fur-cu-la (plural- fur·cu·lae)

Modest Furcula Moth(Furcula modesta)

Furcula (New Latin): : a forked process or part: as a : wishbone b : the forked leaping appendage arising from the fourth abdominal segment of a springtail

I’ve been visiting my moth sheets on a regular basis this summer and have been very lax about keeping up with this blog. I tend to wait until winter season before I edit and identify many of my photos, simply because I’d much rather be outdoors this time of year. But what a great moth season we’ve had thus far! I’ve encountered many new (to me) species and the time spent mothing is absolutely priceless.

It’s easy to see where the furcula species garner their common names. They have a stout ‘forked’ upper wing that appears even more so due to the way the moths hold their wings close to their body while at rest. My friend and fellow moth-er Allen Chartier also shared this most amazing image of a Gray Furcula larva, that shows it’s forked terminal appendages well (how cool is this!?). Thanks Allen, I learned something new today :)

They’re quite a handsome genus and I was quite happy to replace some of my older photos of these species with newer images. (Not necessarily better, since my macro lens is totally messed up and isn’t functioning well in low light)

Gray Furcula Moth(Furcula Furcula cinerea)

Modest Furcula: No mention in Covells- From bugguide.net: Food- larvae feed on leaves of birch, cherry, poplar, willow
Range: adults fly from April to October in the south; May to August in the north
Gray Furcula: Food: Aspens, birches, poplars and willows
Range: Common throughout our area; April-Sept.
(C. Covell Jr, Moths of Eastern North America)

Gold Dust

Topiary Grass-veneer Moth (Chrysoteuchia topiaria)

The sorcerers of the Yaqui Indians of Mexico refer to the moth as a symbol of knowledge. In the book Tales of Power by Carlos Castaneda, the moth is such a central figure it is included as the major character on the cover of the book. It is revealed by Don Juan, a Yaqui sorcerer, “knowledge is a moth.” He expresses metaphorically that “the moths are the heralds, or better yet, the guardians of eternity,” for some reason, or for no reason at all, they are the depositories of the gold dust of eternity. He continues, “the moths carry a dust on their wings, a dark gold dust. That dust is the dust of knowledge.” “Knowledge comes floating like specks of gold dust, the same dust that covers the wings of moths.” “The moths have been the intimate friends and helpers of sorcerers from time immemorial.” Don Juan adds, “Moths are the givers of knowledge and the friends and helpers”

(Lepidoptera Symbols Relating to Wings and The Body, Ronald A. Gagliardi)

Old Friends and Unexpected Visitors

The moths have been flying here for some time now, and I’m determined to hang the moth sheets as often as I can this season. Mothing is in my blood, and my ongoing health issues have made what used to be quite a relaxing and enjoyable past-time more than a bit complicated and tedious; but I have always embraced a challenge. Identifying moths is a challenge in and of itself, so the extra work it takes for me to get out to the sheets is more of an annoyance than anything.
We’ve had a very unseasonably cold spring season this year, with more than the normal amounts of rainfall, but it finally warmed up and cleared up long enough this past weekend to get outdoors. On Sunday, there were many sphinx moth species on the garage wall, and I was delighted to come across a Small Eyed Sphinx (Paonias myops) among them.

.
The following evening I hung the sheets, but not as many moths came into the lights as the previous evening. There was quite an abundance of June bugs and at one point when I sat on my walker to try to adjust my camera settings, a very large field mouse scurried around the corner of the garage and came within a foot of me, before it seemed to notice me sitting there. I’m not sure which of us was the most startled :)
Not many insects give me the heebie jeebies, and our light attracts a wide variety of them, but the large 2-3 inch Uhler’s Water Bug (Lethocerus uhleri), commonly called the Giant Water Bug certainly does.

These guys are true bugs and are aquatic. There was a time when they were called “Electric Light Bugs” because they commonly come to lights. They are also sometimes called “Toe Biters” and they can indeed pack a wallop for an unwary wader with their beak filled with painful fluids that break down their prey’s tissues (which can include small fish and tadpoles.). In any case, I won’t be wearing my flip-flops around the sheets until the season for toe biters is over ;)

One-Eyed Sphinx
Food: Birches, Hawthorns, Poplars, Prunus species, Willows.
Range: Common throughout our area; May-September
(C. Covell Jr, Moths of Eastern North America)

A Ghost of a Moth

I’d planned on making a post about this very unique moth species on Halloween.. but I had also planned on keeping this blog active over the late summer, with hopes of photographing and documenting new species at my moth sheets (that never got hung btw, due to weather conditions or health issues) Since the onset of my illness, many of my best intentions do not always materialize, so I’ve learned to just go with the flow, as it’s much less frustrating on my part.

This Silver-Spotted Ghost Moth (Sthenopis argenteomaculatus) was a very special sighting for me back in June of 03. I’d never viewed a moth quite like this one before, and it seemed to possess the combined characteristics of a silk moth and sphinx moth both. What I’d found was one of the largest of all micro moths, the only member of the Hepialidae (Ghost Moths or Swifts) that is mentioned in Covells.

The larva bore in roots of alders that are partially submerged in water. The life cycle of Sthenopis argenteomaculatus takes two years to complete. Adults are short lived and do not feed. The darting, zig-zag flight of these moths at dusk, prompted the common name ‘swifts’. Since they seldom come to lights or bait, they are quite rare in collections, but may be numerous when found in mating swarms.

