Night owls

Three moths today; all three visited me in the middle of the night. (Not the same night.)

Single-dotted wave moth, Idaea dimidiata.

iNaturalist adds a note to this species: "Introduced ... arrived in the region via anthropogenic means."

 

Autographa corusca, as first seen on a chair. A native species.

And on the wall above my desk.

These moths are Noctua moths, aka owlet moths (because they fly at night?) or cutworm moths, because the larvae feed on the stems of young plants, felling the plant. When you come out in the morning to find all your promising young cabbages lying dead on the ground, you've been visited by a cutworm.

The moths of this one's subfamily are also called "looper" moths, because the larvae walk like inchworms, walking with the front legs first, then standing still while the back legs catch up, making a raised loop.

The genus name, Autographa, means "self written". Many of the moths in this genus take their common names from a design on the wings. Not this one, as far as I can tell.

 

Morning-glory Plume moth, Emmelina monodactyla; iNaturalist records many in this area.

Check points for this species of moth; curved wing tips, three dots along the centre back of the abdomen, and a dot near the centre of the wing.

5 more posts to go in the Beasties Project. I think. But a big, long-legged harvestman just ran across my computer, as if saying, "Me, too! Count me in!"

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Para hoy, tengo tres palomitas, o mariposas nocturnas. Las tres me visitaron de noche.

1. Idaea dimidiata, conocida como la onda de un solo punto. (No veo como llegaron a este nombre.) Una nota en iNaturalist para esta especie avisa: "Introducida ... llegó en la región por medios antropogénicos."
2. Autographa corusca. Es una especie nativa.
3. La misma, en la pared en frente de mi escritorio.
   
   Estas mariposas nocturnas pertenecen a la familia Noctuidae, conocidas como mariposas "polluelo de búho" (¿Será porque vuelan de noche?), o como mariposas de oruga cortadora, esto porque las larvas se alimentan de los tallos de plantas nuevas. Si saliste en la mañana y encontraste todas tus plantitas de lechuga, tan fuertes ayer, ahora todas tiradas en el suelo, muertas, pues te visitó una larva de las Noctuidae.
   
   Las mariposas nocturnas de esta sub-familia también se conocen como mariposas "looper", o sea que hacen círculos, o mejor dicho, semi-círculos, como los gusanos medidores, que caminan primero con las patas delanteras, y luego estas se quedan quietas mientras las patas traseras se acercan, formando un semi-círculo con el cuerpo.
   
   El nombre del género, Autographa, quiere decir "escrito por si mismo". Muchos de los miembros de este género toman sus nombres del diseño de algún elemento en las alas.
   
   
4. Mariposa de la gloria de la mañana (la flor Ipomoea purpurea), Emmelina monodactyla. En iNaturalist hay muchas observaciones de esta especie encontradas por aquí.
   
   Características de esta especie: las puntas de las alas curvas, tres puntos en el centro del abdomen, y una mancha cerca del centro de la ala.

Y me faltan 5 bichos más para terminar este Proyecto Bichitos. Creo. Pero un opilión acaba de cruzar corriendo el teclado de mi computadora, como si dijera, "¡Y yo! ¡Tienes que incluirme en tu Proyecto!" Veremos.

Caught in transit

There are the tiny flowers; they're a welcome find along the trails. And then there are the tiny, tiny critters. These crossed my path recently, some here, some there. Mostly fleeting encounters; none are in perfect focus, but I had fun snapping their photos anyhow. And some have stories to tell.

Caught in transit. 1 cm. caterpillar.

This little cat was dropping from a tree above, dangling from an almost invisible silk thread. His trip interrupted by my hand, he crawled down my wrist and arm, and dropped again from my elbow. I imagine a life cycle that started in the cherry tree overhead, and would continue on (or in) the ground below, where he would pupate and start the conversion to a moth.

Brown butterfly. One shot wonder. Next click; bare leaves.

Spider in her web over the water, Brown's Bay.

Her web spanned the space between a dock and the ramp. To get the shot, I had to climb the outside of the ramp and risk a dunking, camera and all. A topside view was impossible without a boat to stand in. She's well positioned to catch any mosquitoes the swallows miss.

Damselfly at the beaver pond. (Pacific forktail?)

And another.

These, with umpteen of their kin, were darting over the lily pads at the beaver pond. I would track one; with the transparent wings, they looked like flying needles. And they would land and immediately become invisible. Two made the mistake of landing on a clear background, where they stayed for all of maybe 30 seconds.

Plume moth, on my bedroom wall.

More Saskatoon flowers. There's an ant on these.

And finally, a spider housing development. I couldn't find any spiders, though. They'll all be hiding in the cracks of the bark.

