Archbold Station and Florida

[rayrard]

It's that time again when I head down to central Florida in a couple weeks.

Does anyone have any productive localities for collecting on that property or in the area? I will have a permit.

I have collected in the past right near the lodging building down the sandy roads within a few hundred meters of the building. Collecting has been OK but never that exciting, with a few good things trickling in through the night but not much in the way of biomass. Is this an artifact of the location (as happens) or the date (around the 21st)? It would be good to know if anyone has found any productive areas with diverse habitat, or is it all dry scrub?

We will have multiple MV lights and I will bring a blacklight and bait trap.

We will also be going to Myakka State Park to the west. Anyone have any experience there?

[leptraps]

I have been to Archbold Station numerous times. I have never done really well. The best area is directly across from the entrance on the "Hill". You will need a Key from the office. Lock yourself in and you will not be disturbed.

This past weekend would have been great for Schinia.

[Deleted]

Hope where you are going the hurricane aftermath doesn't cause you problems by then.

[rayrard]

This is well inland from the hurricane impacts and they should just get rain and some maybe 30-40 mph winds.

leptraps: Is the slowness of the area because of the time of year or the habitat type? The group usually goes to Highlands Hammock and the Archbold Property, with the Myakka SP being a new one this year.

I haven't seen many Schinia on the property when we collect by day. We actually go out to the uplands habitat across the road. There is the big sandy loop and the more meadowy hill with a field and gopher tortoise burrows. I check out the yellow flowers and get one species commonly (S. obscurata?) on flowers. Nothing else by day.

On the property near the station I have caught Schinia fulleri, S. trifascia, and S. sanguinea at lights.

That is about it in the three years I have collected there.

Are there different flower types they specialize or are they just highly localized?

It is hit and miss with some species. I got Papaipema speciosissima there twice, a Hyparpax, and some good Arctiids.

[rayrard]

Here are my Archbold Schinia:

Schinia cf. obscurata

Schinia fulleri

Schina trifascia

Schinia sanguinea

Schinia sp.

[rayrard]

A good record I haven't seen records so far south

Pyrrhia aurantiago

[mothman27]

My first and only Schinia of the year.
IN, Whitley Co.
8-Sep-2016
Schinia arcigera

[rayrard]

Florida was fairly successful. We lighted at the station three nights and Highlands Hammock one night.

Best find by far was a Eumorpha labruscae which was the first time I encountered that species. We had only three other sphingids (D, myron, P. strigilis, and E. lugubris) and four Saturniids (A. polyphemus, A. io, E. imperialis, A. virginiensis).

I got four Schinia this year (S. sanguinea, S. fulleri, S. trifascia, S. saturata). Also two wasp moths and a bunch of other brown jobs.

The third night was by far the best with lots of diversity before the front came through and cooled everything off.