Southern Delights...

A couple of times every summer I try to make it down to the property belonging to my good friends Mary and Peter. They live on a farm near the town of South Walsingham, not far from Long Point on Lake Erie. Is a fantastic area for moths, and wildlife in general come to that. Some great Carolinian forest nearby.

Anyway, this weekend I helped out with a moth night run by the Toronto Entemological Association. It was a nice still, warmish night with only a slither of the moon peeking through the inky blackness. Good conditions for moths. And so it was to be. It started slowly but after a while the moths started to stack up. When all was said and done we notched-up well over 250 species, a record for me. Could have been a lot more if I'd jarred a few more suspicious looking micros!

Below are a few of the highlights - I hope you like 'em...


This is a brilliant-looking micro called Adela ridingsella. I had never seen this one before so I well pleased! I like the complex pattern of gray, silver and black on the wings - just great, a little gem.


Also gem-like and also new for me was this neat little guy called Chrysoesthia lingulacella. It also has silvery bits on the wings which glint metallic in the sun.


One of our larger geometrids this is the lovely Common Lytrosis. Seemingly never numerous this moth is widely spread throughout Ontario. The lines and colours on this moth are something to behold.


An old friend - the whacky-looking Melsheimer's Sack-bearer! This tubby, ghostly-looking vision is rather uncommon so it was nice to record a couple on this visit.


Just as strange in its own was this Spotted Apatelodes. This smooth-looking dude is very acrobatic and sports some very dandy leg flanges! It appears strangely feline thinks MM...


One of the real treats down here at this time of the year is the chance to see the massive Giant Leopard Moth. This sizeable beast is very tastefully decked-out in black and white - but look closely and you can see the lovely metallic-blue lustre on the spots. The abdomen has rows of orange spots...but you only see that when you make him angry and he snarls at you!


I've always liked this one! The Straight-lined Looper Moth. Just a crazy-looking thing, "all pink and dishevelled" as the song goes. Actually, a special prize to any reader who can tell me exactly which song that line comes from...


Finally, the fresh-looking Green Marvel. This one would probably taste like an After Eight Mint if you were brave enough to give it a try...or maybe not! Never common, it is always a good one to add to the haul.

Now, lastly, in addition to the song lyric quizz noted above I am generously going to donate a special prize to the reader who comes up with the most stupid comment for one of my posts. This will be judged by me at a later stage...so get writing would ya...

I want your comments - this blog is nothing without 'em.