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Ayer subí fotos de flores pequeñas halladas al borde de los senderos en el bosque. Hoy les toca a los bichitos; insectos y arañas que cruzaron mi camino en varios sitios. Encuentros pasajeros; ninguno se quedó a platicar. Las fotos no están perfectamente enfocadas, pero no importa, me divertí tratando de capdtar imágenes de estas criaturas. Y algunas tienen sus historias.

Fotos:

1. Este gusanito bajaba de un cerezo, colgado de un hilo de seda casi invisible. Cuando interrumpí su viaje con mi mano, siguió sin detenerse, bajando por mi muñeca y el brazo, y dejándose caer, con el hilito anclado en mi codo. Me estoy imaginando un ciclo de vida que empezó allá arriba en el cerezo, y que ahora le lleva a buscar asilo en el suelo, donde se hará su pupa para empezar a trasformarse en mariposa nocturna.
2. Una mariposa color café, sin identificación. Una sola oportunidad. Al hacer clic por segunda vez, solo salieron las hierbas.
3. Un araña en su telaraña sobre el agua. La había extendido entre el muelle y la rampa; para sacar la foto, tuve que trepar por el lado exterior del pasamanos, arriesgando una caída al agua con todo y cámara. Ha escogido un buen sitio para atrapar los mosquitos que logren evadir las golondrinas.
4. Un caballito de diablo, posiblemente Ischnura cervula.
5. Y otro. Estos, con una multitud de sus familiares iban y venían sobre las hojas de los lirios acuáticos en la laguna de los castores. Los seguía con la vista, tratando de ver donde se paraban; volando, con las alas transparentes, parecen agujas delgadas. Y luego se detienen y de repente se vuelven invisibles. Estos dos se equivocaron, deteniéndose sobre fondos de color sólido. Por unos segundos, nada más, y luego se echaron a volar.
6. Una polilla de pluma en la pared de mi recámara.
7. Otras de las flores blancas de Saskatún. Estas con una hormiga.
8. Y un condominio de arañas. No vi a ninguna araña; todas estarán escondidas entre la corteza del árbol.

Mr. (or Mrs.) T.

The first plume moth of the season was waiting for me by the door when I came home this afternoon.

Morning glory plume moth, Emmelina monodactyla

I have found these around here before, and had tentatively identified them as the Morning glory* moth. Tonight, looking again at the samples on BugGuide, I found a helpful annotated photo, which more or less confirms the id.

The markings pointed out on the photo are:

• the curved wing tips. Check.
• Three dots along the centre back of the abdomen. Check.
• A dot near the centre of the wing. I think I see them, although I'm looking at it from below, so I'm not really sure.

Next time, I'll know what to look for.

The caterpillars of these moths feed on Convovulvus species, including our pestiferous bindweed. But one of my neighbours planted Morning glories last summer: I'll check her plants for the caterpillars later on.

Small wonders

April, between showers . . .

Red-stemmed moss.

Plume moth, sleeping on the wall by the door

Robin, pulmonaria, and daffs. And a few leaves of lettuce, still surviving cuddled up to the pulmonaria for protection from the slugs.

The young raccoon, back again for a drink, keeping his eye on me.

He needs a nail clipper; look at that thumb nail!

Raccoon fingernails. I'm not volunteering to trim them for him.

And the first rhododendrons we've seen this year.

And the cup mushrooms are out in force! But each time we've seen them, so far, it has been pouring rain.

Another reason to be glad the earth is not flat

Moths!

Plume moth

What a dreary world it would be if we all had winter at the same time! Except for the Indian meal moths that come with my bird feed (and they don't count), I haven't seen a moth for two weeks. It's too cold, too wet. It's not going to get any better until spring. Moth season is over for BC. And this is the final "The Moth and Me" of the year.

• Seabrooke, at The Marvelous in Nature, over in Ontario, still had moths three weeks ago, plenty of them: Late fall moths. She doesn't expect many more this year.

Across the water in the UK, they're more or less at the same latitude; mothers there are shutting down, too.

• Martin, at Martin's Moths, in Yorkshire, UK, is giving up mothing for the winter. But he has a cheering newspaper clipping to "sugar the pill", in Goodbye to all that.
• Mark Skevington, at Skev's B. L. O. G., UK, in the absence of fresh moths, turns to Mothing Memories  The Palpita vitrealis is my favourite.
• Mark, in Views from the Bike Shed, UK has a Collection of Moths to share. Moths from years gone by.

