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Post by trehopr1 on Jun 11, 2021 11:36:39 GMT -8
Just wondering if anyone has seen/encountered any silkmoths this spring in the eastern US ?
With the crummy turbulent weather that many of us endured this spring few if any members have posted any findings.
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Post by thejsonboss on Jun 11, 2021 11:52:29 GMT -8
I've found plenty of luna so far this year and reared some that are now hatching. A couple of weeks ago I had two Automeris come to my light in Louisiana.
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Post by exoticimports on Jun 11, 2021 11:55:53 GMT -8
Eastern KY first week May: A. luna, D. rubicunda to 18W BL.
In Finger Lakes NY: Late may: stumbled across A. polyphemus cocoon, it eclosed the next day Recently: A. polyphemus S. cecropia my friend's C. promethea are all eclosing
Sphingidae: D. inscriptum (many, including, oddly, females) D. myron or pholus (1) S. abbotti (~10) C. undulosa (1)
Last week was good, 24C at night; this week 16C - 18C at night, not so good.
This is with MV placed way too close to the forest. Lots of stuff comes in and leaves since it's lit up so bright.
Oddly, I have seen zero Luna in Finger Lakes.
Chuck
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Post by eurytides on Jun 11, 2021 14:56:59 GMT -8
In eastern Ontario (Canada), there have been reports of luna, io, and cecropia. My female promethea called in a wild male yesterday.
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Post by mothman55 on Jun 12, 2021 0:01:34 GMT -8
In Central Ontario (Buckhorn) plenty of saturniids this past week to MV light. They are peaking with all the hot weather. Cecropia, luna, promethea, IO, but oddly no Polyphemus this year as yet. They are usually the most common. Even the start of imperialis pini, which are usually late June/early July.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2021 6:50:21 GMT -8
In north central IL, got a few bicolor, rubicunda, luna, and polyphemus in May. Been rather sparse since.......way hot and dry.
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Post by eurytides on Jun 12, 2021 8:15:58 GMT -8
In Central Ontario (Buckhorn) plenty of saturniids this past week to MV light. They are peaking with all the hot weather. Cecropia, luna, promethea, IO, but oddly no Polyphemus this year as yet. They are usually the most common. Even the start of imperialis pini, which are usually late June/early July. Any H. columbia?
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Post by trehopr1 on Jun 12, 2021 12:02:27 GMT -8
Thank you everyone for your reports and interest in this thread.
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Post by 58chevy on Jun 12, 2021 12:22:00 GMT -8
So far I've gotten C. regalis, E. imperialis, A. luna, D. rubicunda, S. bicolor (a rarity in my area). Strangely, Polyphemus has been a no-show. They are usually common.
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Post by mothman55 on Jun 12, 2021 19:34:25 GMT -8
In Central Ontario (Buckhorn) plenty of saturniids this past week to MV light. They are peaking with all the hot weather. Cecropia, luna, promethea, IO, but oddly no Polyphemus this year as yet. They are usually the most common. Even the start of imperialis pini, which are usually late June/early July. Any H. columbia? No H.columbia, but most years I rear them so I have females to call in males, but did not rear them this year. I generally only get a female to my MV light maybe once a season or once every other season. They typically are out just before the cecropias, so I expect they are likely done for this season.
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Post by mothman55 on Jun 12, 2021 19:37:15 GMT -8
So far I've gotten C. regalis, E. imperialis, A. luna, D. rubicunda, S. bicolor (a rarity in my area). Strangely, Polyphemus has been a no-show. They are usually common. Wonder what's up with Polyphemus, I had none as well and also the most common saturnid in this area most years.
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Post by Paul K on Jun 13, 2021 5:06:50 GMT -8
Near Toronto Ontario have seen one A.polyphemus at gas station light. One H.cecropia male called to female emerged from last year breeding.
