Welcome to Lepidoptera Alert.
Welcome to Lepidoptera Alert. This is a new year. There are many
interesting and valuable reports under the sections of previous years. Take the time to
view and enjoy them by selecting a year, and then a month from the
selection above. This will be the end of the January reports. Go to
February 2008 starting February 1.
Report from: Kyle E. Johnson, 25 January 2008:
[with photos and comments to supplement, by Dwayne R. Badgero & OAP]
Field
Update from Kyle Johnson (January 14-22)
Here are some
pics from the past couple of weeks to show that winter is no excuse to not
get out and look for bugs.
Wingless Winter Crane Fly (Chionea sp.)
looks off into the abyss of my footprint in the snow
(January 14, 2008 at the Trout Lake Bog complex, Chippewa Co, Michigan)
photo by Kyle Johnson © 2008
Wilwin Truck Trail covered in snow (January 14, 2008 at the Trout Lake Bog
complex,
Chippewa Co, Michigan)
photo by Kyle Johnson © 2008
Trout Lake Bog covered in snow (January 14, 2008, Chippewa Co, Michigan)
photo by Kyle Johnson © 2008
Cozy place to spend the night! Not
pleasant to have a logging truck wake you up |
at 5:00am though...I wonder which one of us was more surprised!
(January 15, 2008, near Loon Lake in Presque Isle Co, Michigan)
photo by Kyle Johnson © 2008
Heavily timbered section of the Loon Lake Bog.
This area should most certainly harbor Oeneis
jutta,
which would be a first for the Lower Peninsula (January 15, 2008, Presque
Isle Co, Michigan)
photo by Kyle Johnson © 2008
Open section of the Loon Lake Bog. This
area should harbor Boloria eunomia,
among others.
Boloria freija would even
be worth a shot here (January 15, 2008, Presque Isle Co, Michigan)
photo by Kyle Johnson © 2008
View of standing dead white pine where I found several gracillariids of
the genus
Phyllonorycter inside (January 15, 2008, Presque Isle Co, Michigan)
photo by Kyle Johnson © 2008
Depressariodes ciniflonella (Oecophoridae)
found under bark of standing dead maple
at Perry Lake (January 15, 2008, Oscoda Co, Michigan)
photo by Kyle Johnson © 2008
View of Perry Lake area (January 15, 2008, Oscoda Co, Michigan)
photo by Kyle Johnson © 2008
[Note from OAP: I have interjected some thoughts and
photos I took and also some that Dwayne R. Badgero took during the period
of time Kyle, Dwayne, and I sent to The Ohio Lepidopterists meeting in
Columbus, Ohio, and nearby, and on our trip back to Royal Oak via HELL
frozen over!
On Tuesday night, January 15, Kyle arrive at our home
in Royal Oak where we provided WARM sleeping accommodations, meals, and
lepidoptera assessments. On Friday morning, Dwayne arrived from Oxford to
travel with us to Ohio where we stayed at the Red Roof Inn in Columbus at
the Ohio State University site.
Bob Kriegel was driving in the company of Mo Nielsen and Ted Herig and
arrived shortly after our arrival. George Balogh came later that evening
when we met at Dave Parshall's open house.
L to R: Jim Davidson, Bob Kriegel at the open house. Jim is the
photographer that took a photo of
the Early Hairstreak (Erora laetus) that appears in Mo's book: Michigan
Butterflies and Skippers, 1999.
photograph by Owen
A. Perkins © 2008
Donald C. Iftner, took vouchers in 1983 through 1987 of the Mitchell's
Satyr
and Powesheik Skipperling (Jackson county), and the Ottoe Skipper and
Karner Blue (Allegan county) prior to being listed as
Threatened/Endangered.
