Summer Hiatus

Hey, where did all the moths go?

Seriously, this week I have averaged about a half dozen moths all week and it's the same few; a Dimorphic Gray, a couple Olive-sided Bird-Dropping moths, a couple Exposed Bird-Dropping moths and a few other micro moths I haven't been able to identify.

So, I am taking a break from the blog until things pick back up.  As for the scheduled Moth Night for National Moth Week, unless July turns out to be more promising than June has been it will just be a private event; I don't see any reason for people to come out to look at six little moths.  Check back in early July and see if anything has changed.

Here are a few parting shots.... not of moths, unfortunately.
 

 Tachypompilus ferrugineus - Superficially similar to the common Red Wasp (Polistes carolina), this solitary wasp hunts spiders.

Differential Grasshopper nymph (Melanoplus differentialis) This grasshopper with its herringbone legs is abundant in our fields right now.  The undeveloped wings show that this grasshopper is not yet full grown.

 Eastern Amberwing female (Perithemis tenera) I have seen these quite frequently down around the pond but the female threw me with the dark wing patches.

Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina)

Week 22: The One that Got Away

 The Almost Moth of the Week
When I got to school the other morning I spotted a fairly large Catocala moth sitting on the wall under one of the security lights.  In the midst of another slow week I was glad to see this moth and headed in to grab a specimen jar.  However, before I could get to the door a scrawny little Chipping Sparrow jumped up out of the grass by the wall, grabbed my Catocala moth and took off.

A few luckier moths that I caught before the birds did.

Beloved Emarginea - Emarginea percara (#9718)
Forewing: 8mm
Also reported in Zone 3

Painted Lichen - Hypoprepia fucosa (#8090)
Forewing: 15mm
Also reported in Zones 3,5

Notch-winged Wave - Idaea furciferata (#7108)
Forewing: 7mm
Also reported in Zones 1,3,4

Once Again, Not a Moth
One of my co-workers brought me this one this week and it is too cool not to share.

Eastern Hercules Beetle - Dynastes tityus

Week 21: Summer Slump

Things have been really slow this week just a few moth of note this week.

Magdalen Underwing - Catocala illecta (#8840)
Forewing: 30mm
Also reported in Zone 5

 

Washed-out Zale - Zale metatoides (#8707)
Forewing:  21mm
This species has a partial ST line and a grayish band at the basal end of the wing as best as I could tell from the information available.

Tobacco Budworm Moth - Heliothis virescens (#11071)
Forewing:  14mm
Also reported in Zones 3,5
This species is distinguished from the similar H. subflexa where the ST line runs to the apex of the wing.

While the moths have been slow this week I have had some very interesting beetles at the lights this week.  The first one looked like a cricket but was patterned like a wasp.  With a little bit of research I have identified it as a Longhorn Beetle in the genus Neoclytus.

N. mucronatus

Another Longhorn Beetle that visited the lights this week, while colorful, can be a vector for Dutch Elm Disease.

 

Elm Borer - Saperda tridentata

Week 20: Common Buttonbush

I first became acquainted with the Common Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) when I began photographing butterflies.  I remember my first 4th of July Butterfly Count sitting on the edge of the lake at Daingerfield State Park and watching the procession of butterflies that would visit those funny spherical flowers.  So when we moved to our current house I was ecstatic to find two nice large buttonbush trees by the pond.

This week I noticed that they have started blooming and are attracting a wonderful variety of butterflies.

Spicebrush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) with its missing orange spot.

Horace's Duskywing (Erynnis horatius)

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) 

Knowing how much butterflies liked the nectar I figured moths would to; so I set out on a night visit to the pond and was not disappointed.

The most common moth by far was this drab little Pyralid that I have not been able to identify yet.

Maple Looper Moth - Parallelia bistriaris (#8727)
Forewing: 18mm

Little Nymph Underwing - Catocala micronympha (#8876)
Forewing: 22mm
Also reported in Zones 3,5

Week 19: Underwings

Moth of the Week: Catocala Underwings
An incredibly striking family with rather drab forewings and boldly marked hindwings.  There are more than a hundred Underwings in the US but only about 30 are likely in East Texas.

Ilia Underwing

Clinton's Underwing

Precious "Texarkana" Underwing

 

Connubial Underwing

Connubial Underwing

(Note the brown ST band)

 Ultronia Underwing

Using information available on BugGuide and MPG I have compiled a quick reference of the most likely Underwings in East Texas based on size, season and hindwing color.

