Autumn-Winter 2019 Noctuidae

[leptraps]

I just returned from checking some of my Bait Traps. I have two traps in a forested area behind an industrial complex. Several worn Catocala vidua. I also had four species of Lithophane. I collected 2 males and four females of Lithophane petulca, L. innominata & L. tepida. I also got a stunning female of Eupsilia vinulenta.

The four Bait Traps in the Mantua Wetlands had fewer moths as the temperatures dropped below 50°just after 11PM. I did collect a nice Lithomoia germana and several Homoglaea hircina.

The weather for the next six days will be rather cold, highs in low 50's and Lows in the 40's.A warm up is due the following week.

Does anybody else collect Noctuidae? Catocala are Erebidae.

[leptraps]

The preceding post was made to Catocala 2019. Included in my last post was a single Catocala species. The remainder of the report was about Noctuid moths Lithophane, Eupsilia and Metaxaglae are Noctuidae.

There is so much more to learn about moths. Catocala moths are in the family Erebidae. Lithophane,
Eupsilia and Metaxaglae are Noctuidae.

Should you want to collect and learn about Winter/Cold Weather moths, you need a Bait Trap, possibly two or more. When the day time high temperature exceed 60° and the overnight low temp above 50° until after midnight, cold weather/Winter Moths will fly. Look back through Catocala 2019. Or even further Catocala 2017 & Catocala 2018. They are not difficult to identify.

I collected 103 specimens of Cold Weather Winter moths to date. All in Bait Traps. And remember, I was out of commission for two months due to the death of my wife in January and Feburary.

Some of you live in places where virtually no moth collecting had been done. And no, you do not have to eat at a Waffle House, but it does not hurt.

Let us hear from you. And if you struggle with identifications, post photographs. I will gladly help with identifications.

Looking forward to learn what you find\collect. Just because it is winter does no mean you must stop collecting.

[mothman27]

Got a nice one this week, Argyrogramma verruca. 

[leptraps]

It rained last night for over three hours. And it put it down big time. However, a nice warm up is coming Saturday night through to Wednesday. I just checked the bait trap in my back yard. A few flies and no moths. The Bait was flooded out. We will have another cold night tomorrow. I will wait til tomorrow AM and replace the bait in all of my traps. One in my yard, three in the Mantua Wetlands area, one in Streetmans Woods near Hiram and two in the woods behind an industrial complex in Aurora.

I will also set out some light traps at some point during the warm up.

More later......

[leptraps]

The heavy rain that past through last night was a bomb cyclone when it reach New York City and headed into New England.

As they would say in the hills of SW Virginia, and I quote.

It rained harder than a double K----d cow pissing on a flat rock. Now that's putting it down....

[leptraps]

The overnight temperature in the Mantua Wetlands was 58° and the forested area NW of Hiram,Ohio I have a total of five (5) Bait Traps set out. In the three (3) Bait Traps in the Mantua Wetlands I collected 31 Lithophane,(semiusts, parefacta, innominata, petulca, signosa & pextat) 7 Eupsilia (vinulenta, schweitzer & morrisoni and 3 Sericaglaea. Two were Sericaglaea signata and the third was a IHNFID?

I have several Lithophane that I cannot identify. I also found a Nymphalis milberti. Lots of Polygonia's and hoards of flies.

I am considering putting out two more Bait Traps in the wetland area near the head waters of the Cuyahoga River.

I will spend the remainder of the day mounting moths and making bait!

There is a major change coming in the weather. A hard freeze late next week.

[leptraps]

I guess I am the only one doing any collecting. The over night temperature hit 41°. Now that's a tad bit chilly. However, when the sun set last evening the temp was 58°. It did not get down below 50° unti 1:15AM.

The Bait trap in my back yard had numerous moths, most Lithophane unimoda and L. bethunei. In the Mantua Wetlands I also collected L. innominata & L. hemina. There we two UFO Lithophane that I need to spread to identify. There several females of Lithophane, just not sure of ID.

There also several Eupsilia vinulenta and several different Pyreferra, the only one I have identified is Pyreferra pettiti.

