Road Trip

Went to Kalamazoo County looking for Catocala larvae. Season was very advanced from normal. Found only 2, neither were illecta.

Catocala illecta

Plan on road trip Wednesday to look for Catocala illecta larvae

Catocala illecta

Sometime late next week I plan on looking for this one again. Would like to rear and get some better pictures. These aren't bad, taken by my father in 1981 with an SLR Minolta film camera using a 100mm macro lens. They are 5th instar larvae.

Bear Lake Bog

Visited the Bear Lake Bog Area today where Mo and I used to run a bait trail for moths. The whole place was very over grown but the little dirt road we used to drive in on could be found, I believe we found the old trail we used to bait as well. Getting in there is a hard pull now with all the buildup, just setting out some traps would be a better way to go to sample for the species we used to find there.

The little dirt road we used to pull in on, looking north toward what used to be the enterance.

Looking south in the direction of where we used to park.

This is what had been an open dirt flat gravel area to the west.

This I believe could be the old trail Mo and I used to use. Not sure.

A Birthday Wish

Today we wish a Happy Birthday to a dear friend, Michigan’s leading Lepidopterist, and the author of Michigan Butterflies & Skippers,
Mogens C. “Mo” Nielsen.

Mo Nielsen, Happy Birthday Mo!

Bear Lake Bog Area

Tomorrow I plan on visiting the Bear Lake Bog area and see if I can find the old trail Mo and I used to bait years ago. The trail there was particularly good for such Catocala species as C. relicta, C. sordida, C. gracilis, C. amica and others. Lots of Birch trees and Blue Berry and other northern plants you would normally find farther north.

Lithophane leeae

New species of Lithophane collected in Arizona

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

With some help from Bob Kriegel I contacted a place locally that offers the wild species of Lead Plant for sale. It is my hope this year to find and rear Catocala amestris, the larvae feed on Lead Plant. With any luck I'll get Catocala whitneyi or one of several other Lead Plant feeders.

Bear Lake Bog

I am wanting to get out to the Bear Lake Bog site and check it out. I haven't been there in like forever either. Maybe this weekend if I find the energy.

Rose Lake Game Area

I went out to Rose Lake Game Area today. I haven’t collected moths in the woods of that game area in over 20 years. First I checked out the wood lot off Clark road that Mo and I use to sample extensively for Catocala and other Noctuidae at bait and black light. Found the old trail and it still looks pretty good for having been so long. A lot of areas I have been to lately have really over grown since the late 1980s.

Clark Road Wood Lot

Next stop was the area on Stoll road just east of the Biological Station and on the south side of the road. The large open area down next to the lake was still there and to my surprise didn’t look much different than back then when we ran a black light for Papaipema. It will be interesting as spring comes on to see if the Ferns are still there.

Open Area next to Rose Lake

Next on the list and the one most important to me was the Stoll road wood lot to the north of the road. Because of a change in the parking area and over growth not great access, I drove down to Peacock road and turned north stopping at the shooting range on the west side of the road hoping I could get to the wood lot from the parking area.

From the parking area there was a trail along the fence and into the woods although I wasn’t sure this was the same woods over half a mile back down Stoll road that I was trying to get to. As I continued on the foot path back into the woods for several hundred yards it dumped out onto a trail and sure enough I was in the right woods. The trails are still there and in pretty good shape, I was impressed it being 20 + years since I was last here.

I am very optimistic about these woods. This was the woods remember that Mo and I, while working a bait trail, had observed Catocala serena, for several nights in a row, ovapositing high up on the large hickory trees. I am very excited about baiting this wood lot again this year and see what happens. Mo and I had done especially well tapping trees for Underwings here too.

Trail at Stoll Road Wood Lot

Trail at Stoll Road Wood Lot

Bait Traps

Baiting has always been a great way to sample Underwing moths. Here is a photo of a standard funnel type bait trap used to sample moths.