Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-08-30
For tho Waterman.
The Wonder Explained.

MeSry. Editors. ALLOW me to more fully
explain to your many readers the subject OF
an article 10 your issue Of August l6, head.
ed Another Wonder" This chrysalis, as
you suggest, is truly one of the most beauti
fol in nature. Such drop Of malachite
inlaid with gold and JET much in the form Of
an artistic ear-pondant, is one Of the many
beauties Of nature, yet not q very Int offer.
ing to Hatavolias, as you seem to intimate
The butterfly, which has come from the
chrysalis ere this, Of it was not damaged
was named by the great naturalist, FaJricius
one hundred years ago DGaa@ archippps
1t lays It's egg, on the milk.weed Asclepia'
Swiaca) during the summer, which hatch in
about six days The larya are, when full
grown, quite long, cylindrical with two
thread-like black horns, one each side near
the head and two more near the anus. Its
body is marked with alternate transverse
bands Of yellow, black and white Il feeds
abou, fifteen days, then selects suitable
place to hang i,sclfup and change to chrys.
ais. 1t now remains ten days developing
completely enclosed in this state, and taking
no food whatever. The wings Of this butter
as spread - to 1 and l. inches, the color
above tawny orange with black border
spotted with white The veins are black
The males are distinguished by 40 elevated
black spot contiguous 70 one Of the veins neal
the middle Of she hind wings This species al
times is one Cd toe most abundant known
having often been reported at the West in
immense swarm.. darkcung the sun for many
minutes together
Please allow me to reply to your Denver
Colorado, correspondent, for full soon fear
Vermont will see the dreaded Colorado pota.
toe beetle, mot burl and short history may
be interesting Bat first let messy to North
field and many other anxious farmers-Do
not worry too soon. What you have found is
not the dreaded beetle, hut one of the many
other kind that, under favorable circumstance
es, do some injury in particular localities
Thomas Say our earliest American entomolo-
gist, who accompanied Longs exploring ex-
petition in 1898, found this beetle on the
upper Missouri Nothing was heard of it
again for a number of years. Its natural
food is of the botanical family sola1iaceae,
of the genus soianYm, which includes the po-
tatoe. DR.. Parry, botanist of Davenport, Ia,
saw this insect in great numbers in Colorado
feeding upon a wild species ofsoiamo,, the ros.
trdtum of Duval, which his peculiar to that re.
giou Of the country, and never found east ofthe
Mississippi. One r. W. llazcn, of Dodge Co.,
Nebraska, says 'that the potatoe bug Cbeeile)
which is so destructive in that region, was
first discovered in 1859, about 100 mile.
west of Omaha city, whence they have been
marching eastward New York Semi-Week
ly Tribune. July Is, 1861 Thomas Muir
ply, Of Atchison, Kansas, says, ." in August
1861, they were so numerous in his ten acre
garden that they would almost cover the
whole potatoe vine, eating up everything
green on it." VALLEY Farmer, July, 1862 J
l could multiply this record, showing its
yearly advance to the present time.
The fact that this beetle came into motto,
somewhere in the great territory of Colorado
in 1859, has given it its name, which is quit
appropriate There are many reasons wei
known to naturalists, why your correspondent
may not have seen it, one of which is, Their
its old natural food is found in abundance
and its many enemies keep it in check Will
here it must take the next thing to it'll
potatoe--and with few enemies. The beetl,
as well as the larva, eat the vines therefore.
will give short description Of each
is in no sense a bug, for it has jaws, and eat
while the bug has piercing appendag
, through which it sucks its food, like the mo
S quito, and cannot bite 1t is about one-thir
inch long, of so short an oval shape as to !
: almost as round as grape cream-colore
a with 10 black lines down its back Its win
r are rose-colored, and present beautiful a
i pearance as it flies. In the lorva, or immatu
. state, it is a soft eongate, six-legged grub,
y dull, venetian-red color, with several blat
e spots 1t has no wings There are four
/. FIVE successive broods in one season VIII,
t the larva is full grown, it goes into the grour
S and forms its chrysalis, from which, in a fc
$ days it comes forth the perfect beetle
has many enemies, which follow about ty
: years behind its advance, so that thereaft
IT it is held somewhat in check $.