Blacklighting and more at Sydenham River Nature Reserve

 Sydenham River Nature Reserve (SRNR) is a fascinating natural area overlapping the border of Lambton and Middlesex counties. The Sydenham River is of high quality and, naturally, meanders through this woodland and floodplain. The SRNR is owned by Ontario Nature, and is adjacent to the wooded McAlpine Tract, owned by the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority. Altogether, this mosaic of extensive woodland upstream and downstream makes for an impressive natural area.

One of the things that, in my opinion, makes the SRNR stand out is its impressive array of an uncommon spring wildflower, Virginia Bluebells. There are hectares and hectares of it, and it is truly a highlight of spring.

One of the most impressive views is along the river itself.

The woodland is inviting during the freshness of springtime, where the water flows quickly and quietly. This quite large Sycamore tree is a landmark of sorts....

...but even in the quiet of autumn, where smaller watercourses meander before entering the Sydenham, the atmosphere can be refreshing and inspiring.

I don't get to the SRNR frequently, but mainly for specific purposes, such as to view and photograph the bluebells. But it is also a very worthwhile location to set up my black lights, to see what I can attract to my illuminated sheets. Surely such a high quality natural area might have a good diversity of species, right? At least that is the hope, and although I have only had the lights on at SRNR on three occasions over the last couple of years (so far) it has always been worthwhile.

It isn't easy to get to many parts of the reserve for black lighting. So far I have only set up at one location, and that is at the end of a dead end road at the bottom of a hill, where I am surrounded by wooded portion of the nature reserve, as well as the McAlpine Tract and an open area recently planted into prairie vegetation. It is quiet, sheltered from the wind, with only occasional sounds of traffic from the paved road more than a kilometre away. One can really enjoy the remoteness of this spot.

I set up one of my lights on a sheet covering part of my vehicle, at the end of the road. The other sheet is over a rope tied between two trees down a woodland trail, about 100 metres or so away. The sky darkens, the wind calms down, the temperature and humidity are promising for lots of insect action, and so I turn on the lights. And wait.

The first few insects to arrive are caddisflies, tiny beetles and always at least a few mosquitoes. Fortunately the mosquitoes have never been a huge problem. It is usually a few minutes before the first moths arrive. 

Caddisflies are not easy to identify. iNaturalist is helpful, and this one turns out to be of the genus Pycnopsyche.

In about 3 hours of black lighting on each of three occasions, I've photographed well over 100 species of moths, and a few dozen non-moth critters. Some are quite colourful and nicely patterned, while others are much more drab to the human eye, or so worn that they are almost impossible to identify. Here are some of the more distinctly patterned ones, partly due to their freshness.

Banded Tussock Moth

Beautiful Wood Nymph

Black-banded Brocade

Blackberry Looper

Chickweed Geometer

Dark Olethreutes

This next one is quite uncommon in Ontario. It is related to the Grass-veneers, and is called a Delightful Donacaula.

A small, but fairly common Grass-veneer is this Elegant Grass-veneer.

Friendly Probole

Some have odd, to us, stances, such as this Grapevine Looper.

Green Leuconycta

Hairnet Acleris

Some aren't so vividly marked, but have well-defined patterns, such as this Interrupted Dagger.

Those Wooly Bear Caterpillars you see roaming about in the fall, early spring or even on warmish days in winter, will develop into this next one, the Isabella Tiger Moth.

A very distinctly patterned moth, as well as being colourful is this next one. It is known as Moonseed Moth, not at all common in Ontario, but widely scattered.

Painted Lichen Moth

Showy Emerald

Soft-lined Wave

Striped Oak Webworm

The Badwing

Thin-winged Owlet

Three-spotted Filip

Two-banded Petrophila

White-spotted Hedya

American Idia

Arcigera Flower Moth

One thing that moth-ers are always on the lookout for are members of the silk moth family, such as Cecropia or Luna moths, or members of the underwing group, noted for their flashy underwings. Most of the silkworm moths would have been present a bit earlier than my visits, so maybe next year. This next one is a member of the underwing group called The Bride, which has a hindwing of golden and black bands, when it is visible.

Clover Hayworm

Cross-lined Wave

Indigo Stem Borer Moth

Large Tolype

White-lined Snout

Of course along with the brightly and/or distinctly patterned moths, there are always too many less distinctly marked ones, due to their specific species, or just because they have been damaged or have had to many of the colourful scales worn off. And some are very small and harder to distinguish. This Black Duckweed Moth, shown next, is very small, with a body length of only about 6-7 mm.

The Canadian Melanophila, is often less distinctly patterned, especially when worn.

Some species even when fresh are a bit challenging, This next one is quite worn as well, but is likely a member of the Leucania genus.

Some worn and damaged ones are likely to show up on the sheet, such as this next one which is not confirmed, but is probably a Wavy-lined Fanfoot.

As mentioned there are always a few non-moths creatures attracted to the light, and they can be fun to add to the photographic collection. Here are a few examples.

Green Stinkbug

This next one doesn't have a common name, but is a type of Weevils

Conotrachelus elegans

Northern Flatid Planthopper

Next is a Treehopper, probably of the Telamona genus.

Leafhoppers are often present and both fun and challenging to photograph. Some are only 3-4 mm long, while the largest ones may be 5-6 mm long. Some are quite distinctly, even wildly, coloured.

Saddleback Leafhopper

I'm not sure of a common name for this next one, but it is Tylozygus bifidus.

One of my all-time favourite leafhopper species to find and photograph is this appropriately named Red-banded Leafhopper.

Each visit results in finding some fascinating elements of nature. It is a bonus to get some decent photos of them. And even in between photographing the visitors to the illuminated sheet, there are other satisfying aspects of a night-time outing to a natural area such as the SRNR. It may be listening to coyotes howling back and forth to each other off in the distance, or giving a whistle-trill of an Eastern Screech Owl and have them respond close by. Or watching a 3/4 moon arise through the trees before illuminating the grassy meadow nearby while a deer forages along the edges. The joy of such an outing is so rewarding amidst all of the daily hustle and bustle that we are normally subject to. I hope to get to the SRNR again before the season is over.

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