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Post by Crake on Jan 9, 2022 15:50:57 GMT -8
Hi, I hope everyone’s new year is going well.
I’ll be doing some lep photography/videography in Puerto Vallarta this summer and wanted to get some good shots of Morpho polyphemus. I know other morphos will come to blue/orange/indigo lures depending on the species, so I fashioned my own lure in the traditional shape with a cardboard base, white paper, and a pearlescent plastic foil. Does this sound like a viable plan?
Of course I won’t know if it really works until I try it out, but if anyone has had experience with this species, any advice on luring it properly would be helpful.
Thanks in advance.
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Post by jshuey on Jan 10, 2022 7:42:27 GMT -8
For photography, I think you would do better with bait. The lures attract males, who buzz the lure and move on. That's great if your lure is on the end of a net, but not so much if you are using a camera.
Get some ripe bananas, slice them, cover in raw sugar, add baker's yeast and water, and let it sit for a day or longer. You can smear it on tree trucks, and if Morpho is around (and the surrounding habitat doesn't have much in the way of fermenting fruit), they will settle in.
John
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Post by Christof on Jan 10, 2022 14:01:08 GMT -8
M. polyphemus is indeed flying in the mountains around Puerto Vallarta. I had success in attracting males (& even females) with waving a piece of white paper approximately the size of the butterfly above my head. It seemed to work better if the paper is not that white, more like beige white, the color of the butterfly. But as mentioned above this works well in case you intend to catch the butterfly; for photography this method might not work at all....
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Post by Crake on Jan 10, 2022 14:52:45 GMT -8
Thank you Christof and jshuey for your responses.
Interesting that they should be drawn to something as simple as paper, perhaps I wasted my time on a lure.
I’ll be sure to try baiting them with fruit as well. Hopefully I’ll be able to see some as there is apparently a dip in the population every June in PV.
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Post by wingedwishes on Jan 11, 2022 15:45:58 GMT -8
I had good success with rotten bananas, molasses, and brown sugar. I've used rum instead of yeast also to wobble them up a bit too. Got many beetles and Black Witch Moths too overnight.
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