The weather pattern should hold for the next two days, I will have light traps out tonight.

Once a moth enters a Slotted Pan Bait Trap,escape is extremely difficult. The access opening area in a Flat Bottom Bait Trap is three times that of a Slotted Pan. The design is base on a Moths upward mobility. Once the moth enters the trap and feeds it fly upward into the cylinder. The moth then seeks shelter under the Cloth top and around the inside of the cylinder around the shroud.

For all my efforts here on Insectnet, I believe I am the only one interested in collecting moths other than Saturnidae , Sphinhidae, Arctiidae and possibly Sessidae. And I almost forgot Papaipema and Schinia.

[leptraps]

I guess it is just me and Mothman who are still out in the field collecting. I checked all my Bait Traps yesterday. I brought home 36 Lithophane moths: L. unimoda, L. petulca, L. oriunda, L. innominata, L. anathixputa ( A new one for me!) L. hemins and L. disposita. I also collected a gorgeous female of Chaetaglaea derives.

For the past several weeks I have seen the very large fly in my Bait Traps, almost the size of a horse fly. That is a big fly for this time of the year. I collected a couple and stuck pins in them.

I have a Bait Trap in a wooded area near the Cuyahoga River and Pioneer Rd in Portage County, Ohio. As I was removing specimens I got a whiff of something dead. I walk a short distance next to the trail and found a dead and decomposing deer. It had been there some time and the head was missing. I can only assume. However, when I looked up in the trees, there were several vultures waiting for lunch. I debated over taking my Bait Trap down or leaving it. I left it. I would bet some serious coin it is full of flies by my next visit.

[mswisher]

Leptraps - Still collecting here in Arizona.  Had over 100 Agapema anona come to my lights this past Friday night.  I am planning to go after Hemileuca juno later this week.  

[jhyatt]

Leroy, What's a good trap placement for Lithophanes? Woods, open field, edge of woods, or what?

Tks,
jh

[leptraps]

John:

I have one in a Black Locust tree in my back yard. Lots of Lithophane unimoda, I have taken several each of L. patefacta & L. innominata.

In the Mantua Wetlands area I have collect several hundred Lithophane of possibly 8+ species.

My best location is an old forest with some undergrowth. I have another along the Cuyahoga River (Head Water area) in a forested area. It has collected 7 species.

I have about 30 Lithophane moths on spreading boards yet to be identified.

Try placing it 20+ feet inside the edge of a forest.

You will need to give the top of the trap a hard slap to knock the moths loose from the top. I take a pair of stamp tweezers to handle the moths. I have a card board disk I place over the slotted pan to keep the moths from falling into the bait.

I collect every Lithophane moth in the trap with a killing jar.

I have mounted over 125 Lithophane moths since I moved to Aurora.

You will also collect some Eupsilia and Metaxaglae. There are several other moths from several genius that will get into the trap.

[rayrard]

I guess these are easier than Catocala where they won't flutter around and escape, and will just crawl into a corner and rest. And the winter season is free of yellow jackets!

[leptraps]

Not here in Ohio, nor in Kentucky. It takes a hard freeze to make Vespidae stop flying and go into hibernation or kill them off.

The Giant Asian Hornet (Vespa mandarinia japonica) can be a royal pain, literally! They also have a seriously painful sting. It takes a hard freeze to put them into hibernation or kill them off.

There is a little Black, yellow, green and white hornet that can put a good welt on your hand or arm.

We had a hard freeze last night. That will be the end of most things that sting.

I cannot end this with acknowledging the little Black and white hornet with a touch of Yellow. A nasty little stinging SOB.

[58chevy]

I didn't know that giant Asian hornets had become established in the U.S. How long have they been here, and where are they most concentrated?

[leptraps]

They have been in Kentucky for twenty plus years and have been a genuine nuisance. They are very large and are yellow and brown in color. I have one field pinned in a box someplace. They can be very aggressive. They have virtually replaced the black and white Bald Face Hornet.