The Hepialidae are avery primitive family of moths, tracing back to an early time in moth evolution. After reading how very uncommon these moths are, I felt more than a bit fortunate to have had one appear at my sheets. Fellow moth-er and friend John Himmelman, who was always so very approachable when it came to helping me with id’s the past, has also had a ghostly visitor on his own property, during the same time period that I photographed the above moth. We both posted regularly to the yahoo moth group back then, and we would often view the same moths emerging during the same time periods. Wonderfully uncanny.. and maybe even a bit spooky :)

Identification: Gray to tan FW crossed by irregular dark bands. Note silver dot near base and silver triangle beyond it. Wingpan 6.5-10cm.
Food/Larva bore in roots of partially submerged alders.
Range: N.S. to VA, west to Minn., June-August.
(C. Covell Jr, Moths of Eastern North America)

 

White-spotted Sable Moth

The white-spotted sable moth (anania funerbris glomeralis) is a quarry I’ve chased through many grassy fields over the years. Their flight patterns are very short and glimpses of them are always quite brief.  These tiny moths have very distinctive and bold patterns and they also possess a  curious habit of hiding and resting on the underside of leaves, making them very difficult to find once they land.

Although these attractive moths are quite numerous in my area, I can count the images I’ve taken of them away from the moth sheets/artificial lights on two fingers. Although many lepidopterists gather moths in live traps them place them in a refrigerator so that they may ‘pose’ them while in a torpor state for photos at a later time, that is something I’ve never personally done myself. Quite like with birds, I enjoy the chase and the chance encounters that I always find so personally satisfying while out in the field, watching their behaviors in their chosen environs instead of my own. While photographing  birds at a wetlands area downstate yesterday afternoon, several white-spotted sables were bouncing around nearby in the breeze.. tiny grass dancers that always catch my attention while they explore their emerald worlds.

The somewhat hectic days we’ve spent enjoying migrant birds are starting to wind down as many species are now nesting or already tending to their young. Since I’ve never been comfortable photographing or unnecessarily disturbing birds during this most crucial time of their life-cycles, I hope to be spending more time observing and documenting moths very soon.

Covells- no mention

(According to Munroe (1976) and Forbes (1923), the principal host plant for Anania funebris glomeralis is goldenrod. Munroe indicates an adult flight season in May and June in eastern Canada, whereas Forbes gives the flight season as June and July. Common.)

So Many Wingeds, So Little Time

Spring migration is upon us, with many migrant birds arriving daily. I have yet to hang out my moth sheets, but I did get manage to at least wash them so they’ll be nice and white once I don my mosquito netting in place of my birding hat. I hope everyone is having a productive moth season thus far and I hope to join you all in the fun very soon.

The Moth and Me #10

Seabrooke, of The Marvelous in Nature is hosting the latest edition of The Moth and Me blog carnival. A fine lineup of moth-related posts from A-Z.

I’m Slacking.. but the Moths Aren’t

Now that spring has arrived in earnest, large numbers of moths have been making a good appearance at the mercury light with many species decorating the garage walls.. the trouble is, we’ve been very busy visiting favorite areas for freshly emerged wildflowers and early migrant birds as often as we can. By the time the sun sets, I just don’t have the energy to get out and photograph moths.  Hopefully that will change after the our spring bird migration has peaked.

As with past years, most of the largest hatchings we’ve had so far has been Half-wings (Phigalia titea). Early in the morning hours, they literally cover our garage walls near the mercury light,  but it doesn’t take our local avifauna long to spot them, and moths are on the diet of many bird species.

Half-wings are one of the first geometers to emerge here each spring, and they’re a frequent visitor to the lights throughout April and most of May as well. They’ve acquired their common name via the flightless females, who have shorter wings than the males.

Food: American basswood, American elm, blueberry, hickories, maple, oaks and poplars.
Range: Throughout our area; March-April. Usually common
(C. Covell Jr, Moths of Eastern North America)

The Moth and Me #9

The latest installment of The Moth and Me is up and running at Xenogere. Jason shares a most unusual flightless moth as well as a host of moth-related submissions. Good stuff!

Green-patched Looper Moth

After one spends many hours observing and photographing moths, you reach a point where you notice a ‘new’ moth almost instantly, since many nights are repeats of the same species… and like with birders that keep life-lists, a new moth is always something very exciting for those of us who keep track of moths.

Such was the case with a beautiful Green-patched Looper Moth (Diachrysia balluca), that I found nestled on one of our oak trees one early October morning.  The colorings and markings of the moth allowed it to blend in well with the lichens on the tree bark, and I only noticed it when it moved slightly. I was totally captivated by the colors and the photos I managed to get before it took flight certainly don’t do it justice, as the day was overcast and the moth had a wonderful sheen on it’s scales when the light hit them just right. The colors would change from green to blue then to bronze as the moth moved about the tree bark- very much like a hologram.  It remains one of my most memorable moth sightings to date. (I guess I should have posted this yesterday in honor of St. Patricks Day) ;)

Green-patched Looper Moth

(No mention in Covells)
from bugguide.net:
Food: larvae feed on hops (Humulus lupulus), Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides), Wood Nettle (Laportea canadensis), and raspberry (Rubus spp.)
Range: Nova Scotia to Alberta and presumably adjacent states in United States. Adults fly from June to September. Uncommon; one of two species in this genus in North America