Bold and Beautiful Creatures

For some readers, the title may invoke memories of a soap opera. However after reading this post, I'm hoping that it will give a different perspective on things that are bold and beautiful!

I'm talking about some things in the world of nature of course, and in reality, there are so many things that may fit. In this particular post, I am featuring none other than the incredible colours and patterns which may be bold but definitely beautiful, in the world of moths.

The thought of moths to many people may conjure up the concept of little nondescript things that flutter around lights, and never seem to make up their mind as to where they should be going. Or they are things that get caught in headlights when you are driving at night and end up being schmucked on your windshield or grille, needing to be cleaned off later. There is no question that many moths are, at least to the human eye, rather drab and unbecoming. But to another moth of the same species, who knows how it may appear.

One of the best ways to appreciate the intricate patterns, colours, sizes and shapes of this incredibly abundant group of insects is to attract them to light. The wave length of black light works wonders. It just so happens that while I have been attempting some black lighting in various places over the past few years, I am on a bit more of a mission this year. I am working primarily with a current Rondeau Provincial Park staff member to try and get the park's moth list a little more respectable. Not long ago after many years of accumulating moth records, it sat at around 450 species, which is much higher than the bird list (which is 362). But if an adequate survey of all the habitats were done, there should easily be more than 2000 species! At this point we are slightly over 500 species, so clearly there is a long way to go.

There is something very appealing to be at Rondeau in the quiet of evening. The wind is calm and the greenery of this time of year is incredibly lush. Most people who have been at the park earlier in the day have packed up and gone home, so the human sounds are minimal.

I drive slowly along the quiet road to where I will set up. On several occasions, it has been at the group campground. The attractions of this location are several: there are no competing lights; there is a good quality of Carolinian forest; it is sheltered from all but the strongest winds.

After getting the equipment set up, it is then time to wait until dark. As the light recedes, there is the flute-like call of the Wood Thrush. There may be a distant drumming of a Pileated Woodpecker. Fireflies are there to welcome us with their flashing lights. After darkness arrives, it is likely that we will hear coyotes howling in the distance, or on occasion quite close by. Great Horned Owls and Eastern Screech Owls call with their respective hoots or quavering twitters.

And then it is time to put the black light on, and the next part of the evening show begins.

Moths don't arrive immediately, but other insects do. Midges and caddisflies are likely the most numerous, and depending on the time, there may be a recent hatch of one of the several species of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes can be very numerous, but are typically at their peak about half an hour just prior to sunset. But on occasion, they can be abundant throughout the black lighting session. Repellent is definitely handy!

Eventually moths appear, scattered throughout the evening hours. Here are some of the more colourful ones I've photographed in the last couple of weeks. Some of the names are more creative, descriptive and endearing than others, it would seem.

Bicolored Pyrausta

Common Spring Moth

Early Button Slug Moth

Fall Webworm

Jewel-tailed Slug Moth

Lemon Plagodis

Pale Beauty

Pink-shaded Fern Moth

Raspberry Pyrausta

Showy Emerald

The Badwing

Walnut Caterpillar Moth

Yellow-shouldered Slug Moth

Green Leuconycta

 

Green Marvel

Harris's Three-spot

Hickory Tussock Moth

Remember seeing those Wooly Bear caterpillars scattered along pathways last year? Those that survived will have turned into this next one.

Isabella Tiger Moth

Marbled-green Leuconycta

Owl-eyed Bird Dropping Moth

One of the highlights of anyone even the least bit interested in moths is seeing one of the silkmoths, or Saturnids. The header feature is an example. It is the Polyphemus moth, which quite literally came banging into us one evening. Kevin was wearing a jacket that reflected off the black light very vividly, and the Polyphemus Moth flew right onto his back, and then fell to the ground. It fluttered for awhile, but then settled down and I got a few shots of it.

Some other Saturnids are these next two. This first one, the Pink-striped Oakworm Moth, came in surreptitiously and all of a sudden appeared at the very bottom of the sheet. It is a fairly large moth, but it just goes to show that they can all of a sudden appear, so one has to be constantly on the watch as most moths are much smaller and easier to miss.

While the Pink-striped Oakworm is rather uncommon in this area, this next one is more likely to be seen. It is the Rosy Maple Moth, and we have seen at least 8 in the last week or so.

It was interesting to see them both quite close together for a few moments. A photo like this is quite unusual.

Even much more unusual is this next photo. It show the Pink-striped Webworm at the top and the Rosy Maple at the bottom, and in between is the even larger Tuliptree Beauty. This was not a set up shot, it was completely random the way the moths lit onto the sheet, right amidst a few of the caddisflies and midges. I call this photo the Triple Crown!

Even though the colours and patterns are amazing, a question that certainly comes to my mind is that for creatures of the night, when it is dark, how do these colours make sense for the moths? Can they see things that we don't? Certainly they must as they respond to light wavelengths that our eyes cannot see, hence the effectiveness of black light and mercury vapour light which have quite different wavelengths. Just one of the many amazing things of the world of nature!

Keep a lookout for more moths in a future post.