The daytime temp on Sunday was 55°. I check my Bait traps this afternoon. I had lots of Lithophane. A couple of Zale, several Mythimna unipuncta and Agrotis ipsilon.

We could receive 6+ inches of Snow tonight. I should have remained in Kentucky.

[foxxdoc]

food source for cold weather moths. some flowers left ? or tree sap and moisture sugars on bark ?

tom

[leptraps]

To be very honest, I assume tree sap from wounds or remaining fruit which has not fallen, or, fruit that has fallen and remains intact and begins to rot.

I use more apples and sometimes only apples, no bananas. However, peaches and persimmons. Persimmons, are the absolute best bait in North America. Do they have persimmons in in Europe?

Speaking of great baits, Papayas. I have not had any luck with them in this temperate area. However, in South Florida, they are excellent, especially when mixed with bananas.

Here I sit in northern Ohio watching the snow fall and mounting winter/Cold weather moths. And dreaming of Florida.

[foxxdoc]

80 degrees yesterday here near tampa. we do have wild persimmon here. and of course store bought Japanese persimmons. which are commonly grown here too.

any thoughts about temperature and non feeding ? or ability to digest ?

bush jasmine really brings in the months at night.

tom.

snow in Cleveland ?

[leptraps]

We received 4 inches in Aurora. More than a foot in the snow belt. Until the weather gets mild and daytime temps 55°+ for a day or two. Only then Winter/Cold Weather moths fly.

[rayrard]

I put out bait Monday, which was 60 at dusk and dropped to 48. I had about 10 species, but mostly common fall stuff like Mythimna and Sunira. Only a few classic winter overwinterers like Eupsilia vinulenta and 2 Lithophane grotei. Also a couple Zale which seems late in CT.

[foxxdoc]

60 degrees this a.m. found Xylophanes teres and Manduca quinquimaculata on wall inside my stables. just hanging out.

still lots of flowers here.


tom

[leptraps]

I visited all my Bait Traps this AM. There is an advancing warm front with a high temp of 61° on Wednesday. Added/replaced bait and added water and stirred the bait.

I collected the largest Lithophane moth. Almost 50% larger than any Lithophane moth I have ever collected: Lithomoia germana. It is a new species for me.

This warm up could be extremely interesting.

I encounter a striking Blue Jay this AM while pumping gas. Not only was it large, the bright blue color made the bird even more striking.

[leptraps]

The weather in North East Ohio has been cold with high temps in the mid to upper 30's and low temps in the lower 30's to the 20's. There is currently an inch or two of snow on the ground. I checked my Bait Traps on Sunday after church. Each trap had several moths, nothing worth mentioning.

Today, Tuesday I traveled to Wooster, Ohio to attend a funeral. I stopped at a Speed-Way for Gas in Burbank. As I walked into the store to drain the dragon, I scanned the Walls and Windows for moths. I noticed a brownish moth in the upper corner of the window molding. I promptly got my tweezers and killing jar. I needed a plastic milk crate to reach it. I caught it in my tweezer and then into the jar.

After returning home I spread the moth. It took me a while to stick a name on it. Homoglaea hircina. That is a first for me.

I managed to get the attention of the store manager who came to check me out. I showed him the moth I collected. He told me to come in the summer if I wanted moths and Beetles, the store lights attract them by the millions.

I walked around the store and in back of the store was a large wooded area and some old fields to the Southeast. I made a note in my log book. It is a rural location. I may set a Bait Trap in the woods.

[gaspipe]

You are a moth addict. They are not even safe in a bathroom during the winter !

[leptraps]

Now Wait a minute. Do you know how little we know about moths and the few people who actively collect/study them. We know so little about moths. Granted, we know a great deal about Saturnidae and Sphingidae. And there is some interest in Heliothinae. But in all the remaining families, very little.

I have the advantage of traps. I collected tens of thousands of moths each year and I am always finding something new that I have never encountered before.

And I assume many of you read my reports of my collecting activities. I am no expert, not by a long shot. But I definitely like to get among them.

Or would you rather I keep the reports of my activities off Insectnet.