Indiana Travels

[leptraps]

In 2017 I wrote a number of stories about my journeys to the hill country in central Indiana. I am doing it again in 2018.

I am once again being paid to Survey the Lepidoptera in the Morgan-Monroe State Forest in Morgan County and the Yellowwood State Forest in Brown County, both in Indiana. I have made three trips to date, 26/27 April, 1 /2 May and 10/11 May. The moths and other insects have been incredible.

One of the sites is a wet area within the Low Gap area of Morgan-Monroe State Forest. From the Low Gap Parking Lot to the survey sites in over a mile. And once again, the wildlife has been fantastic.

In 2017 the Luna Moths (Actias luna) were rather large and extremely abundant. This year, 2018, they are once again very abundant, however, they are very small. Last year was a typical year with above average rain fall. The question: Why are they so small? Was it host plants, or the lack of abundance of host plant. I found numerous larva on small Hickory trees in the under story and reared to maturity and normal size.



I also got into a fight with a European Hornet (Vespa crabro), as you can see in the photograph, the Hornet lost. The European hornet is the largest eusocial wasp in Europe and the largest vespine in North America. It is actually the only true hornet found in North America.




Just being in an old forest is amazing. During an earlier visit during the winter I found these fungi on a large dead Red Oak tree.



I am looking forward to this years journey’s into Indiana.

I still must write my story about Gnaw Bone, Indiana.

[Paul K]

May 15, 2018 7:30:56 GMT -8 leptraps said:

In 2017 I wrote a number of stories about my journeys to the hill country in central Indiana. I am doing it again in 3028.

Does Leptraps sell also time travel equipment?
I’d like to order one, please

Paul

[leptraps]

Hey, I got on IMGUR and I figured it out. Got my pics posted. It was slicker than snot on a door knob!

[leptraps]

On Thursday 17 May 2018 I traveled to Indiana to visit the Morgan-Monroe State Forest in Monroe County and the Yellowwood State Forest in Brown County. This is a continuance of the Lepidoptera Survey in the two State Forest which began in March of 2017. I set out three Light Traps 15 Watt BL in the Low Gap area. One in the wet spring runoff area, another in the upland forest and a third in the edge of a Pine land area. I set out two more in the Possum Trot Area of Yellowwood State Forest. The weather was perfect until a light rain began to fall about 2:00AM. The rain ended about 2:45AM. I recovered the Light Traps in the Low Gap just after dawn. All three traps were loaded. Very few Saturnids and Sphingids. Loads of Noctuids and Geometrids. When I went out to recover my Light Traps I took six (6) Pheromone Traps for Sessidae moths.



As I opened the first Light Trap, I thought I had collected the first Catocala of the year. But it was not to be. It was a Euparthenos nubilis, a stunning fresh male. I took several very nice Hyparpax aurora (The Pink Prominent). They are currently residing on a spreading board. I also collected two (2) specimens of Bellura obliqua. One was a monster female. I took several Actias luna, Callosamia promethea and Callosamia angulifera. In the end I brought home over a hundred Noctuids and several dozen Geometrids to mount. I also collected my first and second Sessidae moths of the year: Synanthedon acerni and Podosesia syringae.



I traveled up to Yellowwood State Forest near the Possum Trot Trail head. I recovered both Light Traps. Oddly, there were virtually no large Saturnids, Sphingids or Noctuids. I found many small Noctuids and Erebidae, plus many Geometrids. It took me over an hour to sort each Light Trap. I have a weeks worth of mounting.

The forest were spectacular, the trees are beginning to leaf out and the small birds were back in large numbers. During my journey’s between the two forest I saw several dozen deer, a fair number of turkey’s.(The kind with feathers) While watching some Turkey’s cross a large pasture, I watched a Hawk snatch a small rodent from the other end of the pasture. I even found more Fungi. It was a great day to be in the woods.

[exoticimports]

What was the temperature?

[leptraps]

When I set the Light Traps out in the Low Gap area on late Thursday afternoon (17 May 2018) the temperature was 78 degrees. My temperature recorder indicated a low of 68 degrees when I arrive at the site.

I only purchased one Temperature Recorder. They are not cheap at $80.00. I may purchase another for the Yellowwood area.

I miss those old Stop Thermometers.

[leptraps]

I made another trip to Indiana to conduct the Lepidoptera Survey in the Morgan Monroe State Forest in Monroe County and the Yellowwood State Forest in Brown County. The weather was great as it had rained the day before and the deep forest in the Low Gap area was lush, moist and deep green. I friend Denny Currutt from Chesterland, Ohio joined me.



I arrived at the Low Gap parking lot simultaneously with Denny. As we began to cross the foot bridge into the forest, we found a large group of swallowtails visiting what appeared to be a damp urine spot in the dry creek bed. There were a dozen Papilio glaucus, an equal number of Papilio troilus and a few Battus philenor. In the middle of the group was a lone Papilio cresphontes. I was surprised as I have never seen Papilio cresphontes visit mud or damp ground. I collected the individual. I also collect several Limenitis arthemis astyanax which were also in the group and others were darting to and fro.



