The very first moth...

A speck of microdust can be quite special. Hard to believe I know but when one delves deep into the murky world of microlepidoptera small can be pleasing, and smallest can be best of all. What is he blabbering on about? Well, the moth above, which is tiny I can tell you - less than 4mm long - has the distinction of being number one on the Hodges Checklist of the Lepidoptera of North America. It also has the distinction of being the very last moth in the Covell Guide to Eastern Moths. Try to work that one out!

It is of course 00001 Epimartyria auricrinella, or the Goldcap Moss-eater Moth. It is very tiny, has pointy wings and gets its name from the buffy-orange hair-scales on the top of the head. The forewing is dusky-purplish and speckled with golden scales that glitter in the light.


Another view of this impressive sprite. I don't know too much about this moth. From Covell I gleaned that the larvae feed on liverworts. In fact he states that the adult moth is best sought by sweeping a net over beds of liverworts. The adults are on the wing in May - well, that figures.

This moth was a real devil to photograph so I apologize for the poor quality of these shots. It looks dead in the top photo, but it isn't. When tipped from the jar onto the leaf it would run around in tiny circles and it took great patience on my part to obtain even these mediocre photos. And, of course, it is very tiny - true microdust...


I also caught this nice tortrix - Cydia pomonella, the Codling Moth. I catch lots of these in my garden since there is an apple tree next door, one of the larval foodplants of this species. The adults are on the wing most of the summer in two broods. It is another of those Euro imports that has taken off over here. Is common in UK.

More chunky delights...

A few more highlights, as promised. Had been a while since I'd seen this huge geometrid so it was with some relief that the single individual that graced one of the lights was in close to mint condition. This is the impressive Epimecis hortaria, or Tulip-Tree Beauty. The adults are on the wing mostly late May to July here in Ontario and the larvae feed on pawpaw, poplars, sassafras and, of course, tulip-tree. Is one of those moths that needs to be seen in life to appreciate.


Flashy tiger moths are always a crowd pleaser. This one is Apantesis nais, the Nais Tiger Moth. I'd only seen a couple before and the two we caught this night where new for the site species list. It is a medium-sized tiger that flies between late May and August. The larvae feed on a variety of grasses and low plants. As with all tigers particular attention needs to be directed to the exact pattern on the forewing - though some species are highly variable - and the color and pattern of the hindwing.


Chunky, even by prominent standards, the lovely Peridea basitriens, or Oval-based Prominent is quite a striking creature. Not colorful at all but uniquely marked. It is common in wooded areas. The adults fly mostly late May to late August in Ontario.


Speaking of uniqueness, Nerice bidentata, or Double-toothed Prominent certainly fits the bill nicely. It is always scarce for some reason and I commented to Mike that I've never seen more that one on any given night. Well, of course, we saw two this night! Anyway, is a beautiful creature that flies between May and August. The larvae feed on elms.


Finally, one of the more unusual moths of the night, the snouty Phyllodesma americana, or Lappet Moth. No description is required for this unique character though it should be said that they are somewhat variable in overall color - some being bright orange. They fly May to September in two broods and the larvae feed on a variety of trees and members of the rose family.

Just Desserts...

You may be forgiven for thinking that South Walsingham is my second home! Well, it has certainly felt that way this spring with my forth visit of the moth season a couple of days ago. This time I travelled with my friend Mike, a veteran of many such rapid assessment moth trips! The weather looked promising so spirits were high as we motored south into the steamy depths of southern Ontario.

And so it turned out to be. It felt slightly chilly and the moths were slow to arrive at the lights at first. But as the night warmed up so did the moths and we ended up with 130-140 species, very respectable for late May. There were no fantastic highlights, and the hoped-for Luna Moth failed to put in an appearance, but the species list was varied and colorful.

One of the tastiest moths of the night was the above Argyrostrotis anilis, the Short-lined Chocolate. I'd only seen it a couple of times before and this one was crispy fresh for the camera. It's a lovely shade of medium dark chocolate with the finely applied white icing! Sometimes this species can be seen in the daytime, but I've never had any luck with it this way. It is obviously fairly local and thinly spread in the province. The larvae feed on Sabatia species.


A major highlight for me was the capture of the moth above, Zale unilineata, the One-lined Zale. It had been years since I'd seen one and I only had some rather poor slides of one perched atop a rather boring lump of wood! Nice to get another chance to obtain some decent photos. Considering how much mothing I do it seems clear to me that this Zale must be pretty local and uncommon. The larvae feed on black locust. I particularly like the way the yellowish pm line on the forewing clashes with the black st line on the hindwing...