Hodges	Name	Forewing	Season	Hindwing Color
8770	The Betrothed	25-35mm	June-September	Orange
8771	The Penitent	35-45mm	July-November	Orange
8772	Consort Underwing	25-30mm	January-July	Orange
8773	Epione Underwing	20-25mm	June-August	Black
8774	Little Wife Underwing	25-35mm	May-July	Red
8786	Sappho Underwing	30-35mm	May-July	Black
8787	Aggripina Underwing	35mm	May-July	Black
8792	Widow Underwing	35-45mm	July-October	Black
8793	Sad Underwing	40-50mm	April-November	Black
8794	Tearful Underwing	30-40mm	July-October	Black
8795	Oldwife Underwing	30-35mm	June-October	Red
8798	The Bride	35-40mm	June-September	Red
8801	Ilia Underwing	30-40mm	June-September	Red
8801.1	Catocala umbrosa	20mm	April-August	Red
8832.1	Carissima Underwing	35-45mm	July-October	Red
8834	The Sweetheart	35-45mm	July-September	Red
8835	Delilah Underwing	25mm	May-September	Orange
8840	Catocala illecta	30mm	May-July	Yellow-orange
8842	Married Underwing	20-25mm	June-September	Yellow
8849	Gloomy Underwing	20-25mm	May-August	Black
8850	Herodias Underwing	25-30mm	June-August	Red
8851	Scarlet Underwing	20mm	May-August	Red
8857	Ultronia Underwing	20-30mm	April-September	Red
8859	Precious "Texarkana" Underwing	20-25mm	May-June	Orange
8863	Wonderful Underwing	20-25mm	July-August	Orange
8864	Woody Underwing	20-25mm	June-August	Orange
8869	Alabama Underwing	35mm	May-August	Orange
8872	Clinton's Underwing	20-25mm	May-July	Orange
8873	Similar Underwing	20mm	May-July	Orange
8874	Little Underwing (minuta)	20mm	May-September	Orange
8876	Little Underwing (Micronympha)	15-20mm	May-September	Orange
8877	Connubial Underwing	15-20mm	May-August	Orange
8878	Girlfriend Underwing	15-20mm	May-August	Orange
8878.1	Little Lined Underwing	15-20mm	July-August	Orange

Week 18: A Weekend in Nacogdoches

This past weekend we spent a few wonderful days at Stag Leap Country Inn just outside of Nacogdoches.  This Bed and Breakfast is unlike any that I have been to before; instead of a single house there are several cabins spread out over 200 acres.  The land is covered in rich mixed forest making it a wonderful place for hiking, birding [Stag Leap is part of the Prairie and Pineywoods Birding Trail PPW-E 011] or, yes, even mothing.  Our cabin had two nice porch lights that attracted quite a few interesting moths.

Io Moth - Automeris io (#7746)
Forewing: 35mm
Also reported in Zones 3,4,5,6
Caution: Caterpillars of the Io Moth can sting (Read more at eXtension)
A closely related species A. louisiana occurs on the Upper Texas Coast but lacks markings on the forewings.

Tulip-tree Beauty - Epimecis hortaria (#6599)
While the markings on this moth can vary widely, the strongly scalloped hind wings are a key characteristic.

 Forewing: 28mm

 Forewing: 25mm

Giant Leopard Moth - Hypercompe scribonia (#8146)
Forewing: 35mm
Also reported in Zones 3,4,5,6

This is perhaps the most readily identified moth after Luna Moth. On some individuals the spots are filled but they can still be distinguished from the Wood Leopard Moth (Zeuzera pyrina) by the white on the legs.

Ultronia Underwing - Catocala ultronia (#8857)
Forewing: 28mm

Unlike most underwings the forewing pattern of C. ultronia runs from the base to the tip of the wing instead of across the back.

One more unusual Moth (from Rusk County)
Trumpet Vine Moth - Clydonopteron sacculana  (#5563)
Forewing: 10mm

Moth Poetry
In school this week my son had to write a poem about something that flies.  He said everyone else was doing birds and airplanes and he wanted to be different.  So he wrote a poem about moths.

flying in the dark

finding the light

landing by the light

waiting for the next night

Week 17: Zales

Moth of the Week: Zales

On Tuesday night the Zales made a flight; when I stepped out to check the porchlight I was bombarded by them.  By Wednesday morning I counted  more than 40 of these large moths hanging around our porchlight: on the walls, on the steps, even in the trashcans.  The Zales are a large and rather challenging group of moths due to the extreme variation of the colors and patterns. 

The Lunate Zale (Zale lunata) is the largest and most common Zale species in our area.  Z. lunata is generally dark overall with heavy barring across the back.

