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Post by wingedwishes on Jul 4, 2011 1:36:04 GMT -8
No photo yet as I have it on the pinning board still. I have wanted a Black with moth for years and my neighbor asked me if I wanted a big moth that flew into his house a couple of days ago. I told my neighbor it was probably a Polyphemus moth but was very exited to see I was wrong. It was found in the city of St Petersburg. I may have to begin trying to raise them. Photos later.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2011 9:08:52 GMT -8
Congrats on that one Last year I caught my first A. odorata after seeing one forty some years ago. Just the other day, I was collecting at my buddies' and mine favorite night spot in TN and Eric caught his first....a girl. What makes this totally incredible, is that his was caught nearly a year (within a few days) of mine and........................it was caught a mere 8 or so feet from the exact spot I caught mine. What are the odds of that? To catch one in the same spot almost on the same day a year later is totally awesome We had a great nighttime collecting trip, but the day fliers were not about:( Luckily, the night stuff made up for the terrible day inactivity. When you pull the one on the board, please do a pic for us.
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Post by prillbug2 on Jul 7, 2011 13:42:44 GMT -8
I collected my first Ascalaphus odorata in August, 1976, a male that flew into the garage. My father told me that a large moth was in the garage, so I went inside and was surprised to find it. It had some minor wing damage, but I didn't mind, and still have it to this day. The second specimen that I collected was a female when I was down in Southern Illinois in June of 1996. It was early in the morning, and was hanging on the side of the Cross near Alto Pass, Illinois. The third one that I spotted was in September, 2001, it flew into my sheet and quickly flew away, again. It never did come back. Strange, a week earlier, I had collected my first Thysania zenobia in the very same spot, right behind our house on Cameron Lane. Haven't seen any since, but who knows when the next one will show up. Jeff Prill
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evra
Full Member
Posts: 230
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Post by evra on Jul 7, 2011 17:55:15 GMT -8
In southern Arizona it's interesting. For a few nights a year in early August in a few spots immediately north of the border, you'll see anywhere between a couple to about 10 A. odorata per night. Every one of them is pretty much trashed though. Once you go north of Tucson though, they become just as rare as anywhere else in the U.S. I guess they're just migrating through or else I'd find fresh ones, but I'm not sure where they're going.
Good luck raising them, I've heard that it's a quite difficult species to rear at later instars even if you have a suitable host, which is hard to find in the U.S.
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Post by prillbug2 on Jul 7, 2011 22:01:36 GMT -8
And yet, the one that I collected in Southern Illinois may have overwintered. But what it fed on is a mystery, and I think that it would be interesting to find out what the relative could be of the normal host plant. Jeff Prill
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Post by Chris Grinter on Jul 13, 2011 23:03:22 GMT -8
Overwintered in IL? I don't think these survive a freeze at all! I have a flawless female from the Bald Knob Cross, looks like it emerged that morning - but it flew in in the middle of rainstorm and survived being netted by a friend of mine, not a scratch! I think they are just tough suckers.
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ckswank
Full Member
Posts: 239
Country: USA
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Post by ckswank on Jul 15, 2011 0:04:59 GMT -8
Here is a link to Mike Quinn's web page on Ascalapha odorata. Mike is one heck of a nice guy & an excellent photographer. Lot's of fascinating facts & data here. www.texasento.net/witch.htmCharlie
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Post by wingedwishes on Jul 28, 2011 16:18:55 GMT -8
And here it is. I still have to do some minor repair to a hind wing and attach an antenna but I still love this one. Attachments:
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Post by wingedwishes on Jul 28, 2011 16:21:51 GMT -8
I also found this one dried up under a porch light here in Florida. Anyone know what it is? Attachments:
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Post by wingedwishes on Jul 28, 2011 16:27:16 GMT -8
My 4 year old found this female about the same time too.... Attachments:
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ckswank
Full Member
Posts: 239
Country: USA
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Post by ckswank on Jul 28, 2011 19:10:13 GMT -8
I love the way a child discovers something new. My 4 year old grandson lives with us & it is so satisfying to show him a new bug & see the excitement in his eyes. Hope he continues to learn about them. I bring home ox beetles alive from time to time & put them in a terrarium for him to observe. He doesn't mind "petting" them, but he is still apprehensive about holding anything other than butterflies or moths. Thanks for posting the pictures.
Charlie
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Post by starlightcriminal on Jul 29, 2011 5:27:07 GMT -8
Yes, this year I learned that children generally don't take as well to Dynastes (captured by myself with the direct assistance of InsectNet board members, thank you very much) or other large beetles as they do to any Lepidopteran. It's the firm grip with its sharp little tarsi that freaked them out and then that it wouldn't release on command.
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