leptraps
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Posts: 2,397
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Post by leptraps on Feb 15, 2020 11:18:04 GMT -8
I know this is slightly early, but I managed to collect Catocala relicta. I have several Bait Traps set out in the area around Mantua Wetlands. There are several rather large stands of Aspen Trees (Populus tremuloides) and White Birch Trees (Betula papyrifera). There are Lithophane that feeds on White Birch or associate with it for camouflage protection when at rest. The two species are Lithophane baileyi and Lithophane viridipallens.
While lifting the bark of White Birch (Betula papyrifera) I found several egg masses of Catocala relicta. I took the egg masses home and they are in a cage in my back yard.
I will travel to the Grand River Wildlife Management Area on Monday as there are lots of areas of Birch (Betula papyrifera).
I have reared several species of Catocala, but not Catocala relicta. And besides, maybe I will get lucky with the Lithophane moths as well.
I also spotted several Polyphemus cocoons up high in the Aspen Trees. I will need my cocoon poles to collect the cocoons.
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Post by mothman27 on Jun 30, 2020 3:51:50 GMT -8
I have collected two Catocala so far, both at light. Yesterday I got C. minuta and today a C. crataegi.
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Post by trehopr1 on Jun 30, 2020 10:31:13 GMT -8
The Hawhthorn underwing (Catocala crataegi) is indeed a good find in my book. It is a lovely "woodsy" looking species of some variation...
I picked up just one in my area some years ago and it was a fine specimen however, a fellow collector convinced me to trade it for something else and wouldn't you know it --- I have not collected a single specimen since !
Well, at least I know it is appreciated by the owner and I can see it from time to time.
That's one thing that is nice about our hobby; you can nearly always visit old acquaintances.
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Post by mothman27 on Jun 30, 2020 10:44:22 GMT -8
Indeed a good find. I have found a few each year but I still can't locate a hawthorn tree within miles... Same goes for Catocala dulciola, even more of a gem.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2020 14:16:32 GMT -8
Illinois cats are still few in number, but did get a C. illecta the other night. When out in NE TN recently, I caught a trio of C. marmorata and my friend Eric got two. We saw 7 but the sixth one caught was in too poor a shape to keep....let it go. Maybe my July trip out there will again produce some C. crataegi along w others. We stayed out til sunup. As we took down, an A1 H. cecropia showed up. We also had a T. odorata tease us at our lights for hours until we finally caught it on the mountain top. Earlier in that same trip in SE TN, I got a nice series of fresh C. sepulcralis, a P. astylus, some L. Elaphus, and a T. odorata. Yes.....that was two Witch Moths in one trip....talk about luck. Will do some slopping here in IL this month as well as in WI come August for the Catocalas.
Ok.......now you’re not going to believe it, but I just went out sugaring for Cats.....saw a few.....it’s a bit early here for them. But.....the one moth I caught just 2 hours ago was another Witch Moth. She is not even A2.....more like C4, but, nevertheless a third such moth in seven days. I’m getting a bit freaked out abt these guys and my dumb luck. She visited the first of thirty trees I sugared and showed up just after dark way before any Cats showed up.
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Post by trehopr1 on Jun 30, 2020 14:44:16 GMT -8
Hey Tim, that looks like a nice rig that you have set up for night collecting !
Have you ever thought about doing a survey of how many different moth species that you can collect locally between may and end of September?
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Post by mothman27 on Jul 3, 2020 6:48:46 GMT -8
I was successful in getting two Catocala dulciola at the sheet yesterday morning.
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Post by trehopr1 on Jul 3, 2020 15:07:22 GMT -8
Hey Tim, can we see a photo of a clean example. I am curious what the species looks like.
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Post by bugboys3 on Jul 6, 2020 10:35:39 GMT -8
The season for Catocala is starting a bit slow in southern Wisconsin. So far only 2 C. ilia, 1 C. insolabilis, 1 C. paleogama, 1 C. ultronia and 1 C. unijuga that I thought for a while was semirelicta. I will post a picture of it when it is off the spreading board. I have, however had a lot of Asterocampa celtis and A. clyton in the trap. I am lucky to see 1 or 2 A. clyton in a summer but this year they are prolific here.
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Post by mothman27 on Jul 10, 2020 2:46:12 GMT -8
I finally got some bait in my homemade slotted pan trap and this morning it had one ultronia, grynea and dulciola. It's the first time I have collected dulciola at bait. I was playing some disc golf through an old growth hardwood forest yesterday and saw a large black-wing Catocala but I didn't have my collecting equipment with me. At the sheet today I found a worn Catocala (bottom right) which I think is mira? Do you agree?
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Post by mothman27 on Jul 10, 2020 2:49:59 GMT -8
Hey Tim, can we see a photo of a clean example. I am curious what the species looks like. From this morning: Here is my best specimen:
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2020 7:43:32 GMT -8
Last night I sugared a mere four trees in the yard to see if Cats were on the wing. Dozens of frowny brownys came in as did the following. 2 C. ultronia 4 C. minuta 1 C. unijuga, 1 C. cerogama, 1. C. junctura, and 1. C. insolabilis
Now......I’ve got plans to head out tonight and sugar the 30 trees I do at the county forest preserve some 25 miles away in another county. If last night was an indicator, I should score big time tonight. Maybe I’ll catch my first C. dulciola......uh huh.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2020 9:51:21 GMT -8
Well......it went pretty well, but those raccoons really were a pain eating up my slop. Got a few. C. nebulosa 1, C. unijuga 1, C. piatrix 1, C. ultronia 2, And C. blandula, 1. Also got some goodies at the light. 4 E. imperialis, a pair of summer form S. bilcolor, and a few others.
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Post by rayrard on Jul 15, 2020 19:06:20 GMT -8
The Catocala season is starting up in New England. I had a few C. ilia tapping trees but had C. ilia, C. epione, and C. similis at light. I've noticed that several areas down south are having good Catocala years
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Post by mothman27 on Jul 16, 2020 2:31:21 GMT -8
I went tapping for catocala in a nearby park where there's lots of locust hoping to get innubens and maybe even illecta. Last year I was there later in the year and the innubens were all worn but yesterday they were fresh and I collected six specinens of C. innubens and saw and missed only one smaller species, didn't see any illecta.
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