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JKim
New Member
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Post by JKim on Jun 13, 2021 16:00:05 GMT -8
I'm not located in eastern states, but in central Louisiana. I've observed Actias luna in February (as usual), started seeing Eacles imperialis and Antheraea polyphemus in April, Dryocampa rubicunda in late May to right now. Since I'm more interested in scarabs, I did notice many species I've been working on came out about 2-3 weeks later than how it was past couple years.. I also thought it was because of the weather too since the seasonal rainfall was comparably little delayed than past years...
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Post by 58chevy on Jun 14, 2021 10:34:59 GMT -8
JKim, Any advice on good places to collect in Louisiana? I live in the Houston, TX area and occasionally look for bugs there. I collect both leps and beetles. There used to be a good rest stop with MV lights near Breaux Bridge, but I heard it was shut down. I've done pretty well at gas stations in the Lafayette area and at the St. Mary parish school administration bldg. Where is the best place for D. tityus?
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Post by boghaunter1 on Jul 15, 2021 15:42:12 GMT -8
RE: Polyphemus, H. columbia gloveri abundance in 2021.
This report is rather late in the season as I still captured a "Poly" in one of my light traps a few days ago. I am located in central, NE Sask., Canada & I daily run a string of 8 light traps (M.V., B.L. & combo M.V./B.L. traps) in my yd. & have continuously run light traps for 45 years now. 2021 was, by far, the best year ever up here, for "Polys". From 27 May to 12 July I trapped 302 (includes 15 females) "Polys" in my traps! This huge number of "Polys" needs a bit of explanation... of the 302 I only kept 2 dozen nice A1 specimens (including 2 females) & the unwanted moths were released back into the woods each morning. I, therefore, had many recaptures (counted again) in the days following the initial captures. I estimate that altogether only about one 3rd to half of the 302 total were separate individuals; even so 100-150 "Polys" in 2021 would be a record! The most I have ever trapped in previous seasons was 50-60 individuals. Record days in 2021 were 02 June when I trapped 27 "Polys" in all 8 traps (includes 21 alone in my new 1,000W MV/MH trap- with a MH bulb) & 05 June when I collected another 25 "Polys" in all my traps.
Hyalophora columbia gloveri is an uncommon silkmoth that shows up in my traps almost every year, but usually in very small numbers (0-6). 2021 was, again a great year for them. From 02 June to 14 June I trapped 31 individuals (including 4 females)… I kept a dozen males & released the 4 females. On 07 June I was shocked to find 11 male H. c. gloveri alone in my new, large 1,000W MV/MH trap - with MH bulb)….& 2 more in an adjacent B.L. trap totalling 13!...that is twice a good previous year of 6 specimens! That night of 07 June was quite cool with a low of 8.7 C (48 F),cloudy & calm. In past years I have observed that H. c. gloveri often likes to fly during cooler, often foggy nights... montane sp. originally?
A note on collecting Ghost Moths. I only get 3 spp. of the larger Sthenopis spp. up here. S. purpurescens is the most common with the "Normal" salmon/pinkish/orangey fms., less common dark grey fms, & the very rare silvery/white fm.. S. argenteomaculatus is a rare (here) eastern N. Am. sp. that I've collected less than a dozen (3 this year) times. The rarest is another eastern N. Am. sp., S. thule… only one specimen in 45 years! Last night from 10:00-11:00 pm, temp. was warm at 18 C (65 F), calm, clear & smokey (from forest fires in N. SK.). I slowly drove my ATV, with the headlights on, down a heavily wooded back road just west of my yard. During that time I observed about a dozen S. purpurescens (males & females) feebly flitting about the edges of the road. I was able to collect only 3 of them (2 females & a male) as running about a rutted backroad in the dark can be dangerous to your health... especially for older guys! This is, however, a good way to collect pristine A1 specimens, especially males which don't come to traps that readily. Females come to my traps by the dozens most years (also in 2021). Ghost moths are found commonly in low, wet areas with willows & alders (larval foodplants). A fun way to collect ghost moths if you're still young & agile (with good eyes & strong bones!). This method of collecting Ghost moths was suggested to me by another member/collector... T. Taylor.
John K.
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