Fixing winter boredom.....

[Deleted]

I've already finished most of my curation work......and....just had to set out a few dozen cocoons for early winter emergence. I kept a good batch in the frig for the spring and breeding, but decided to take out another few dozen of various species for mid winter collection enhancement. This week they started and today these two eclosed. Thought u might like to see.



Now I can enjoy mounting up super fresh perfect specimens for the collection. More pics will follow as different species decide to come out.

[leptraps]

I have two freezers full of frozen specimens. I will not live long enough to mount them all. However, I am giving it my best shot.

Winter is too long but never long enough.

I started mounting from my 2016 trip west in mid-November, butterflies and special moths first. I know my busy schedule and limit the number of specimens. Minimum is 20. Today I mounted 40. Tomorrow is 40 again. Christmas is "0". I also try to double the number of specimens I place in my collection to what I mount. But noctuid moths always cause reduced numbers, especially noctuids from out west. I currently have 200+ noctuids in UFO boxes.

Sunday's are UFO work. Sometimes I get 20 or more, sometimes if I am lucky, I get 2 or 3. I also photograph UFO's that I cannot ID. Then send the photos to those who can. And even the specialist will classify them as IDK (I don't know).

It is a process. Thing do not always go as planned. But I work at it.

[Deleted]

My freezer is full. I have managed to curate 0 specimens. I blame work for this. 10 hrs a day 6 days a week for months now. I need 2 or 3 more of me.

[Deleted]

Ok, I can't fault those who have freezers full since I have the good fortune to be retired....although I, too, was working just a short bit ago. Working the long hours jtaylor mentioned would cramp any collector's curation....hope u get some free time soon. I plan to get out in the winter for cocoon walks ....weather permitting.

[Deleted]

Those are some fine fresh out of the oven moths for sure. Nothing like rearing your own to ensure perfection. I've been thinking about building some rearing cages for the local sphingids which are my second favorite after catocala but, work time and sleep plus time to do the things I cook up in my head exceed the established 24 hour time limit of a day.

[jhyatt]

I also have a freezer full of papered material. I try to spread two boards full per day, but will achieve that only about 4-5 days most weeks... Other chores and activities often get in the way.

Two boards means only 8-9 specimens if they're large, but perhaps 20-30 if I'm doing Lycaenids or skippers or small moths. More than that at a sitting and my eyes get tired and my back starts to hurt!

Then there's always the internal debate about what to do when they come off the boards... if it's something I have a long series of already, I high-grade the series and put the poorest or least-interesting-locality specimens into a box for eventual trade or donation. My absolute limit is a drawer full of any one species (including all ssp), and my average series is about 4-12 specimens of each sp or ssp.

And I love every minute of it!

Cheers,
jh

[leptraps]

My collecting trip this past summer was great. I was out west almost six weeks. I took four Light Traps and four Bait Traps and 2000 glassine envelops. Filled almost every envelop with two specimens, may have 100 envelops empty when I got home.

I just started mounting. Not sure how many more of these extended trips I will be physically able to endure. I will be 72 this coming May.

Like I have said before, I will never live long enough to mount it all. I will however, give it one hellava shot.

[Deleted]

Are you kidding? You will still be swinging a net when you are 92!

[luehdorf]

But somehow it is also frustrating, I often have to think that assuming I will be able to go hunting till I am 80, that's only 53 summers left, only 53 times that you can try to be at the right spot at the right time to get the perfectly freshly emerged specimens. Then spread these 53 times over all the species that emerge at the same time, all the different localities, then you can perhaps only pick 20 species in your whole life where you will really be able to hit the perfect time.
Or just trust on your luck that you accidentally are there.
This year I had such one moment, when I was walking on a forest road and suddenly there were about 15 freshly emerged Gonepteryx rhamni females, I had never seen any before that time and never after and I went to that road every day for 30 days straight. It was just exactly the right time when they all emerged fed for the first time on flowers and then directly started laying eggs, and then you almost can't see them anymore flying around the trees without resting. Such moments are just magical, that's what I dream of during winter.

[Deleted]

Ah.......to be 27 ... . Using your 80 number, that means I only have 23 such years left. One thing for sure.....I'm gonna make the most of them. I had several such moments this last year with A. odorata in IL and C. marmorata at the top of a mountain in particular with a few other bonuses thrown in.

[joee30]

Bill, and all the other elder members on this site, I wish that you all would be swinging nets, pinning bugs, and enjoying the hobby longer than 80. Merry Christmas to all!

[rjb]

Fixing winter boredom?
My wife and I are heading out of this frigid Albuquerque in a few minutes to spend a couple weeks in one of those southern tropical paradises. We'll be collecting bugs day and night!
Rick

[Deleted]

Rub,

Now that.......is what I call fixing winter boredom. Have a blast

[joee30]

Are those H. Columbia or H. gloveri.

[Deleted]

They're H. columbia columbia.