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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2020 12:30:22 GMT -8
Ten years ago, I caught my first witch moth ever here in SE TN. Nine years ago, my buddy Eric caught his first here. Last night, I caught my second from here in This same location. Interestingly, all three were caught within a mere 15’ feet of space under/beside a 5,000 watt Spotlight mercury bulb among several. I’ve caught this moth (6) in AZ.....no big deal, one in IL in my back yard while sugar slopping for Catocalas, and now two in TN. At first glance, I thought it was a resting polyphemus, but realized upon approach that the shape was that of this cool moth. It was a female inA1- condition which was in better than the shape of the AZ ones caught. That was a great way to end a good night of mothing. I’ve not yet posted this at my website, so I cannot post a pic for now.
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Post by jhyatt on Jun 22, 2020 5:18:51 GMT -8
Bill,
Nice going! You seem to have the knack for this species the way Eric does for C. marmorata. I've taken one witch in a bait trap in the back
yard in Kingsport, many years ago. Was Sphinx franckii flying there? It was fairly common that time we were all there...
Stop by if your Tennessee travels take you to this NE corner and you're rained out of collecting. I can give directions.
Cheers,
jh
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2020 15:07:31 GMT -8
You’re all not going to believe this, but a few nights later I was on a mountain top w my buddy Eric blacklighting and not only did another A. odorata come in , but we caught five C. marmoratas after seeing seven. The sixth one we caught was not good enough to keep/kill, so we let that one go. Four of the five were A1 perfect and fresh. It was the first time we caught them in June and the first time two Black Witches were taken in a week. Love that mountain......it
produced a Ghost Moth for Eric last year and my gynandromorph polyphemus the year before. It’s also where I caught my first marmorata a few years back along w other goodies.
Sorry John......I didn’t see your reply until after I got home.
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Post by jhyatt on Jun 27, 2020 7:37:37 GMT -8
Good going, Bill! Eric had already called me with a report. He and I have scheduled another trip up there after the 4th, probably at new moon around the 20th.
Odd that there were no Sphingids to speak of. Night before last I put a bucket trap in the woods up across the VA border (lower elevation) and took some very fresh
P. astylus, along with some other goodies (no franckii, though). But oddly, not a single solitary Catocala of any shape or form appeared. Lots of worn
Saturnids and common Noctuids, but to Catocala. And nothing has been coming to my bait traps of late.
Cheers,
jh
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2020 21:20:43 GMT -8
Ok.......now you’re not going to believe it, but I just went out sugaring for Cats.....saw a few.....it’s a bit early here for them. But.....the one moth I caught just 2 hours ago was another Witch Moth. She is not even A2.....more like C4, but, nevertheless a third such moth in seven days. I’m getting a bit freaked out abt these guys and my dumb luck. She visited the first of thirty trees I sugared and showed up just after dark way before any Cats showed up.
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