A moth I always thought I must surely be overlooking is this one, Marathyssa basalis, the Light Marathyssa. It has a similar looking cousin called, yes, you've guessed it, the Dark Marathyssa! They are both the same crazy shape when at rest but when I saw this one I knew it was different. I catch lots of Dark Marathyssa and it is nowhere near as striking as this strange beauty. This species has lots of fine white lines on the forewing and abdomen that the other species lacks. Also, and you never read about this in the books, it has these distinct flanges on either side of the abdomen, was one of the first things I noticed. The larvae of this species feed on poison ivy - well, something has to! The other feeds on staghorn sumac. BTW - you would never be able to identify either Marathyssa by looking at photos of spread specimens in books because they bear absolutely no resemblance to the illustrations when at rest in life. They roll their wings up and curl their abdomens up to the sky you see. It almost makes one think that a photo guide is in order... And no, I hadn't overlooked this species at all, I just hadn't seen it, until now.


I've always loved this moth! I mean there is just so much going on it almost makes one dizzy. Well, okay, slightly OTT but you get the idea. The hindwing, which you cannot see when the moth is at rest, is just as startling in black-and-white. Is Synedoida grandirena, the Figure-seven Moth. I've only ever caught it here. The larvae feed on witch-hazel.


This is the rather flashy noctuid Lacanobia subjuncta, the Speckled Cutworm Moth. It is pretty common and widespread but since this individual was in superbly mint condition I thought it would look nice here. Is fantastically complex-looking. The larvae feed on a wide variety of plants and can be a pest.


Some moths just look classy. This smooth devil is Cucullia florea. In UK moths in the genus Cucullia are called Sharks, a great name for these horned, long-winged creatures. There are half a dozen or so members of this genus in Ontario, they are all rather similar to one-another. This species is pretty local and I've only seen it here.


This is a wainscot - and all wainscots look pretty much the same. Well, that's not strictly true, but to the untrained eye there is not much going on in order to differentiate between them. This one is called Leucania linita, and I'm not sure what the common name is, or if it even has one - some moths don't you see, especially micros. This one can be identified by the pattern of the dusky line through the middle of the forewing being interrupted by that little white spot. It also has rather squared-off wings, but that's hard to tell without experience of the genus. There are several members of this rather homogenous genus in the province but many are local and uncommon. The larvae mostly feed on various grasses.


I was well pleased with is small noctuid, mostly because it fell into that category of moths that I hadn't seen for years and didn't have decent photos of. This is mostly because I would normally be birding at this time and miss many species that are on the wing in late May and early June. It is Ulolonche modesta, a small quaker. It is unusual in that it is mostly ashy-gray with nice sharp blackish lines and shading and that nice broken-edged reniform spot. Pretty distinctive really. It is pretty local, but is probably overlooked due to the timing of its flight period. The larval food plants are unknown.


Finally, the very orange Pyrrhia umbra, the Bordered Sallow. I've seen this lovely moth many times but this was the best and freshest individual I'd ever seen - it just glowed in the manner of a spring male Blackburnian Warbler! It is pretty widespread but always in low density. The larvae feed on a wide variety of trees, shrubs and plants.

So, another successful venture. I'll post a few more highlights next time. In the meantime I have been catching a few moths in my backyard - but mostly microdust it has to be said...

Brass Monkeys...

We were all back down to the deep south of Ontario this weekend, but boy was it frigid! Brass monkeys, as they'd say in the jolly old UK. Still, we had fun on the first afternoon hunting Morels, Morchella species. They seem to be rather common this spring and we had no trouble finding more than enough to go with dinner. Not the one above though. This is a Black Morel, though what exactly constitutes this species is taxonomically confused right now. We found just one small clump in the forest interior so we left them alone. Apparently they do taste quite good in spite of their rather distasteful appearance.


Ah, yes, this is more like it. There were two other edible types in the area, this was the more common of the two and easy to find since they were on the outside edge of the woods. Washed, sliced and fried up they are totally delicious.


A nice close-up of the "brain-like" structure of the morel.


It was a disaster for moths. I had four MV lights blazing away into the night but it was all to no avail - just too cold, with a full moon to boot. I ended up with five moths of just three species. Pitiful! However, all was saved when James found the micro moth above. We were looking at a centipede on a tree trunk when he spotted it - great eyes! I was most excited because I recognized it as being in the genus Bondia, a member of the Carposinidae. I figured it was most likely B. crescentella, but have to be cautious because there are other species for which I cannot find reference material for just now. A nice looking moth all the same.


This is the tortrix moth Phaneta radiatana. A striking and distinctive-looking moth. It is an early flying species that I have caught at a couple of other sites but not here, so I was quite pleased to add it to the ever growing site list. There are quite a few Phaneta species in Ontario but this is one of the most striking and easily identified.


