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Post by Jonn on Jun 25, 2019 8:43:01 GMT -8
Went tree tapping expecting to not see anything and end up catching my first ever coccinata. Had never caught a new species by non-bait method before either. Feel like this is going to be a good year for me.
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Jun 26, 2019 4:01:51 GMT -8
Just got back from checking Bait Traps. Lots of Catocala moths. Several small yellow hindwing, not sure of the ID. Numerous C. ilia, and several C. ultronia. Several nice Zales and one UFO Noctuid. Never seen one like it before.
I am on my way to the South Elkhorn Creek and Green Fern Woods to set out five more Bait Traps. Then I am off to Harrison County, Indiana to look for butterflies and check my four Kill Type Bait Traps.
More Later.
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Post by bugboys3 on Jul 1, 2019 11:45:41 GMT -8
I have had my trap up in the back yard for 3 nights now. Not a single Catocala yet, but quite a few Sphinx moths. D. myron, A. floridensis & S. abbottii. Also about a million flies so I put my bait away during the day and set it back out before nightfall.
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Post by bugboys3 on Jul 2, 2019 12:58:42 GMT -8
Got my first Catocala this morning in the trap. A fairly fresh C. minuta. A first for my yard.
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Post by mothman27 on Jul 4, 2019 3:32:22 GMT -8
Got my first at the sheet last night, C. clintonii.
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Jul 4, 2019 7:04:38 GMT -8
I just mounted 35 Catocala moths, most of them from Harrison County, IN. I have four Kill Types Bait Traps set out in the Pleasant Valley area. Between the four traps (I set the traps out six days ago.) I had about 50 Catocala moths. However, I had Nymphalis antiopa, Polygonia, Asterocampa, Limenitis, Vanessa atalanta, Lethe portlandia, and a gallon+ of flies. About a gallon+ per trap..
I waited way to long to check the traps, I usually check them every other day. Many of the specimens had to be tossed as the horde of buzzing flies remove the scales from the wings. I did not use my sorting screen because I forgot to take them. I will return tomorrow to put them in the traps. I lost several nice specimens.
I checked my traps (3) in the Kleber WMA and the five I have at various locations along both the North and South Elkhorn Creeks. I check these everyday.
Catocala innubens, C. sordida, C. habilis, C. piatrix, C. illecta (very worn), C. neogama? (Must mount it to confirm). C. palaeogama, C. gracillis and a boat load of C.illia. I have several small yellow hindwing Catocala to identify.
I also found a huge brown beetle with an enormous set of mandibles climbing up the side of the Bait Trap. When I pulled him of the side of the trap, it tried it's best to bite me. I did not realize how powerful the beetle was.
I have never seen so many flies, hornets and wasps in my traps.
While hiking along Elkhorn Creek to get back to my car, I saw an Osprey, at least I think it was an Osprey, snatch a fish out of the creek. The fish looked like a Blue Gill.
Time for a nap.
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Post by mothman27 on Jul 5, 2019 20:01:16 GMT -8
This year just keep getting better! Last night at my porch light I found a female, A1, Catocala dulciola. Third specimen for me of this species, the other two being found in 2017. I managed to nervously pin it today without damaging it. It's a stunning example of an uncommon species.
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Post by jhyatt on Jul 6, 2019 5:24:44 GMT -8
After running bait traps at various forest-edge sites in my area and only getting the odd C. ultronia or ilia, I've about given up for the season. Catocalas generally seem to be at a very low population level this year in extreme eastern Tennessee. I get tons of common Sphingids and Zales, and a few Polygonias, Lethes, and Asterocampas, but nothing good at all.
Yesterday I visited some of my old, traditionally productive spots for S. diana, and saw not a single solitary Speyeria -- not even a S. cybele. Battus philenor is having a banner year, there were some P. glaucus about, but troilus was very scarce. Polygonias and Limenitis seemed about average on the dirt roads.
As usual with butterflies and moths, the populations seem to be going through boom and bust cycles.
jh
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Post by mothman27 on Jul 7, 2019 20:02:11 GMT -8
Up to four species now: C. clintonii C. dulciola C. crataegi C. alabamae All at light. My trap seems to not be working. Not sure if it's the new design or the bait so I put out the trap I used last year with the same bait to see.
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Post by Jonn on Jul 9, 2019 2:34:30 GMT -8
Since my last post i've added gracilis, ilia, ultronia, amatrix & maestosa. Have not seen grynea this year which is unusual.
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Post by fishnbugz on Jul 9, 2019 6:42:51 GMT -8
I had the first 2 species, C minuta and ilia, on June 28. I had to cancel a S.Dakota trip to fix the car so I may have missed out on clintonii, but it's been pretty good collecting near home since summer arrived anyway.
My list so far is- many minuta, many ilia, 1 parta, 1 ultronia, 1 amestris, several micronympha, 1 grynea, and 1 I saw it but it escaped whitneyi. I caught another Sphinx Kalmiae in a bait trap last night, this time in Knox County Nebraska.
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Post by bugboys3 on Jul 10, 2019 12:41:22 GMT -8
The Catocala season seems to be about a week or two late. Spring here was about a week to two late so I should have expected that. The last 3 days have been very productive from my bait trap in the back yard. I have collected C. minuta, ilia, ilia form normani, grynea, coccinata, serena, blandula, unijuga, ultronia, and what I believe to be C. crataegi. C. crataegi is a new species for my yard. I the three years I have been here I have recorded 32 different species of Catocala and several different forms.
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Post by fishnbugz on Jul 10, 2019 20:30:39 GMT -8
Last night in the yard traps I had a very nice illicta and a very nice parta, a few nice forms of minuta and a couple grynea. Tonight already 2 more perfect illicta's and another parta, a minuta with extremely black forewing edges, and an ultronia. It was a long wait and an odd start to the season here, but catocala season is finally here in Nebraska.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2019 21:07:00 GMT -8
Just got back from my C. marmorata hunt wo success, but I did get C. Preaclara, crataegi, ilia, subnata, nebulosa,, coccinata, micronympha, sordida, flebilis, dejecta, epione, andromedae, obscura, and paleogama. Also got a few Sphingids......versicolor, pawpaw, and franckii, along w other more common ones. Had a blast of a time in eastern TN / KY. Overall, the season was less than optimal, but ok. My buddy did get a ghost moth which was a first for him.
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Post by mothman27 on Jul 11, 2019 7:40:09 GMT -8
My traps are finally producing Catocala. last night I got dulciola, crataegi, parta, ultronia, grynea and blandula. Totals so far: dulciola - 2 crataegi - 2 blandula - 1 parta - 1 ultronia - 8 grynea - 1 clintonii - 2 alabamae - 1
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