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Post by trehopr1 on Jul 23, 2021 12:16:28 GMT -8
Sometimes, there is just no figuring where all the insects have gone on what should be a good night to collect them.
It seems at times as though a "Houdini" (disappearance) act is in play and the joke is on the collector.
Two nights ago I put out my 175 Watt mercury vapor light bulb in the backyard after work and it was only 69° out yet in an hour and a half I managed to pick up three species of Catocala and a few other assorted smaller moths. Hey, not bad for a suburban setting !
However, last night (the next night) I came home turned on the light and there was high humidity thick in the air and I readied myself for what could be an onslaught of potential specimens. Wouldn't you know it with 2 hours of the light burning all I managed to attract were Caddisflies and one lone curious cerambycid.
I tell you they pulled a Houdini on me !!
This is certainly not the first time I've had this happen but, it certainly is a puzzler when it does happen.
If any of you have any other interesting stories to tell of bewilderment in collecting; then I and others would certainly like to read them...
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Post by exoticimports on Jul 23, 2021 12:31:24 GMT -8
Desperately waiting for an answer. Last night got nothing of interest.
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Post by nomihoudai on Jul 23, 2021 14:07:38 GMT -8
Isn't it full moon today? That's a bad time for catching moth.
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Post by yorky on Jul 23, 2021 14:16:33 GMT -8
Same with daytime collecting, that rare occasion when you get a day spare in your busy schedule and everything is perfect, habitat, weather,right time of day, you get yourself all exited about what could be in store and nothing,the square root of Jack, there is no explanation, on another day the same place could be teeming with interesting and rare taxa,the joys of collecting.
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Post by bandrow on Jul 23, 2021 17:59:32 GMT -8
Sometimes, there is just no figuring where all the insects have gone on what should be a good night to collect them. It seems at times as though a "Houdini" (disappearance) act is in play and the joke is on the collector. Two nights ago I put out my 175 Watt mercury vapor light bulb in the backyard after work and it was only 69° out yet in an hour and a half I managed to pick up three species of Catocala and a few other assorted smaller moths. Hey, not bad for a suburban setting ! However, last night (the next night) I came home turned on the light and there was high humidity thick in the air and I readied myself for what could be an onslaught of potential specimens. Wouldn't you know it with 2 hours of the light burning all I managed to attract were Caddisflies and one lone curious cerambycid. I tell you they pulled a Houdini on me !! This is certainly not the first time I've had this happen but, it certainly is a puzzler when it does happen. If any of you have any other interesting stories to tell of bewilderment in collecting; then I and others would certainly like to read them... Hi trehopr1, Post a pic of that "curious cerambycid" and I'll try to provide you a name. I love cerambycids - especially curious ones!! Cheers! Bandrow |
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Post by kevinkk on Jul 23, 2021 18:40:48 GMT -8
The moon was beautiful last night. I went out butterfly hunting a couple days ago, and only saw a few things flying, and always too far
away, or as I was driving and you just can't stop in the middle of the road safely.
I'm going hunting for Speyeria next week, hopefully for cybele leto, it'll be an interesting day trip at least. I have a spot in mind where they've
been captured before.
Sometimes it's just a wash and you come home with little or nothing.
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Post by yorky on Jul 24, 2021 3:07:46 GMT -8
I think that luck is underestimated in collecting. You can maximise your chances but nature is fickle and you have to recognise that patience is sometimes required, for years maybe, to aquire a long sought after and desirable species. I supposedly live in the "hotbed" for satyrium w album but after a decade of searching suitable habitat I had found but a handful. Then 3 years ago I found "the spot" where they occurred in huge numbers.
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Post by trehopr1 on Jul 24, 2021 13:55:08 GMT -8
You know, when I think about it I really think I have been a "happenstance" collector all my life.
I truly enjoy getting out in the field with net in hand and a bag of bottles.
For me it is a combination of personal adventure, solitude, focus, and a general like of the outdoors during our summer season. Of course, there's always the "thrill" associated with the hunt.
