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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Mar 22, 2012 19:11:56 GMT -8
On my second night out at the light sheet in my back field, I had a very nice success. My very first Actias luna was waiting for me on the sheet when I got down there a little after dark. I realize that this is not a very rare moth (despite what nearly every YouTube video of the moth claims) but it truly made my night and kicked off my first full season of collecting in a wonderful way! Now if only I could find a Polyphemus moth... Attachments:
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Post by rayrard on Mar 22, 2012 19:25:45 GMT -8
my first sheet on the 15th attracted 1 Luna and 4 Polyphemus... and don't worry, Polyphemus are the most common saturniid in most places in the eastern US. Imperial and Regals are also fairly common. I'm looking forward to getting Callosamia.
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evra
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Post by evra on Mar 23, 2012 19:24:46 GMT -8
Very nice catch. I would recommend that you cover the outer edges of all of the wings, especially the tips of the forewings, or they will curl up as the specimen dries.
How long have you been staying out at night? Male Saturniids are generally more common at lights than females but usually fly quite a bit later. It's still very early in the year, I'm sure you'll find more as the season progresses.
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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Mar 23, 2012 21:50:40 GMT -8
I set up my light and turned it on for the first time this season on the 17th. If I remember correctly, I got started around Sept. of last year. I only had a month or so of good collecting before my newfound hobby came to an abrupt halt due to the change of the season so I didn't get much real collecting done last year.
And, thanks for the tip. As noted above, I am still quite new at this so I am still making quite a few mistakes (though not as many as I was at the beginning).
As for the Polyphemus, I have never actually seen one in person and the luna is actually only about the 3rd I have seen in my lifetime. I am hoping to find a male soon to go along with this female so I can do a nice display before much longer.
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Post by rayrard on Mar 23, 2012 22:35:11 GMT -8
Night collecting is good year round in the south... I don't know what part of GA you live in but I've collected 85 species of moth since Nov of last year. I live in coastal SC.
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Post by mantisboy on Mar 24, 2012 6:00:57 GMT -8
Very nice, lunas are one of my favorite North American moths. Some advice on getting a polyphemus (and other big moths) is to leave the light on all night and wake up early (before it is light) to catch the moths. This way, you can get moths that fly late at night, without having to stay up late. Also, if you look around oak and birch trees in the fall, you can find the cocoons of polyphemus (and luna) moths to raise.
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evra
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Post by evra on Mar 24, 2012 17:29:50 GMT -8
One mistake that I notice a lot of new moth collectors make is that they get frustrated if the collecting is slow and pack up and leave around midnight. In Arizona at least, the best collecting is from about 1 AM to 3 AM for most Saturniids, although there are some exceptions. So they tend to get a mistaken impression that some species are rare, when in fact, they would have gotten them had they stayed out all night.
I've seen and collected a lot of Antheraea polyphemus and A. oculea, and for what it's worth, the ones I've collected have almost always come in to lights between 10 PM and 1 AM. But I've only ever collected them in July and August, in the spring since it's dark so much earlier, the flight time might be different.
My only other piece of advice is to set up your lights around lots of oak trees which is the polyphemus host plant. Other than that, just be patient and persistent, and you'll get a polyphemus one night.
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Post by rayrard on Mar 25, 2012 17:51:57 GMT -8
The Polyphemus I got so far came in immediately after it got dark, and then another couple came in around 10-11pm. I've seen 4 females and 2 males but they flew at the same times. I've seen three lunas and they've come in between 8-11. No other Sats are out yet, even Dryocampa and Anisota.
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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Mar 25, 2012 18:14:35 GMT -8
This is my third night at the light since I collected the luna and so far I have seen no more luna or any polyphemus. The sphinx moths seem to have become rather active though. I have several species that I had not seen before. Honest truth, I cannot recall having ever seen any sphinx moths before August of last year when I first started collecting.
I am sure as the season picks up, I will start seeing more lunas and some polyphemus moths. I will just be glad when I can afford some better equipment so I can actually take my sheet out of my back yard and find better places to collect.
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Post by mantisboy on Mar 26, 2012 13:58:22 GMT -8
Did you catch any of the sphinx moths? They can be just as interesting as saturnids.
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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Mar 26, 2012 17:40:53 GMT -8
I have several on my spreading board at the moment and a couple more in the freezer awaiting room on the board. I just got back from the sheet where I saw another Abbott's Sphinx resting, (I already have 3 of them so I didn't see a need to collect it) and collected my second luna. I believe it to be a male, but it was thrashing too violently and I had to get it into the freezer before it got too damaged and I didn't get a good look at it yet.
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Post by joee30 on Mar 26, 2012 19:43:27 GMT -8
One mistake that I notice a lot of new moth collectors make is that they get frustrated if the collecting is slow and pack up and leave around midnight. In Arizona at least, the best collecting is from about 1 AM to 3 AM for most Saturniids, although there are some exceptions. So they tend to get a mistaken impression that some species are rare, when in fact, they would have gotten them had they stayed out all night. I've seen and collected a lot of Antheraea polyphemus and A. oculea, and for what it's worth, the ones I've collected have almost always come in to lights between 10 PM and 1 AM. But I've only ever collected them in July and August, in the spring since it's dark so much earlier, the flight time might be different. I've had decent luck collecting moths from time to time over in the Protor Rd/ Madera Cyn area. I've never stayed out too late, but I've also been there later when all the good moths season is over. I've been wanting to get some ova of citheronia splendens though. |
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evra
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Post by evra on Mar 26, 2012 20:58:59 GMT -8
Madera Canyon is really great for Chrysinas, but I would say that it's only average for Saturniids. C. splendens has been unusually common for the last 2 years. It's not a rare moth to begin with, but their numbers have really exploded since 2010. In Box Canyon in September the wild cotton, which are about 8-10 foot tall plants that pack the canyon for miles, gets completely defoliated except for the blooms which C. splendens larvae don't seem to eat. They are kind of fun to rear, but it can get out of hand fast. I reared about 40 a few years ago and they almost ate me out of house and home. They mature about 50% faster than most other Saturniid larvae, and a full grown 5th instar is about 5-6" long and as big around as your thumb. Here's a picture of what I'm talking about. One side of my sheet at Harshaw last summer:  |
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Post by mantisboy on Mar 27, 2012 3:25:47 GMT -8
That is only AVERAGE for saturnids!!! If I found that at my light I would go crazy! In Wisconsin it is a good night to get two saturnids or four sphingids.
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Post by joee30 on Mar 27, 2012 5:40:39 GMT -8
Madera Canyon is really great for Chrysinas, but I would say that it's only average for Saturniids. C. splendens has been unusually common for the last 2 years. It's not a rare moth to begin with, but their numbers have really exploded since 2010. In Box Canyon in September the wild cotton, which are about 8-10 foot tall plants that pack the canyon for miles, gets completely defoliated except for the blooms which C. splendens larvae don't seem to eat. They are kind of fun to rear, but it can get out of hand fast. I reared about 40 a few years ago and they almost ate me out of house and home. They mature about 50% faster than most other Saturniid larvae, and a full grown 5th instar is about 5-6" long and as big around as your thumb. Here's a picture of what I'm talking about. One side of my sheet at Harshaw last summer: Very nice. I've heard the crazy moth and beetle stories from friends and aquanitances who went out when the monsoons are in full swing and all the goodies they come back with. If you ever get any eggs, please let me know as I'd be interested in rearing some Citheronias. Madera cyn is good for chrysina, and I've collected only 3 Dynastes granti and 2 Megasoma punctulatus there. I really need to go back there and do some collecting sometime. |
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