This is Protorthodes oviduca, the Ruddy Quaker. Rather small and chunky this common and widespread species is best identified by the reddish-brown ground color with the contrasting pale-edged black reniform and orbicular spots. The adults are on the wing from May to September in two generations and the larvae feed on dandelion, grasses and other low plants.


Finally, the distinctive Agrotis volubilis, the Voluable Dart. Another common and widespread species that is on the wing in late spring.

I'm not going back until it warms up! However, it was well worth it for the fine company and lovely morels...

Bright and Shiny...

The above Coleophora trifolii is quite a common little moth in these parts. It is a member of a group of micros that are generally hard to identify though, thankfully, there are not too many of them in Ontario. The species closest to this one, which I also catch in the yard trap, is C. mayrella - which has thickened bases to the antennae. Both are very small, pencil slim and glossy metallic green, bronze and purple in coloration.


The night before last I caught this geometer called Ectropis crepuscularia, The Small Engrailed. Although a common moth throughout our region I rarely catch it in the yard, in fact I think this is only my second. It is rather similar to several other medium-sized "gray" geometers but can usually be told apart by the two blackish outward-pointing wedges in the mid part of the forewing, though this can be hard to see on the occasional melanics that one encounters. The larvae feed on a wide variety of trees, whilst the adults are on the wing between April and September in two or more generations.

Dull, but new - I think...

A bit chilly again last night and as a result very few moths were lured to the light. Nicest, as far as freshness goes, was the Norman's Quaker above. I've trapped lots of these this spring which is amazing because beforehand I think I'd only caught one in eight years of mothing here!


This is the dull and boring moth. Most folk would simply chuck such an uninspiring creature. However, I recognized it as something I'd not seen before and quickly jarred it. It is very small, only a few mm. long but the overall darkness seemed interesting to me. Anyway, photos revealed it to be a Gelechid called Aroga websteri. I have to be careful with the identification because not everything is illustrated on the Moth Photographers Group website that I frequently use for such identifications. But the match is good and there are very few all-dark critters like this. If I'm correct then this would be new for me and the all-important yard list...

Looperama...

Again, few moths in the trap, in fact only five - though representing five species, including three new for the yard trap for the year. The above moth is Anagrapha falcifera, the Celery Looper Moth. This is a very common species in Ontario and is the looper most likely to be seen in the daytime. One often kicks them out of the grass whilst looking for other insects. Is pretty distinctive with nothing really similar in our region. My UK readers will notice a certain resemblance to Dewick's Plusia though.


Another looper, this time Autographa precationalis, the Common Looper Moth. Another very common looper in Ontario though this one is more strictly nocturnal. It is a highly variable moth. The background color of the forewing varies from bronzy-brown to violet-gray and the metallic silver stigma can be fused (as here) or in two parts. The larvae are generalists on a wide variety of plants.


Finally we have Achatia distincta, the Distinct Quaker. Nice-looking moth, pretty common but I don't catch it every spring in the back yard. The black bar in the inner median part of the forewing is a good clue to its identity. An early-flying species it is usually over and done with by late May. The larvae feed on flowering crabapple, maples and red oak.

Otherwise there was a Diamondback Moth and a rather tatty Norman's Quaker looking distinctly worse for wear...

Microdust Leafminer...

Still quiet for moths and the only new addition to the year list was this tiny leaf miner Bucculatrix angustata.

Snouty Little Devils...

It's been pretty dire for moths of late. Mostly this has been due to the chilly and clear nights. Is always like this in the spring when good nights are very much at a premium. Last night there were four moths in the trap, and this snouty micro was amongst them. It is Thyrelia nana - a member of the Cochylidae. There are quite a few moths in this family and one feature they share is the longish, down turned snout effect. Many also have nice flared tips to the fore wings. This species is pretty common in my back yard in the springtime and this one turned up bang on time. Oh how predictable some of these moths are. Honestly, it's amazing how faithful some of them are with their flight periods.

Lets hope for better things tomorrow. Though for now we can delight in the common...

A thick slice of icing...

I was back in the steamy south of the Wilson Tract again early this week. My brother-in-law wanted to buy a few plants from my friends down there so it was a grand excuse for me to put down the paint brushes, shelve the Warbling-Finches I'm working on for the Bolivia guide and zone out a bit. The night wasn't perfect, was a bit clear and slightly chilly, but the moths were quite good. I ended up with 70-80 species, including a few I haven't sorted out yet.

I make no excuses for just showing the highlights but have tried really really hard to include a few common things, if for no other reason that they look nice! The moth above is Loxostege cereralis. It is in the Pyraustinae tribe of the Pyralidae. I kicked it out of the grass whilst chasing other day-flying moths. Just a small guy but beautifully marked with intricate black lines.I don't think I've seen this species so early in the season - usually I see them in late summer and fall. Nice, subtle pattern on this fairly common species.


