Listedspecies

Report from: OAP, 19 April 2008,
I am taking Dwayne Badgero and Steve Katz to the Upper Peninsula tomorrow (Sunday) to:
Place a HOBO temperature recorder in the Trout Lake bog to more precisely ascertain the DD50 values this year to compare with the stations in Sault St. Marie and in Newberry.
Investigate the Trout Lake bog on the north east edge where Kyle Johnson suspects could be a habitat site for Oeneis discoidalis.
Place fermenting fruit bait traps in select spots on the way up to be retrieved on the way back.
Survey for day flying moths before noon on Monday morning on the way back.
Stop at Mo's hut in Otsego County where Mo and Ted Herig will be, and collect moths at night on Monday, butterflies should they be encountered during the day.
Return to Oakland County on Tuesday morning.

All reports are welcome. This season will be very useful since the warm weather is late, but not between cold spells as in 2007. Reports as to ALL species first encountered in the state, Date, County, exact location by Town, Range, and Section number OR GPS, OR detailed site locations, collector name or photographer name, and photograph would be much appreciated.

So far: N. antiopa, P. comma, P. rapae have been reported (see reports below), Who will be the first to report an Azure?

The Forsythia is in full bloom in Oakland County, Norway Maple flowers are in bloom, as are the Red Maple blossoms. WHEN ANYONE SEES REDBUD IN BLOOM, PLEASE NOTIFY ME!

Report from: Denny Brooks, Midland MI, 15 Apr 2008,

I had a Mourning Cloak and Eastern Comma on 4/6 at Chippewa Nature Center, in Midland County.

They were hanging around our leaky old Maple trees.

Report from: OAP, 11 April 2008,
Pieris rapae sighted on Vinsetta Boulevard, East of Crooks Road, Royal Oak, Oakland Co. MI.

Report from: Dwayne R. Badgero, 06 April 2008,
I went out to the wood lot near my home here in Oxford and baited my usual trail around 4:30 pm.
I did it this early to allow the scent of the bait to saturate the forest.
While baiting I noticed several P. comma and N. antiopa at trees I had baited several days earlier,
so I went back out with my camera.
Michelle joined me in the evening and we set up my sheet and started checking baited trees at about 8:45 pm. Soon there were many moths at each tree. Some had as many as 50 moths feeding on the bait!
We collected until about 11:45 pm.
It is unusual at this time of year for moth activity to last this late in my experience.

Highlights at the baited trees were 565 Orthosia hibisci (no that's not a typo!), O. rubescens,
Lithophane patefacta, L. innominata, L. disposita, Pyreferra hesperidago,
and many other more common species.

At the sheet there were several Phigalia strigataria, Alsophila pometaria, Psaphida rolandi,
and 1 lone Psaphida thaxteriana.

NOTE: The 565 O. hibisci that were collected will be distributed to several other collectors
and will not be wasted.
This is the actual number that was collected but is only about one third of the number seen
of this very abundant species.

P. comma, Oxford, Oakland Co. MI, 06 April 2008.

N. antiopa, Oxford, Oakland Co. MI, 06 April 2008.

Several O. hibisci at bait.

Michelle catches some moths at the baited trees.

O. hibisci female calling.

Report from: Dwayne R. Badgero, 06 April 2008,
Michelle, Steve Katz. and I traveled south to the Morenci area in Lenawee Co. to bait trees for moths.
We also went to look at the Dukes' Skipper sight on the railroad grade off of Fay Hwy.
We saw a few P. comma and N. antiopa during the day.
At night the moths were slow to come to the bait at first but things picked up about 30 minutes
after the sun went down. Very few moths came to the sheet we had set up.
Highlights were several Lithophane signosa and Lithophane joannis, as well as many other species.
I also found what looks to me like a very small H. cecropia cocoon, which was parasitized.

World's strongest tree, seen on the trip down.

Dwayne baiting the trees.

L to R, Steve and Dwayne walking East on the rail road grade

Sunset over Bean Creek

Report from: Dwayne R. Badgero, 03 April 2008,
Steve Katz, Michelle Mckown and I, went out into the woodlot here in Oxford and baited some trees and set up my MV/UV sheet. We set up the sheet at about 7:45 pm and I had baited the trees a few hours earlier. Things started to wind down about 9:30 pm, and we packed up everything at about 10:00 pm as it started to sprinkle.
Several species of Lithophane and Eupsilia were collected at the baited trees. Most notable were L. innominata, L. patefacta, and Pyreferra hesperidago.

At the sheet, we saw several of the geometrid species Alsophila pometaria, 2 Psaphida rolandi, 1 P. styracis, and 1 Paleacrita vernata.

All tolled we counted over 100 moths.

Lithophane bethunei and Lithophane antennata at bait

Capturing Lithophane bethunei

Steve Katz and Dwayne Badgero at the sheet

Alsophila pometaria at the sheet

Report from: Brenda Dziedzic, 30 March 2008:
SEMBA Meeting: 16 April 2008
Topic: Butterfly Gardening

Report from: Stephen Ross, 29 March 2008:
At 3:22 PM today (29th) I had my first mourning cloak (Mecosta Co.). I was actually looking for it in the spot where I see my first one every year, it was a still a surprise. Air temp was about 40 degrees but there had been good solar radiation along the hillside for two days during clear skies. There was still quite a bit of snow on the ground and the nearby pond still 90% covered with ice. It is the first time I've recorded my first butterfly while I was wearing a parka. Also recorded for a first of this year was a water strider and a few striped (western) chorus frogs.

ALERT UPDATE