Winter Moths in New York

[Steve Walter]

It got to 71 degrees today in New York and that got me thinking about
moths. A walk through local woodlands in Queens County produced the
expected Fall Cankerworm Moths (Alsophila pometaria). Then it was on to
my survey sites at Jamaica Bay. A daytime check of building lights at
Floyd Bennet Field in Kings County yielded
<http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=6597405/grpspId=1705083010/m
sgId=1456/stime=1166376213/nc1=4025306/nc2=3848533/nc3=3>  a plume moth
(Emmelina monodactyla), Armyworm Moth (Pseudaletia unipuncta),
Variegated Cutworm Moth (Peridrom saucia), and 2 Ipsilon Darts (Agrotis
ipsilon)  -- all first winter records for me (but typically found
through late November in warm falls). After dark, lights were
ineffective at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (Queens co.) (I'll blame that
on dropping humidity), but baiting attracted a Variable Sallow
(Sericagaea signata), a Violaceous Sallow (Metaxaglaea violacea), and a
Green Cloverworm Moth (Hypena scabra). The two sallows were found at a
light on the visitor center two weeks ago, so were not a big surprise.
Green Cloverworm Moth had been recorded during a warm spell in January
2002. Appearing on one of the baited trees (but not feeding) was the
most unexepcted moth of the day -- A Brown-shaded Gray (Iridopsis
defectaria). Altogether, that was 9 species of moth on January 6. Not
your typical winter day in New York.
 
Steve Walter
Bayside, NY

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