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Post by joee30 on Feb 19, 2012 14:31:31 GMT -8
thanks guys.  I can't wait to head out there and out to the field. It's going to be and interesting year here in TN as well. It's been pretty warm here in Ft. Campbell. It's a hell of a lot better than it was in Kyrghizstan. I am going to look for some Sonoran blues, and Anthocharis as well. I would not mind getting some Arctonotus as well along with Hylophora euryalus. By any chance, do any of you know where I can aquire some pupae for them? and might the desert Indra's be out too? There are quite a few people who rear the euryalus, you should ask in the classifieds or keep an eye out in a month or two (or ask our great overlord Clark). Arctonotus on the other hand is difficult to rear because of their sensitive overwintering and ground pupation. There is a lot of trial and error involved - and you need plenty of primrose for them to feed on. Dave Wikle is one of the few I've known to successfully rear this moth: www.silkmoths.bizland.com/alucidus.htmThe indra up around LA would be pergamus and they aren't out until May/June (late March in San Diego). It also seemed to me that the sites in the San Gabriel's for this butterfly have been over collected. Undoubtedly they exist somewhere up there - but has anyone collected Indra above LA recently? I will do that. I'd always wanted to try and get some hybrid Euryalus/ Cecropia hybrids, especially since we get some big cecropias here in TN/KY. I really thought that P. indra pergamus was a very rare bug to get in the L.A. area, or at least very hard because the San Gabriels are too steep? |
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Post by joee30 on Feb 19, 2012 14:34:26 GMT -8
Collecting on Ft. Campbell, huh? I can remember being stationed there doing the "eagle clean up" or whatever they called it when units would walk through the field pickup up all the concertina, old magazines, etc, left out in the field and finding lots of Saturniidae pupae on the trees! I've never had to do those, but I've had some buddies that did it before I got back from afghanistan. In fact, one of my buddies came and gave me a box with a big, healthy cecropia coccoon and some luna coccoons he found while doing that. So which unit were you stationed in Ft. Campbell with? |
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Post by admin on Feb 19, 2012 16:31:41 GMT -8
indra pergamus are a rare sight indeed above LA, but they are there. The host plant is there. I've never caught one but I've seen them on the wing in May. My friend Bill has caught a bunch up in the Mt. Baldy area over the years.
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Post by joee30 on Feb 19, 2012 19:55:13 GMT -8
I'd like to just go out sometime and collect indra subspecies. Sadly, I don't have a lot of time, but I do get go back at least a couple of times a year, so I'm heading back to the L.A. area in june/july sometime. That should be good time for the other goodies, and the sierras. Collecting season is getting closer here in TN, so it will be interesting what kind of goodies we get here. Clark, by any chance do you have any H. euryalus pupae I can aquire from you?
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Post by admin on Feb 20, 2012 9:32:07 GMT -8
I'd like to just go out sometime and collect indra subspecies. Sadly, I don't have a lot of time, but I do get go back at least a couple of times a year, so I'm heading back to the L.A. area in june/july sometime. That should be good time for the other goodies, and the sierras. Collecting season is getting closer here in TN, so it will be interesting what kind of goodies we get here. Clark, by any chance do you have any H. euryalus pupae I can aquire from you? June/July would be good for the Sierras if you can manage it. I dont have any spare pupae of euryalus, sorry. I have just enough to get a second generation started this spring. If I am successful I will have some larvae for sale. Check back with me in April. |
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Post by damesd on Feb 20, 2012 13:39:05 GMT -8
I've never had to do those, but I've had some buddies that did it before I got back from afghanistan. In fact, one of my buddies came and gave me a box with a big, healthy cecropia coccoon and some luna coccoons he found while doing that. So which unit were you stationed in Ft. Campbell with? I was there back in the late 90's before the restructured the 101st into BCTs. Back then they had a separate MI Bn that supported the whole division--I was in that unit working as a 35M/Arabic translator. I also remember seeing a lot of lunas in the pre-dawn hours while patrolling on Benning in RSLC. There are a ton of them down there in the field. I'm in the AZARNG now--I live just outside Ft. Huachuca. It's a nice area, especially in the "monsoon" season around August everything is green and there is a lot of life--Lepidoptera everywhere. I've also seen Neophasia terlootii up in the Huachucas while hiking there in October. The local Megathyminae are very common here as well, but difficult to catch. BTW, if you like good southern cooking, go to Rotier's the next time you're in Nashville and get some barbequed pork, fried okra and green beans. It's a nice, old-school, family owned diner w/excellent food. It's on the street that's behind the Tower Records there--can't remember the name, but you can look it up. --Dan |
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Post by joee30 on Feb 20, 2012 16:57:09 GMT -8
