It was a sunny, early-November afternoon that saw high temperatures close to 60 degrees Fahrenheit in most areas—a really mild day for this time of year. One of the group of hikers we were with spotted something on the ground, and we took a look.

We had come across a long, thin insect, about six inches long. I heard someone ask if it was a praying mantis, but after looking at it, I saw it was thinner than a mantis, and it did not have the thick, claw-like front legs that a mantis has. 

We had found a common walkingstick  (Diapheromera femorata), the only walkingstick native to Pennsylvania.

Walkingsticks are in the phasmid family (stick insects). They are shaped like a stick and blend in very well. They are mostly seen on trees in deciduous forests, especially oaks; they feed on oak leaves, but there are not enough walkingsticks in the environment to cause any significant damage to trees in this region.

Another surprise came a couple hours later, when a member of our group spied something partially camouflaged on the ground. It was mostly brown and among fallen leaves, but didn’t quite look like a leaf. A closer look, though, revealed a winged insect with mostly brown wings, but with a lot of round spots resembling eyes. We had found a common buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia).

This butterfly species prefers sunny areas such as fields and other open areas. They usually produce a couple of broods per year, from spring to late summer. This butterfly gets its name from the eye patterns on its wings, which could be used to scare off would-be predators.

November is usually a little late to see many insects, but on a mild day, there might be surprises waiting. Also, even a mid-winter day that is unusually mild can present the opportunity to see some adult overwintering species, such as the mourning cloak butterfly; this species usually takes shelter during winter, but will take advantage of mild days for a brief foray.