Madam Snout
had moved, not by much, but I was sure she had.
"Impossible," I thought and forgot ... read moreabout it.
But as the hours ticked by and I looked out
the window I couldn't help believing she had
indeed moved, so into my galoushers and out
into the muddy garden I went. I gently pinched
the sides of her wings to conduct my investigation
and voila!, to my amazement she began to wiggle
immediately. I could hardly believe it. She was alive!

Well, I could hardly bring myself to letting her
go and expending her tiny energy reserves in search
of new refuge. I brought her inside and carefully
put her on the utility window. She didn't budge.
It was clear she was ok with her new winter
lodging.

Maybe this is just an incredible story to me. I'd be
amazed that a human being had survived the cold we've
had, naked as a butterfly, let alone such a tiny,
delicate creature as Madam Snout and decided anyone
who loves nature might also enjoy the story. I Googled
"snout nose butterfly" and found your website (which
is super, btw!) and now maybe other visitors and
members will have a chance to enjoy it too.

I'm aware this is the same little devil that gives
us web worm every year, but I'm also cognizant of
the fact that in doing so they are obeying nothing more
-- and nothing less -- than their instructions from Nature,
no different than you and I obey ours in finding the way
to just survive -- by whatever means Natures had
provided us.

Jim Lacey
Austin, Texas

This butterfly gets it's name from the long labial palps which project in front of it's head like a snout.

It can have a wingspan of up to 2", and are usually brownish or gray with a prominent notch in the margin of the fore wing.

There is only one species of snout Nosed Butterfiles that is normally found in North America.

Caterpillars are downy green withyellow stripes on the back and sides. They eat the foloage of the Hackberry tree.