I've never had to do those, but I've had some buddies that did it before I got back from afghanistan. In fact, one of my buddies came and gave me a box with a big, healthy cecropia coccoon and some luna coccoons he found while doing that. So which unit were you stationed in Ft. Campbell with? I was there back in the late 90's before the restructured the 101st into BCTs. Back then they had a separate MI Bn that supported the whole division--I was in that unit working as a 35M/Arabic translator. I also remember seeing a lot of lunas in the pre-dawn hours while patrolling on Benning in RSLC. There are a ton of them down there in the field. I'm in the AZARNG now--I live just outside Ft. Huachuca. It's a nice area, especially in the "monsoon" season around August everything is green and there is a lot of life--Lepidoptera everywhere. I've also seen Neophasia terlootii up in the Huachucas while hiking there in October. The local Megathyminae are very common here as well, but difficult to catch. BTW, if you like good southern cooking, go to Rotier's the next time you're in Nashville and get some barbequed pork, fried okra and green beans. It's a nice, old-school, family owned diner w/excellent food. It's on the street that's behind the Tower Records there--can't remember the name, but you can look it up. --Dan Nice. I have seen many lunas as well just hanging out where there are mercury vapor lihts near the wood edges here. I found a huge citheronia that was run over, and seem many prometheas and secruriferas flying around. I need to go back to AZ and collect some bugs again. Used to go to Garden cyn when it was open, and there are a lot of nice leps and beetles there. I actually caught my first Plusiotis gloriosa at the entrance of Garden cyn by the picnic tables. Do you collect in that area? and how is it for H. gloveri? |
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Post by joee30 on Feb 20, 2012 16:59:07 GMT -8
I'd like to just go out sometime and collect indra subspecies. Sadly, I don't have a lot of time, but I do get go back at least a couple of times a year, so I'm heading back to the L.A. area in june/july sometime. That should be good time for the other goodies, and the sierras. Collecting season is getting closer here in TN, so it will be interesting what kind of goodies we get here. Clark, by any chance do you have any H. euryalus pupae I can aquire from you? June/July would be good for the Sierras if you can manage it. I dont have any spare pupae of euryalus, sorry. I have just enough to get a second generation started this spring. If I am successful I will have some larvae for sale. Check back with me in April. Sounds good Clark. I wouldn't mind going north for some Parnassius and Papilio multicaudata and some Speyerias. |
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evra
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Post by evra on Feb 20, 2012 17:24:37 GMT -8
Although the Huachucas can be good for gloveri, the Patagonia Mtns. which are just west of the Huachucas are much better. You've gotta be pretty patient with them though, as males almost always come in to lights after 2 AM.
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Post by damesd on Feb 20, 2012 18:13:39 GMT -8
I was there back in the late 90's before the restructured the 101st into BCTs. Back then they had a separate MI Bn that supported the whole division--I was in that unit working as a 35M/Arabic translator. I also remember seeing a lot of lunas in the pre-dawn hours while patrolling on Benning in RSLC. There are a ton of them down there in the field. I'm in the AZARNG now--I live just outside Ft. Huachuca. It's a nice area, especially in the "monsoon" season around August everything is green and there is a lot of life--Lepidoptera everywhere. I've also seen Neophasia terlootii up in the Huachucas while hiking there in October. The local Megathyminae are very common here as well, but difficult to catch. BTW, if you like good southern cooking, go to Rotier's the next time you're in Nashville and get some barbequed pork, fried okra and green beans. It's a nice, old-school, family owned diner w/excellent food. It's on the street that's behind the Tower Records there--can't remember the name, but you can look it up. --Dan Nice. I have seen many lunas as well just hanging out where there are mercury vapor lihts near the wood edges here. I found a huge citheronia that was run over, and seem many prometheas and secruriferas flying around. I need to go back to AZ and collect some bugs again. Used to go to Garden cyn when it was open, and there are a lot of nice leps and beetles there. I actually caught my first Plusiotis gloriosa at the entrance of Garden cyn by the picnic tables. Do you collect in that area? and how is it for H. gloveri? I haven't really done any collecting since moving hear a year ago, to tell the truth, although I've done some hiking and I keep my eyes open. All my collecting stuff is in storage still and a lot of stuff with my family, job situation, etc, has been up in the air. I hope to maybe do a couple of collecting excursions this summer when the rains come. I've been pleased to see all the comments in this forum about good collecting sites around here, because I'm new to the area. Were you ever stationed at Huachuca, or did you just come here to go collecting? |
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evra
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Post by evra on Feb 20, 2012 19:20:55 GMT -8
There's good collecting in southern AZ starting about now and it goes all the way into the beginning of November. There's almost always something good flying if you aren't too picky. For example, Hemileuca tricolor should be starting to fly in the next week or two in that area. Spring butterflies in the low elevation desert areas around Tucson and Phoenix are already starting to fly. After that in April there's Hemileuca hualapai around Sonoita, and Ft. Huachuca is known for the spring flight of the Arizona Hairstreak in particular, as well as other good butterflies in Garden Canyon. I guess I'm trying to say that there's no need to wait until July or August.
