Early season black lighting

 I had planned to post a few times over the last few months, to feature moth images and highlight some of the finds of late last year. Not sure where the time went, and my spring posts so far have mostly featured migrating birds, and spring wildflowers. However I will take a short break from that theme. Before the spring gets too far along, I want to feature some moths of 2021. The nights have not been great, overall, but on some evenings there has been a bit of action, even back in March. I have had the light set up in the back yard a few times, with only moderate success so far.

Earlier this week Kevin and I set up our lights at Clear Creek Forest Provincial Park, in eastern Chatham-Kent. It is a great spot for all sorts of reasons, and I always enjoy poking around the various habitats. Last year we didn't attempt any black lighting there until later in July. Our priority was to black light at Rondeau as much as possible, but by July the mosquitoes were making it quite unbearable, so we moved our efforts to Clear Creek, and found there were no mosquitoes after dark at all! What a contrast, and a delight!

Since we didn't start until July last year, clearly we had missed the early season moths, so it was time to catch up with them. It is a tad warmer in spring than at Rondeau, simply because Rondeau is affected by the cooler temperatures from the lake and bay that surround it, whereas Clear Creek Forest is a couple of kilometres inland from the lake.

Our first effort at Clear Creek was fairly satisfying. We had three lights and white sheets set up along the trail, and got about 25 species of moth in about 2.5 hours. I'm sure if we had stayed a few more hours there would have been more, but when one gets up relatively early for birds, one cannot stay out too late for moths!

Here are some of the more distinctive moths, many of which looked quite fresh and clean so were likely recent emergent individuals rather than over wintering individuals I suspect. Clicking on the image will make it larger and easier to appreciate the finer details of these delicate creatures.

This first one is an Apical Prominent, and clearly has an atypical shape, at least compared to many moths.

Bicolored Woodgrain

 This next one, the Brown-collared Agonopterix, is quite small, being only about one centimetre in length.

Canadian Melanolophila

Clover Looper

Distinct Quaker

This next one is the Double-lined Gray. A closer look at this fresh specimen shows some linear warm brown markings which can be distinctive, along with the white spot towards the outer edge of the wings.

Honest Pero

I think this next one is quite striking. It is the American Lappet Moth. While it is not uncommon, I have only seen and photographed it on one other occasion.

Linden Prominent

The emeralds are quite attractive. This one is the Red-fringed Emerald, with the first photo showing its more common pose. The second image is the same individual, but one does not often see it posed like this.

Reddish Speckled Dart

Small Engrailed Moth

The following individual is a Tawny Pug. It isn't particularly rare, but is the first time I have seen and photographed it. The body is quite short, about 7 mm in length, but the wing span at about 20 mm is impressive for the overall size of it.

Toothed Brown Carpet

Not all of them come to the lit up sheet. Some will alight on the tripod holding up the black light, and are much more difficult to see and photograph. This fresh looking individual is a Variable Carpet Moth, again, the first time I have seen and photographed it.

These are just a hint of what is to come. I intend to set up my black light at various spots again in 2021. Some will be the same as in previous years, but perhaps at a different time to see what comes in. I have a couple of new spots in mind, one in particular looks like it has an unusual habitat mix, and could provide some really interesting critters. Having found two new species for Ontario in the last year or two, I am hoping the trend continues and more new species will show up. 

There are more than 3200 species of moth known for Ontario, and with the level of interest shown in this group over the last few years, undoubtedly more are likely to be discovered. Stay tuned!

Creatures That Saw The Light, Part I....

 ...and came to check it out! Of course I am talking about black lighting, mainly for moths, but also for whatever creatures of the night are drawn to the brightly lit white sheet. It is always amazing how these interesting critters respond to the wavelengths of light that are not as well seen by humans. Just another fascinating aspect of nature!

Moore Wildlife Area is a fascinating area more or less in central Lambton County, owned/managed by the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority. I had the privilege of setting up my black lights there on three different occasions this year. A couple of times were just from the parking lot, but that is pretty good in itself. In fact I found the first Canadian record of a moth there last year, right at the parking lot. 

With the Sydenham River traversing this wildlife area, and this river is well known for rare aquatic species, I did set up on one occasion right along the edge of the river, which included an overlook of the river and had good visibility to the woodland as well. I came across, and photographed, well over 100 species of moths, as well as a variety of non-moth species. Some moths were rather worn and difficult to identify, so the totals may increase as people much more expert than I am, eventually identify them on iNaturalist or Bugguide. At any rate, what follows is a few of some of the more colourful or patterned moths. They are shown in alphabetical order based on their common name.

I thought this first one, an American Idia, was really nicely patterned and showed well on the piece of wood that it came to visit nearby. Not all moths land on the white sheet, but may land on a nearby tree or even on the ground or grass.

Arcigera Flower Moth

Close-banded Yellowhorn

On the evening I set up by the river, the midges were quite abundant. It was sometimes hard to get a photo of a moth, such as this Common Lytrosis, without being deluged with midges!

Common Spring Moth

This next one is probably a Crocus Geometer. There is another one in that complex that is sometimes difficult to separate, and some moth-ers lump them together. But I think this one is pretty colourful and relatively distinctive with this pattern.

I always like seeing this next one come in to the light. It is delicate, as its name states, and the golden yellow edge to the wing and the head is quite attractive.

Delicate Cycnia

Dimorphic Macalla Moth

Fervid Plagodis

Green Leuconycta

Gray Marvel

You have likely all seen those Woolly Bear caterpillars crawling around late in the season. Well if they survive and turn into adults, this is what they will look like, and are known as the Isabella Tiger Moth.

Julia's Dicymolomia

Lappet Moth

Large Maple Spanworm

Least-marked Euchlaena

Little Virgin Tiger Moth

This next one is very small, as you can see by the nymphal form of the midges in close proximity. It is the Metallic Casebearer.

Oak Leaf Shredder

Pearly Everlasting

Pink-barred Pseudostrotia

The Silk Moths always garner attention, and are a highlight to have come in to the light. This one did come in to the light, but eventually landed on the grass, and then for the longest time, clung to the bottom of a nearby tree. It is a Polyphemus Moth, and one of the largest of the large silk moth group with a wing span of up to 15 cm (6").

Red-fringed Emerald

The Papaipema genus is fascinating, and fun to try and figure out. It was a member of this genus that I photographed in 2019, that turned out to be the first record for Canada. The one shown next is more distinctly marked, and is known as the Rigid Sunflower Borer.

Sparganothis Fruitworm Moth

White-spotted Leafroller Moth

As mentioned, there are always a few non-moth creatures that come to the white sheet. Here are a few. Some are really small, like this first one, the Citrus Flatid Planthopper.

The occasional Deer Fly, shown next, stopped in, but they don't seem to be interested in biting after dark.

Fire-coloured Beetle

There were several leafhoppers on most nights, and they are all small, with some only about 5 mm in total length. This one doesn't have a common name, but is called Ponana quadralaba.

Northern Flatid Planthopper

This next one is known as Say's Mantidfly. It is considered fairly rare in Ontario. I have had them come to lights at several locations.

Not sure who comes up with names. This next one is the Two-spotted Slope-rumped Beetle.

Two-striped Planthopper

A peculiar looking beetle is this next one, a weevil in the Curculio genus. The very long snout is used to penetrate things like acorns.