All is not lost, however:

• From Bluedamsel Discovery, Ireland, we have Autumn Moths.
• Also in Ireland, Stuart, at Donegal Wildlife, features a moth that doesn't mind the cold, in Autumnal Moths.
• Charlie, at 10,000 Birds, not to be outdone in titling originality, posts Some Autumn moths from the UK There's no repetition in the moth selection; that's what counts.
• And from Northumberland, Stewart, the Winter Birder, comes home from a party to find Hallowe'en Moths.
• Steve, at Bedfordshire Wild; Chandos Road, Ampthill A moth trap in a small, mostly paved garden records 173 species.
• Essex Moths This blog has a revolving header photo; click and refresh to get a new and beautiful moth each time.

Bold-feathered grass moth

Across our southern border, in the US, the warm weather will hang on for a while; the mothers still hang out their sheets at night.

• Here's Ted, at Beetles In The Bush;  a White-tipped Black Moth demonstrates that he's as human and blind as the rest of us.
• Marvin, at Nature in the Ozarks, gives us Io Moth (Automeris io) Life Cycle and Melonworm Moth - Diaphania hyalinata (Tasselled like a tuque. I wouldn't have believed this one without a photo!)
• John, from A DC Birding Blog sent in A Salt Marsh, a Tussock, and a Black-bordered Lemon, Salloween: A Late October Moth, and Celery Leaftier
• Laura, at Natural Notes, has a nice photo of a Clymene Moth. She's moved; to follow her blog, go to the new link for Natural Notes
• Oh, Behave! A student biologist's reports on animal behaviour. For example;  Bat vs Moth. The arms race.
• Another Steve, at Blue Jay Barrens in Ohio; Buck Moth
• Emily in Texas, posting at What I learned today, has a series. Start here: Finding the caterpillars, and follow through to the end, here: They're Moths!
• Bill Murphy blogs on Fertanish Chatter. This is probably his favourite photo from this summer; "Flying Guys"

But the cold is catching up to them down there, too. Snowstorms are in the offing. Will there be moths to see in December? Of course there will! Spring is just beginning on the far side of the globe:

Looks like peacock feathers. Montana Six-plume moth.

• Here's Mike, straddling the equator, from Hacienda San Joaquin, Ecuador; Amazing moths in Vilcacamba
• Duncan, at Ben Cruachan, Australia, is Mothing again, and Mothing by the river.
• MaryAnn at Yarn Anomalies, in Australia, Heralds the Moths of November. And follow her link to the Bogong Moth. Love the name!
• William, at Esperance Fauna, Australia; a  Bag-shelter moth
• Joan, at Photographs from South Africa has Another Lovely Moth
• Mark Jason goes Birding in the Philippines; Alien moths in Dalton Pass
• 10 Amazing Moths with Multiple Personalities, on Environmental Graffiti. Just look at that last one, from Thailand. Amazing is right!

So, for us northerners, forget the winter blues and greys, the snows and rains! What is the internet for, if not for celebrating the whole globe? Moping is for flat-earthers.

White-shouldered House moth

This will be the last "The Moth and Me" for 2009.  The next one, March, 2010, will be hosted by Jason, at Xenogere. Send your submissions to jason AT xenogere DOT com by March 13th. And we're looking for hosts starting April, 2010; drop Seabrooke a note if you are interested.

(Photos taken in August, at Campbell River, Vancouver Island. Thanks, Seabrooke, for the IDs.)

"Mrs. T" gets ID'd

Can't be a real moth, says Laurie. Wyldthang calls it " pretty freaky". "Spooky", someone on another site called it.

That's this visitor, that I photographed on my garden wall, last August, and posted to the blog a few days ago:

Well, yes, it is strange.

I hadn't gotten around to IDing it, nor even finding where it fitted. I've been doing that all this evening (and early morning).

It is, as far as I can figure out, a Morning Glory Plume Moth, Emmelina monodactyla, and is fairly common across the US and Canada, and in the UK. It turns up on a database of species in the Lulu Island bog, just across the river from us. Some people have called it the "T" moth, which is the name I gave it for my own use. Logical, I guess.

I found eleventy-two photographs of Emmelina, but very little information. I read, over and over, that the Plume Moths have unusual wings. (As if I hadn't noticed.) They are like long "spars", or shafts, two in the front wings, three in the back. Long feathery "plumes" trail out from these shafts when they are open, but at rest, the moth rolls up the front wing and hides the back wings underneath. Wikipedia says,

"Often they resemble a piece of dried grass, and may pass unnoticed by potential predators even when resting in exposed situations in daylight."

On BugGuide, I found a photo of this moth with the feathers exposed:

Photo by Dick Wilson, under a Creative Commons license.

The caterpillars of this moth eat morning glories, I would infer from the name, but the only site I found that mentioned their diet named field bindweed, Convolvulus arvensis. Of which we have far too much around here; I hope all her eggs hatch. And have big appetites.

But I could find no photos of her caterpillars. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye out for them this summer.