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Post by joee30 on Feb 21, 2012 1:17:39 GMT -8
Nice. I have seen many lunas as well just hanging out where there are mercury vapor lihts near the wood edges here. I found a huge citheronia that was run over, and seem many prometheas and secruriferas flying around. I need to go back to AZ and collect some bugs again. Used to go to Garden cyn when it was open, and there are a lot of nice leps and beetles there. I actually caught my first Plusiotis gloriosa at the entrance of Garden cyn by the picnic tables. Do you collect in that area? and how is it for H. gloveri? I went there collecting a couple of times. I am originally from california, so Arizona is the treasure tove of bugs in the SW. My first trip to Ft. Huachuca was just amazing, and go a lot of bugs there, even though the weather was crappy. I did better in Madera Cyn, and I've heard that Guadalupe Cyn is good too, but I've heard other things about there. I'd like to go back that way and collect for a month. So far, depending if I stay in the army, I am thinking about either staying here in Ft. Campbell, or heading to Ft. Carson. time will tell. I haven't really done any collecting since moving hear a year ago, to tell the truth, although I've done some hiking and I keep my eyes open. All my collecting stuff is in storage still and a lot of stuff with my family, job situation, etc, has been up in the air. I hope to maybe do a couple of collecting excursions this summer when the rains come. I've been pleased to see all the comments in this forum about good collecting sites around here, because I'm new to the area. Were you ever stationed at Huachuca, or did you just come here to go collecting? |
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evra
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Post by evra on Feb 21, 2012 19:14:34 GMT -8
I know this is getting a bit off topic, but Guadalupe Canyon is really not that good for general collecting during the monsoon season. It's a 28 mile drive (1 way) on a bad back dirt road from the nearest town, Douglas. Then once you get there it is now private property, and you can hike back in, but you can't drive in without permission as it's behind a locked gate. Even if you do get back in there with lights, it's really not very good moth or beetle collecting anyway. If I want a long, frustrating drive on a bad back road by the Mexican border, California Gulch is consistently about 50 times better collecting than Guadalupe Canyon.
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Post by joee30 on Feb 21, 2012 19:51:34 GMT -8
I know this is getting a bit off topic, but Guadalupe Canyon is really not that good for general collecting during the monsoon season. It's a 28 mile drive (1 way) on a bad back dirt road from the nearest town, Douglas. Then once you get there it is now private property, and you can hike back in, but you can't drive in without permission as it's behind a locked gate. Even if you do get back in there with lights, it's really not very good moth or beetle collecting anyway. If I want a long, frustrating drive on a bad back road by the Mexican border, California Gulch is consistently about 50 times better collecting than Guadalupe Canyon. Really??? I never been there. I'll have to study up on it and maybe go and do some recon for new spots. I do need to hit up AZ again and do some collecting there since it has been a very long time. Evra, are you in Az or do you just go there often? What can you tell me about Pena blanca lake? |
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evra
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Post by evra on Feb 22, 2012 6:43:57 GMT -8
Yes I live in Arizona.
The whole Pena Blanca area burned badly last year in the Murphy fire in June. They had it closed down last summer so I haven't seen it personally. When people say they collected at 'Pena Blanca', they don't mean Pena Blanca Lake, they mean Pena Blanca Canyon, which is southwest of the lake about a mile. That mile makes a huge difference as well. I collected around the lake once and it was terrible by comparison to the canyon. It's my understanding that Pena Blanca Canyon mostly got spared by the Murphy fire, but the fire burned all the way around it.
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I can't wait to head out there and out to the field. It's going to be and interesting year here in TN as well. It's been pretty warm here in Ft. Campbell. It's a hell of a lot better than it was in Kyrghizstan. I am going to look for some Sonoran blues, and Anthocharis as well. I would not mind getting some Arctonotus as well along with Hylophora euryalus. By any chance, do any of you know where I can aquire some pupae for them? and might the desert Indra's be out too?