Donald is a co-author of: Butterflies and Skippers of Ohio by David
C. Iftner, John A. Shuey, and John V. Calhoun 1992.
photograph by Owen
A. Perkins © 2008
L to R: Kyle E. Johnson, John Peacock, Ted Herig, and Dwayne Badgero.
photograph by Owen
A. Perkins © 2008
George J. Balogh, co-author of REVIEW
OF THE NORTH AMERICAN GRAY PYLA GROTE (LEPIDOPTERA: PYRALIDAE:
PHYCITINAE) WITH DESCRIPTION
OF A NEW SPECIES FROM WESTERN UNITED STATES by
John H. Wilterding III and George J. Balogh,
from the Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington to name
one of his
lepidoptera accomplishments among many!
photograph by Owen
A. Perkins © 2008
L to R: James Adams, University of Kentucky, speaker at the meeting, and
Mo Nielsen,
high touted avocation lepidopterist, especially of Michigan species!
photograph by Owen
A. Perkins © 2008
L to R: Dr. Jeffrey C. Miller, Professor of Insect Ecology and
Biodiversity, Department of Rangeland Ecology and Management at Oregon
State University in Corvallis, Oregon, featured speaker,
and David C. Parshall, president of The Ohio Lepidopterist.
photograph by Owen
A. Perkins © 2008
L to R: Dwayne R. Badgero, James Adams, and Mo Nielsen in the Ohio State
University
Zoology Museum.
photograph
by Dwayne R. Badgero (camera) © 2008
A gathering of "collectors" at John Peacock's home.
photograph
by Dwayne R. Badgero camera © 2008
Dwayne R. Badgero views some Catocula species in John Peacock's fabulous
collection.
photograph by Owen
A. Perkins © 2008
Following the meeting and the gracious invitation by John Peacock
to his collection, Kyle, Dwayne and I
headed north to Hell, Michigan. When we stopped at a rest area in Wyandot
County, Ohio,
it was noticed that on a Ohio Buckeye tree and many trees in the vicinity
there were numerous
(large numbers) of bagworm moth
cocoons (Psychidae) hanging.
Dwayne Badgero standing by Ohio Buckeye tree where we found many
bagworm moth cocoons (Psychidae) hanging.
Dwayne appears terrified of them!
(January 20, 2008, Wyandot Co, Ohio)
photo by Kyle Johnson © 2008
Ohio Buckeye tree twig with bagworm
moth cocoon (Psychidae) waiting to emerge.
photograph
by Owen A. Perkins © 2008
The three of us arrived in HELL and the country store in HELL
frozen over!
L to R: Kyle and
Dwayne.
photograph
by Owen A. Perkins © 2008
L to R: Kyle and Dwayne.
photograph
by Owen A. Perkins © 2008
Woods in Hell, Michigan where Kyle and Dwayne began their search for
overwintering adult moths.
photograph by Owen
A. Perkins © 2008
Hell, Michigan where Hell Creek flows.
photograph
by Owen A. Perkins © 2008
We arrived back in Royal Oak after dark and Dwayne headed to his Oxford
home.
On Monday morning, Kyle said his "goodbyes" and headed to Oxford
to meet up with Dwayne.
Back to Kyle's account.
End of Note from OAP]
Dwayne ripping
bark off of standing dead oak in the Oxford area on Tuesday morning..
We found a fair number of Phyllocnistis
(Gracillariidae),
a couple Phyllonorycter (Gracillariidae),
and Dwayne found a single Agonopterix atrodorsella (Oecophoridae)
(January 21, Oakland Co, Michigan)
photo by Kyle Johnson © 2008
Dwayne lurking in a rich fen in the Oxford area.
Several of the cattail heads had larvae
of gelechiid and cosmopterigid moths (January 21, Oakland Co, Michigan)
photo by Kyle Johnson © 2008
Kyle ripping bark in Oxford and what he found. It is very small and white,
do you see it?
A micro-lepidoptera.
photograph
by Dwayne R. Badgero © 2008
My second time going to Hell! Much
nicer this day...the previous trip was cold as Hell,
and my fingers & toes went numb.
Maybe Dwayne or Owen will have pics from that visit.
(January 22, Pinckney just north of Hell in Livingston Co, Michigan)
photo by Kyle Johnson © 2008
Hypena scabra under bark
of standing dead white pine in Hell (frozen over).
This is the first live noctuid I’ve found hibernating under bark
(January 22, Livingston Co, Michigan)
photo by Kyle Johnson © 2008
Tiny gracillariid of the genus Phyllocnistis
under bark of standing dead white pine
in Hell (frozen over) (January 22, Livingston Co, Michigan)
photo by Kyle Johnson © 2008
View of Hell frozen over (January 22, Livingston Co, Michigan)
photo by Kyle Johnson © 2008
Another view of Hell frozen over (January 22, Livingston Co, Michigan)
photo by Kyle Johnson © 2008
Here is the first report for 2008 from Kyle E. Johnson, 01 January
2008:
I suppose you all have your own way of bringing in the new year; here was
mine!
