One Skunk, No Mosquitoes, No Misery.....

....and two Coyotes!

I spent a couple of evenings at Skunk's Misery a few weeks ago, on the hunt for night-time critters to come in to my black light. Just before I got to the Misery itself, I noted two nice healthy looking coyotes right along the road side, but they quickly darted into the corn field. Even in the dusky conditions I wouldn't have been able to get a photo. So on I went, to set up at a slightly wider spot along the roadside so as to not impede traffic. Not that there was any traffic to impede. Over the six or seven hours I spent at the two spots, I had only one vehicle go by each night.

Just after I packed up on one of the nights, I spotted a Striped Skunk waddling down the side of the road. I didn't stop to try for a photo.

For anyone who has spent time at Skunk's Misery, it is well-known for its mosquito population. It can be down-right horrendous. The wet areas throughout are a haven for hordes of mossies, and that is part of the reason it was called a Misery many decades ago. But for some reason, during both evenings, I was not bothered by even a single mosquito! It wasn't because it was too cold, as I purposely chose warm evenings to maximize the chances of moth activity. However late in the season much of the wet areas were fairly dry, so it was less conducive for mosquitoes. Regardless, I was just as happy to not have to deal with them.

I was pleasantly surprised by the abundance and diversity of the non-mosquito invertebrates which came to visit. Some were brightly marked, some were much less so, and some were so worn it made identification impossible.

Some of the typical, but well patterned ones were:

American Idia

Aster-head Eucosma

Bold-feathered Grass Moth

 This next one is a Graperoller (Desmia sp). It is next to impossible to identify it to species, since there are two that on the upper side look almost exactly alike, so a photo of the underside is critical.

Desmia sp

Dotted Sallow

Double-striped Scoparia

Large Maple Spanworm

Large Tolype

Packard's Wave

Pink-barred Pseudeustrotia

Sensitive Fern Borer

Three-lined Leafroller

Gold-stripe Grass Veneer

A couple of quite colourful ones put in an appearance.

Bicolored Pyrausta

 This next one was a highlight, as I had never seen one before anywhere. I got just the one photo before the small fly type creature also in the photo was getting too close, and presumably tickled its antenna causing it to move off the sheet completely.

Black-bordered Lemon

By contrast, some were fairly drab.

Common Idia

Copper Underwing

Definte Tussock Moth

 And then there were some that were so worn most of the scales that normally would give any pattern were now worn off. It is hard to say what this next one might be.

As is the case most nights of black lighting, there are non-moth critters that come to visit.

Citrus Flatid Planthopper

Leafhopper, Gyponana sp

 The Gyponana is most likely G. octolineata, although there is some debate as to whether they can be separated from other Gyponana species just by a photo. Regardless, this one can take on various colour patterns, with some almost entirely green and others almost entirely red.

Japanese Maple Leafhopper

 Some don't have common names. This next leafhopper is Colladonus setaceus.

 This next leafhopper is known as a Sharpshooter, Tylozygus bifidus.

 A few of this next critter, a braconid wasp of the genus Aleoides, were there.

 This next one is a type of Scorpionfly of the Panorpa genus.

 Grasshoppers, katydids and other members of the Orthopteran group periodically show up. This next one is a Two-spotted Tree Cricket. It was only a few years ago that it was considered fairly rare anywhere in Ontario, but more recently has been recorded in many places in southwestern Ontario.

 Even the occasional spider will appear, perhaps being attracted to the light and thinking that a few delicacies may be around to feast on.

I got lots more photos of various species, but these represent a variety of the most colourful, and the most drab. There is always a few of each on any night of black lighting!