Forewing: 24mm



This specimen shows large clean patches on the forewing.  I believe the is Z. lunata but am not ruling out Colorful Zale (Zale minerea) due to my lack of experience with this species.  There are approximately 14 species of Zale possible in East Texas and there is a lot of overlap in pattern and coloring between them.

Forewing: 18mm

This individual stood out from the rest due to its smaller size overall and the extensive white in the wings.  I have tentatively labeled this specimen as Double-banded Zale (Zale calycanthata) but am waiting on confirmation.

Other Moths This Week:

Melsheimer's Sack-bearer Moth - Cicinnus melsheimeri (#7662)

Forewing: 20mm

White-lined Sphinx - Hyles lineata (#7894)
Forewing: 33mm
Also reported in Zones 1,2,3,4,5,6

Indomitable Melipotis - Melipotis indomita (#8600)
Forewing: 24mm
Also reported in Zones 1,3,4,5,6

This is the most common and wide spread Melipotis moth in the state.

Not a Moth (but still relevant)
One of my fellow teachers brought me the big hairy fly and asked if it was dangerous.  I haven't studied flies much (at all), but figured I'd give it a shot.  In a relatively short time I was able to narrow it down to Archytas sp. a family of flies common in fields and pastures across most of North America.  The larva of these flies are parasitoids of caterpillars.  They will lay eggs on the caterpillar and while the caterpillar is in the cocoon the fly larva will feed on the caterpillar and when the cocoon finally opens, surprise it's a fly.



Week 16: Tent Caterpillars

Moths of the Week

Eastern Tent Caterpillar - Malacosoma americanum (#7701)
Forewing: male 13mm

In early spring the silky white tents of the Eastern Tent Caterpillar are a common sight in trees across much of East Texas.  Along with those tents are limbs that have been stripped clean by the ravenous caterpillars.

 

As the spring progresses the caterpillars come down out of their trees and begin looking for a place to build a cocoon.  During this time it seems that these blue and green caterpillars can be found just about everywhere.

In early to mid-April the adults eclose.  Some mornings I have had a dozen sitting on the wall by the porch lights.  The males are smaller and more gray in color; the females are a brighter brown and considerably larger.

Forest Tent Caterpillar - Malacosoma disstria (#7698)
Forewing: 11mm
A close cousin to M. americanum, this moth is less common than its larger cousin in East Texas.  The Forest Tent Caterpillar is easily distinguished by its smaller size and dark AM and PM lines instead of pale.  They also showed up a little later I found my first Eastern Tent on April 10th while Forest tent did not show up until the 18th.

The Forest Tent Caterpillar does not actually build a "tent" but instead builds a silky mat where the caterpillars gather.
  

Other Moths This Week

Spiny Oak-Slug Moth - Euclea delphinii (#4697)
Forewing: 12mm
Also reported in Zones 3,6

Four-spotted Palpita - Palpita quadristigmalis (#5218)
Forewing: 16mm
Also reported in Zones 1,3,4,5,6

Clinton's Underwing - Catocala clintonii (#8872)
Forewing: 20mm
Also reported in Zone 5

Week 15: Curve-lined Owlet

Moths for the Week

Curve-lined Owlet - Phyprosopus callitrichoides (#8525)

Forewing: 16mm

Also reported in Zone 3

While this uncommon moth may have a distinctively bulbous forehead, its caterpillar is truly other-worldly.  Check it out on Bugguide.net.

Boxwood Leaftier - Galasa nigrinodis (#5552)
Forewing: 8mm
Also reported in Zone 3, 6
These funny little moths are one of my favorites.  Like somthing out of Alice in Wonderland, they look like a tiny coffee table with eyes and a nose.

Sooty-winged Chalcoela - Chalcoela iphitalis (#4895)

Forewing: 10mm

Also recorded in Zones 3,4,5

I've gotten pretty good at identifying moths down to family by sight.  But even when I recognize a moth I find putting a name to it can be an arduous task.  Thank goodness for Browse By Family on MPG.

  

Scoop Net

So far I have focused my attention on nocturnal moths which are relatively easy to catch.  I simply wait at the porchlight or blacklight and when a moth stops for a moment I collect it in a specimen jar.  However, I hope to catch some day-flying moths, specifically I want a Snowberry Clearwing.  To this end I made myself a simple scoop net.   I formed a frame by twisting two coat hangers together.  Add a little duct tape around a branch, a large pillowcase, and a handful of binder clips; now I have a crude but effective scoop net.  Out of pocket expense:  27 cents for the pillowcase at the local Hospice shop.

It may not be the fanciest net, but I have already caught a few butterflies to photograph.

 American Snout

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