Another Pyralid, and also kicked-up during the daytime along the edge of a woodland trail whilst, unsuccessfully, straining my ears listening for Cerulean Warblers. This is the attractive Diacme adipaloides, and again I usually see this one in the late summer and fall.


I attracted quite a number of geometrid moths during the hours of darkness. This is Anticlea vasiliata, the Variable Carpet. I had often wondered just why this species was called "variable" since all the ones I had seen looked pretty similar to one-another. Well, this flashy individual proved the point! I'd not seen one so ornately patterned before and was well pleased to obtain a nice series of photos.


I'm a huge fan of the prominents. But you all know this to be true from previous posts so I'll not go on about it! This crumpled-looking fellow is Clostera inclusa. All the Clostera species look similar to this. Wonderful lines and shading creating the crumpled leaf effect. Some are difficult to identify and you have to look closely at the shape of the bulge of the white pm line near the apex. This species is a little bit local and is replaced by the similar C. apicalis at some of my sites. In the UK this genus of moths are called "chocolate-tips", trust the Brits to bring chocolate into it! Good name though...


Another prominent, Gluphisia avimacula is fairly common in this early spring time slot. It usually flies just a little bit later the similar Gluphisia lintneri featured a couple of weeks ago. Likewise it is exceptionally hairy and has beautiful, though subtle, muted colors and markings. The sharply-defined buff spots on the fore wing are distinctive.


The wonderfully "bark-like" Morrisonia confusa, Confused Woodgrain. What a great moth! Just try finding one of these during the daytime - the complex pattern of fine lines and wood-like textures create great camouflage thus affording some protection from birds and the like. Whilst on one of my walks I sat and watched a Red-breasted Nuthatch go about its business for a few minutes. I observed it eek out five Gray Spring Moths from cavities in the bark of the trees it was inspecting. It was ruthless and very professional and I marveled at its ability to find the moths so easily. I played a little game with it and scanned slightly ahead of it hoping to spot a moth first - I failed!!


Some moths just don't care about camouflage - and this is one of them! The gaudy Psychomorpha epimenis or Grapevine Epimenis flies by day and can be quite common in places where grape vines - the larval host - are abundant. In Ontario it is restricted to the south but can be seen as far north as Toronto. They are easy to spot with their slow fluttery flight, visiting flowers or supping at puddles. It is, however, a tough critter to photograph. Anything that is black-and-white and so contrasting is difficult, but this one has metallic blue highlights just to compound matters. One has to bracket the exposures quite wildly. I failed to capture the essence of this one, unfortunately...


Another black-and-white day-flying beauty is Alypia octomaculata, the Eight-spotted Forester. I spotted this one sitting on the wall of one of the barns whilst we were picking out shrubs to buy. I rushed back for the net and luckily it was still there basking in the lovely sunlight. It's a beautiful and distinctive species, though it does have a few look-alike cousins. Gotta love those dayglow orange thighs - and it's not every day ones says that!


One moth that I never catch very often is this one, Crambodes talidiformis, the Verbina Moth. Is only small and has a distinctive resting posture with the wings tightly, almost rolled, closed. When fresh, like this one, the pattern of fine blackish lines is very eye-catching.


Another moth that appears thinly spread is this spotty devil, Platysenta vecors, or Dusky Groundling. I've caught it in a few places in southern Ontario but it seems nowhere common. The bold black claviform spot is a good feature but the whole mottled aspect is pretty unique. Nice moth this one.


So, I've saved the best two until last! I've long wanted to see this moth, Phoberia atomaris, the Common Oak Moth. As the name suggests the larval food plants are oaks but the moth seems very local and I had never encountered it before. It has a mostly southern distribution in Ontario and flies early in the season. I found it sitting on top of one of the traps, recognized what it was and quickly jarred it!


The best moth of the night was probably this rather modest micro, Acrolepipsis incertella. When blown-up on the computer screen it is actually rather attractive with the sharp white markings on the pleasant warm brown fore wing. It is very local in Ontario with only one other known site, on the Niagara peninsula. The larvae feed on catbrier.

So there you have it, another action-packed mothing adventure resulting in some interesting records and a few nice photos. maybe I'll find a use for some of them...

The thin edge of the Wedge...

There really hasn't been much happening of late. Cool, blustery nights with rain has put an end to any meaningful mothing. So it is with some element of desperation that I present the above moth Galgula partita, The Wedgling. Is a common moth but since it is a year tick here it is! This is a sexually dimorphic species, this being the male. The females are dark maroon and are quite attractive, but one never catches many of those. The larvae feed on wood-sorrels.

Otherwise, the only other moth in the trap was an Ipsilon Dart, though there was an Armyworm Moth fluttering around the porch light last night. It can only get better folks!!