We set three Light Traps in the Low Gap area. We checked the six (6) Pheromone Traps I set out the previous week. along with six (6) Phermone Traps for Sessid moths and found five (5) species which included a small yellow bodied Sessid about the size of a small Yellow Jacket. (Currently on a spreading board. We also set out a Light Trap and Six (6) Pheromone Traps in the Yellowwood State Forest in the Possum Trot area.

We traveled to the Yellowwood State Forest at the Possum Trot Trail Head parking area. We set out a single Light Trap and six (6) Pheromone Traps for Sessid moths. We overnighted in Martinsville.

Although is remained above 70 degrees overnight with heavy cloud cover it did not rain.

We were up and gone by 6:30AM. The Light Traps in the Low Gap Forest area had a good number of moths, absent were Saturnid moths of any kind. Not one Luna Moth to be found. We sorted the traps and found several interesting Noctuids and several Erebidae moths. But nothing spectacular. We traveled to the Yellowwood State Forest and found likewise. I believe the rather cool and somewhat dry month of April may have shown its affects. We did find a spectacular flower in bloom. Still not sure of the identification.

'

About 1:30PM Denny and I began our journeys home. However, I as traveled to the state forests on Wednesday along SR46 between Columbus, IN and Nashville, IN, I struck a black butterfly which was briefly caught in my windshield wiper. It was a Euphydryas phaeton. I marked the spot. As I traveled home I stopped at the location and on the north side of the highway was a large field along side of a creek. I collect two specimens and saw several more. As I began to return to me vehicle I flushed a small checker spot which I originally thought was a Charidryas nycties. I was already running late and exited the field and returned home. The following day I spread my Euphydryas phaeton and when I looked and what I thought was Charidryas nycties was actually a Charidryas gorgone. I only have a few specimens of Charidryas gorgone from east of the Mississippi. I will be making more visits to this location as the season progresses.

[bugboys3]

Your flower is an iris.

[jhyatt]

Well, Leroy, I guess the weather has been better for you and Denny in Indiana than in for me northeast Tennessee. I put up a bait trap in the woods about a week ago, and all I have done since is visit it once a day to drain off the water-filled bait tray and put in some fresh sugar/fruit juice liquid and another banana or two. We're 6.5" of rain above the average for the year-to-date here, and seem to get a thundrstorm about every 6 or 8 hours. The trap did catch a couple of Polygonias, a number of E. cymela, and one false alarm - like you, I got a really fresh E. nubilis. But nary a Catocala here yet.

But on May 21 on Sapelo Island, Georgia, it was a whole different story: 9 (count 'em, nine!) species of Catocala were in my two bait traps: Ilia, muliercula, micronympha, ultronia, coccinata, similis, gracilis, minuta, and (best of all!) a single delilah. Woo-woo!

Cheers,
John

[leptraps]

Well John Hyatt, you need to start the Catocala 2018 thread. You got the first Catocala.

[exoticimports]

Jun 2, 2018 16:40:04 GMT -8 leptraps said:

Well John Hyatt, you need to start the Catocala 2018 thread. You got the first Catocala.

Oh no catocala the harbinger of the end of moth collecting season.

[jhyatt]

And to top it off, the coccinata was really badly worn - looked very old! But you gotta consider that I was in a distinctly subtropical place...
jh

[leptraps]

I began to make my weekly journey to Indiana to conduct my Lepidoptera Survey in the Morgan-Monroe State Forest in Monroe County and the Yellowwood State Forest in Brown County. The forest was lush and green from recent rains. I set out five (5) Light Traps. I set three (3) deep in the Morgan-Monroe State Forest east of the Low Gap Trail Parking Lot and two (2) in the Possum Trot area of the Yellowwood State Forest.

The vegetation was lush and the forest had a deep fresh smell to it. One of the most notable things I found were Mushrooms and Fungi. I found very large and brightly colored Fungi. I have never found an abundance of Fungi in any forest previously. The photographs are just a tiny sample of what I found.







The moon was near full and it had an effect on the number of moths I collected. However, I recorded over 200 species for Lepidoptera for the trip. I have over 20 Pheromone Traps for Sessid moths in the forests and have only record six species to date. And the total number of Sessid moths were extremely low.



As I was cleaning out a Light Trap at the Low Gap Trail Head Parking area, I had a visitor crawl down my arm, where he/she came from I do not know. It was abeauty.



While sorting the Light Traps at the Possum Trot Trail Head, a large male Bob Cat made an appearance. We sort of looked at each other and the Bob Cat just wandered off. I believe we have seen each other previously.

The forest is large and somewhat remote. Although there are many homes, hunting lodges and campsites, I encounter very few people. To the south of the forest it is populated with many summer homes. Fishing, hunting and other outdoor activities are major attractions. The forest is surrounded by farms. However, while conducting my survey and working in the forests, I seldom encounter anyone.

As I was cleaning my Light Traps this rather large spider decided to help herslf to some of my discarded moths. Biggiest spider I have seen in the forest.