
ENT 532 Fall 2024: Early Morning Moths - Powdermill Nature Reserve
Outside Abernethy house, appx 7:30am. Woke up and checked the light trap that has been sitting out since 9pm last night. Saw lots of micromoths, caddisflies, and leafhoppers. I also observed a jumping spider snacking on a small moth. If we left the trap out for longer, would more spiders come? Seems like an easy meal. There were some large sphinx moths and a large underwing on the trap. I picked them up one by one and hung them on my shirt like jewelry. They barely moved, because they were so cold. The noctuid (underwing) started rapidly beating/vibrating its wings to warm up. I collected it + a sphinx moth and put the rest on a beat sheet in the sun to warm up, waiting to see how long it took before they warmed up and flew away (I had to pack up and leave before I could see them take flight, but they hung out for at least half an hour). All the moths I saw were female, as indicated by the lack of plumose antennae. I bet insects make an easy meal first thing in the morning. Maybe that's why many insectivorous birds are most active in the early morning, because their prey is slower. Early bird gets the ... moth?
Associated specimens in the Frost Museum: PSUC_ENT532_2024_0075, PSUC_ENT532_2024_0059
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Work Title | ENT 532 Fall 2024: Early Morning Moths - Powdermill Nature Reserve |
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Access | |
Creators |
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License | CC BY 4.0 (Attribution) |
Work Type | Image |
Publication Date | September 23, 2024 |
DOI | doi:10.26207/h938-hh34 |
Geographic Area |
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Deposited | September 23, 2024 |
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