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Post by Zacatak on Dec 22, 2014 15:09:08 GMT -8
Nice to hear from you billgarthe and thank you for your collecting info.(mentioned in an earlier post of 2011-2012). I'm not necessarily fascinated by any one species of anything. However, I am captivated by the capture of "strays" within Illinois --- particularly larger things any average joe might notice. To me they are much like finding that proverbial "white elephant" or much like catching that incredible large mouth bass out of a lake known only for panfish. I enjoy the intrigue that this hobby offers up at times. i agree completely.. sometimes it's just the thrill of catching something very common. like you were saying with "strays" it's like that here where i live, for most years we get big storms brought about by tropical cyclones from the north. these storms carries over many species from Australia that are seen here during the summer months. many occasions i have caught such species as the hypolimnas bolina, or danaus petilia, even i recall one specimen of junonia villida that landed on the ground in front of me but escaped my attempts to catch it! although these species are not rare and are in fact very common in their native home Australia, to see them here is something that gets one's heart pounding. it's the thrill of the chase and seeing something that catches your eye because it's not localized, or is a "stray" from a distant land. this is what fuels the passion and desire of this hobby. to be honest, i very much enjoy catching insects than setting them for my own collection. it is one thing to own such beauties, but captivating to see them alive and full of life! zac |
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Post by beetlehorn on Dec 25, 2014 17:56:43 GMT -8
I must agree. Rarities are cool to encounter, but some of my most fond memories are of rather common species. This past summer I met up with Bill in a very remote location in Alabama, and both of us collected several moths, but the target species was Sphingicampa bisecta. We managed to collect several to make a nice series for our collections. Then I managed to collect a single specimen of Catocala atocala (the first and only one I ever saw) in a location that Bill and I met up at later in the summer. I was scanning my sheet setup, coming around the other side when I noticed something suddenly land on the lower edge, looking down I immediately recognized it from photos I've studied, and there it was! Acquiring specimens by actively collecting them in the field is special, but I certainly don't mind getting them in other ways as well especially when it is something I've been trying to get for some time. Tom
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Post by papilio28570 on Dec 25, 2014 22:07:47 GMT -8
Each new species or subspecies netted for my collection has always been a heart felt thrill. Some more-so than others, especially the particularly beautiful ones. I've collected in multiple countries around the globe but I suppose the most astounding catch for me was a female Hypolimnas missippus in November 1975 in Craven County, North Carolina. Klotz had reported 6 USA records spanning 100 years or so.
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Post by multicaudata on Jan 5, 2015 7:01:10 GMT -8
Probably the single highlight of my entire collecting career was catching northern California's first record of Papilio cresphontes at a creek near my house in Oakland on June 6th. As I was running after a male P. rutulus, I saw a shadow on the ground of a large swallowtail flying above me, and I looked up to see a P. cresphontes flying directly over my head. At the same time I spotted him, another P. rutulus did too, and both me and the rutulus gave chase, harrying the Giant back and forth until at last I caught first the rutulus, then the cresphontes. If I hadn't nailed that determined Western Tiger first I do think he would have chased the Giant away before I had a chance to catch it!
Another highlight was getting Nebraska's 4th record of Thysania zenobia in September of this year -- off the wall of Husker Stadium in Lincoln! I first spotted the Zenobia high up on the wall -- far too high for my net -- so I raced to Home Depot and got a long PVC pipe, which I stuck my net on the end of. This proved far too floppy, and all I managed to do was knock the moth and cause it to start flying! But it was so ragged and worn out that it flew straight down and flopped on the concrete right in front of me. Not a good specimen, but a rare stray and one of my best bugs ever...
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Post by mantisboy on Jan 5, 2015 7:07:04 GMT -8
Don't forget, any Papilio cresphontes from California are now considered Papilio rumiko
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