It was the last day in December on a cold winter night I went up to a
standing dead tree and when the moment was right (right at midnight!) I
ripped off to the bark to reveal no fewer than 50 gracillariids...now that
was a sight!
Last day in December 2007 on a cold winter night in Brampton (Delta Co.)
in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
photograph
by Kyle
E. Johnson
copyright
© 2008
This happened in Brampton (Delta Co.) in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
photograph
by Kyle
E. Johnson
copyright
© 2008
There were probably between 1000-10,000 of these little moths under the
bark of a single tree!
Later on during the day I also found a caterpillar (as well as some of the
"usual" winter insects)
crawling on the snow with temperatures well below freezing (high of 25F).
I've actually seen quite a few caterpillars on the snow over the past few
winters.
Not sure what they're up to with spring & new vegetation so far
off...teasing birds perhaps?
Remember to start the New Year right!
Kyle
From: The Ohio Lepidopterist, December 2007,
The Annual Meeting will be held on January 19, 2008, at the Ohio State
University Museum of Biodiversity.
At the moment there is a contingent of about 8 Michigan lepidopterists
planning to attend.
For membership information contact: Don Reuter KSReuter@aol.com
For meeting information contact: David Parshall, president, dparshall@insight.rr.com
From: Bob Kriegel, 08 January 2008,
Now on to Breaking Diapause.
The happy date is Saturday, March 15, 2008
at MSU. There is an MES newsletter at the printers now with
an announcement in it. Ron Priest has reserved the normal room at
MSU for the event.
Contact: lepalert@comcast.net
for further information and to join!
The Michigan Entomological Society (MES) annual meeting is scheduled for
Sat. June 14, 2008 at the Tollgate Center. The facility is located at
Tollgate Farm on the northwest corner of Twelve Mile and Meadowbrook
Roads, in Novi, Michigan. See the description of the Tollgate Center: http://web1.msue.msu.edu/tollgate/
Contact: lepalert@comcast.net
for further information and to join!
From: Brenda Dziedzic, President, Southeastern Michigan Butterfly
Association (SEMBA), 01 January 2008,
SEMBA'S Partial Calendar of Events for 2008:
Jan. 16th - Q & A and Butterfly Vacation Ideas
Feb. 20th - Lecture a the Wildlife Interpretive Gallery/Detroit Zoo
Butterfly House by Laura Palombi.
To join go to http://www.sembabutterfly.com/ Brenda
also announces:
Jan. 14, 6:30 p.m. at the Novi Civic Center, 45175 W 10 Mile Rd., Novi MI,
lecture "Create, Conserve and Protect Monarch Habitats" by
Jeremy Emmi from he Michigan Nature Association. FREE. Feb. 12, 7:30
p.m. OAS at the First Methodist Church, 1589 West Maple Rd. Birmingham,
MI, Fellowship Hall, Room 152 will have a lecture on "The Karner Blue
Project" by Laura Palombi, Associate Curator of Invertebrates at the
Detroit Zoo. FREE. and more... JOIN SEMBA, go to http://www.sembabutterfly.com/
Here is the first report for 2008 from Kyle E. Johnson, 01 January
2008:
I suppose you all have your own way of bringing in the new year; here was
mine!
It was the last day in December on a cold winter night I went up to a
standing dead tree and when the moment was right (right at midnight!) I
ripped off to the bark to reveal no fewer than 50 gracillariids...now that
was a sight!
Last day in December 2007 on a cold winter night in Brampton (Delta Co.)
in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
photograph
by Kyle
E. Johnson
copyright
© 2008
This happened in Brampton (Delta Co.) in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
photograph
by Kyle
E. Johnson
copyright
© 2008
There were probably between 1000-10,000 of these
little moths under the bark of a single tree!
Later on during the
day I also found a caterpillar (as well as some of the "usual"
winter insects)
crawling on the snow with temperatures well below freezing
(high of 25F).
I've actually seen quite a few caterpillars on the
snow over the past few winters.
Not sure what they're up to with
spring & new vegetation so far off...teasing birds perhaps?
Remember to start the New Year right!
Kyle
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