Question from a new member?

[westley]

I'm just getting into collecting and am planing a trip to SE Arizona the only time i can go is in the spring some time in April-May. Ive noticed that the prime time seems to be July-August. I was just wondering if the spring will yield good catches? Also I'm curious what kind of setups people have out there? I have 250 watt clear and frosted mercury vapor, 250 metal halide, 100 watt 365 nm black lights, 48 inch black light and 15 watt Bioequip bl350s. Ive been switching them up to see what works the best. Running off Honda EU2000i. New Member and new collector would love some input from the more knowledgeable.
-Westley

[evra]

What do you want to collect?

[westley]

Ive been collecting Lepidoptera and Coleoptera in my local area mainly on a mountain at 6000 ft in a pine forest its about 40 miles from any man made lights.
I'm not targeting particular sub species as of yet as I just started a couple of months ago.

[evra]

I guess I meant, what would you hope to get from Arizona?

April and May are kind of crappy beetle and moth collecting months. Most nights are cold and windy throughout much of the state, but there are a few good things. Your options would be better either in late March when there are a few spring things out or early June.

Also I don't know if your heart is set on Arizona, but if you can do very late May or early June, I would recommend S. New Mexico over Arizona. The collecting for large insects is generally much better there at that time.

[westley]

Thank you so much for your input. Basically I'm a seasonal squid fisherman and the squid come in the late summer through winter. I just wanted to plan a trip around my time off as this is my first year collecting and I'm having a blast. I plan on traveling every year to different places to collect insects now. I can probably go in June every year is different the squid govnern my time off. This has been a better than average summer and we where in full swing by the end of June. I'm willing to go where the insects are and plan on traveling around to world as I have the means of doing it, I just wanted to start close to home( within a 1000 miles driving distance) before I start trying to do this by airplane. my next stop is hawaii my wife is really been into collecting with me and she wants to go to Hawaii. I would like to add some large beetles and moths to my collection and if you think new Mexico is a better bet then Ill go there if you could point me in the right direction that would be awesome. Thanks again for helping me out i thought this community would be more welcoming
-westley

[ckswank]

Westley - Welcome to Insectnet. Don't think I have ever met a professional fisherman! Evra is right about SE Arizona. Timing is especially crucial, but the rewards can be great. Do to my financial situation right now, I've been restricted to collecting close to home this year. After the drought that we had last year in Texas, the quantities were much lower this summer than in 2010. I suspect the same will be true next year for the midwest U.S. We've been getting adequate rainfall here this year, so maybe collecting will improve next year. If you ever get this far east (I live near Galveston), give me a shout.

Charlie

[58chevy]

Westley,

You will only see the spectacular numbers and varieties of moths (and beetles) that SE Arizona is famous for during late July and early August, when the monsoon rains bring them out. If you google "Moths of southeast Arizona", Bruce Walsh's website will appear. It has lots of good information, including Bruce's contact info. He is an expert on the area and has collected there for years. He's also a professor at the Univ. of Arizona. Check out the photo of the sheet titled "Typical night at Pena Blanca". It's really like that (but only during monsoon season).

[evra]

Well, like I said, the spring in the southwest is generally kind of cold and windy, especially at night, which can really sabotage the moth collecting. I can already picture you sitting in Harshaw or Copper Canyon around May 1st with it being 45 degrees and a 20 mile an hour wind trying to keep your sheet up and wondering 'what the hell am I doing here?'

When I recommended New Mexico, I'm generally talking about the Sacramento Mountains east of Alamogordo. A little town called High Rolls is kind of the center of the collecting, and then in the mountain valleys both north and south of High Rolls can be pretty good. It's probably pretty similar to what you're used to. It's about 6000-7000' elevation collecting in riparian valleys surrounded by oaks and pines. The large moth species are Automeris zephyria, A. io neomexicana, Coloradia doris, Agapema homogena, Sphinx chersis, Ceratomia amyntor, Lintneria istar, and Smerinthus ceryisi. You'll probably see some large Prionids as well. The butterfly collecting north of High Rolls is usually pretty good too. If I were you, I'd try to time your trip around the new moon (6/8/13). Good luck.