So as a hobbyist I'm very average at being a collector. I have met others who are surely on another level of collecting (i.e. those who have come to know plant species, others who seek out rare-ish species which require distant driving and proper timing etc.).
Yet, everyday I can get out in the field is still fun; even the days I may find little or nothing.
Every now and again I run across something I regard as special and perhaps this is because it is an especially nice example or is out of the "norm" of my field experiences.
So in closing, I suppose my best personal finds have always been through my manner of "happenstance" collecting and I am generally quite happy with this as my means...
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Post by yorky on Jul 25, 2021 2:47:17 GMT -8
You know, when I think about it I really think I have been a "happenstance" collector all my life. I truly enjoy getting out in the field with net in hand and a bag of bottles. For me is a combination of personal adventure, solitude, focus, and a general like of the outdoors during our summer season. Of course, there's always the "thrill" associated with the hunt. So as a hobbyist I'm very average at being a collector. I have met others who are surely on another level of collecting (i.e. those who have come to know plant species, others who seek out rare-ish species which require distant driving and proper timing etc.). Yet, everyday I can get out in the field is still fun; even the days I may find little or nothing. Every now and again I run across something I regard as special and perhaps this is because it is an especially nice example or is out of the "norm" of my field experiences. So in closing, I suppose my best personal finds have always been through my manner of "happenstance" collecting and I am generally quite happy with this as my means... I think most if not all collectors when they gain experience can look at a particular habitat and instinctively know that they have a pretty good idea of what they will find, it just looks right, I can't explain it, it's just another sense that you pick up after years of being in the field. That being said I still stick by my previous statement that luck plays a large part. One example is stumbling across an abberation, you could work the same area for years and not see one, and then you just happen to be in the right place at the right time, it is a wonderful feeling. It's probably happened to me a couple of dozen times in almost 50 years in the field. |
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Post by trehopr1 on Jul 25, 2021 11:44:00 GMT -8
I have to say that it seems as though Britain has been graced with an extraordinary
number of butterfly abbs. which seem to appear (time and again) in a few select species.
Thru my personal observations such species as Inachis io, Aglais urticae, Polyommatus coridon,
certain assorted fritillary species; all seem to have a certain prevalence for genetic or
weather/temperature related anomalies within their populations.
There seems to be "some measure" of wild captures made of these (seemingly) every season !
Over here, across the pond aberrations across at least (most) of our Eastern N.A. species
are a truly rare and surprising occurrence.
Our Papilio glaucus is probably the ONE most obvious and "shining example" where abbs.
can be seen with the greatest frequency above all else. Our Red- spotted Purple butterfly
(Limenitis arthemis astyanax) runs a close 2nd for aberrations !
Yes, every now and again (as has been posted here); somebody will manage a heavily melanic
fritillary species or an off/odd colored Colias (some melanic) etc... However, abbs. of just
about everything else here are just plain rare as "wild captures" or sightings.
In all my many years of field work I'm certain (at best) I've only picked up maybe 2-3 odd
looking Colias and nothing else !!
Still have yet to find an odd P. glaucus or L. astyanax !
So, you fella's over there are pretty darn fortunate to have all the variety that you do.
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Post by yorky on Jul 25, 2021 13:55:24 GMT -8
Here are a couple of abberations that I took while out dog walking, firstly an amazing underside L phlaeas in a field local to me. Attachments:
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Post by yorky on Jul 25, 2021 13:59:28 GMT -8
The eyeless form of the ringlet butterfly A hyperantus ab arete from the very same small field. Attachments:
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Post by trehopr1 on Jul 25, 2021 15:11:52 GMT -8
Thank you very much Yorky for sharing those extraordinary captures with us.
In my last post, I meant to ask you if you could show us some of your self-caught aberrations however, that thought slipped my mind as I was lamenting about our lack of aberrations here.
Thanks for sharing and when or if you have time to show any others I would certainly like to see them.
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