Late Season Stuff

[Daniel Glaeske, MD]

speaking of late stuff, we have had phenomenal weather this fall in 
southern Saskatchewan, Canada.  While we normally have snow on the 
ground this time of year, temperatures have been reaching the high teens 
during the daytime and falling only to about 3-5 degrees at night.  
Despite this, the stuff at bait traps is steadily getting smaller none 
last night, and only a few Pseudaletia unipuncta the night before.  How 
about these for late season records:

Papilio polyxenes, Oct 11 (rare enough here, but in October!)
Hyles lineata, Sept 30.
Pseudaletia unipuncta, Nov 13
Xylenes curvimacula, Nov. 10
Hypena humuli, Nov. 10
Eucirroedia pampina, 31 October
Phyciodes tharos, Oct 11
Vanessa atalanta, Oct 11
Limenitis archippus, Sept 23
Several hibernator type noctuids or late Agrotis (all the way up to Nov. 11

Daniel Glaeske, St. Victor, SK.

Leptraps at aol.com wrote:

> I have been rearing and collecting Colias philodice and Colias 
> eurytheme since the first of April 2001. With the extremely warm 
> weather this late in the year, I have been in the field several times 
> a week (Every day this week) looking for the two species of Colias 
> with great success.
> 
> I began November with 55 pupae of Colias philodice, each day I have a 
> few emerge, today I had two males and four females. I only have 9 
> pupae remaining to emerge. They are typical of what are on the wing at 
> this time. Further, virtually every female has been white. The last 
> yellow female emerged 27 Oct. Before the females emerge, the males 
> flutter about the pupa and attempt mating as they emerge. Once mated, 
> they immediately oviposit on clovers (potted plants) and the larva 
> feed briefly before disappearing into the leaf and debris litter in 
> the pot. I also had 200 plus larva in various instar's, once they 
> disappeared, they remained in diapause.
> 
> I also began November with 80 plus pupae of Colias eurytheme. Only two 
> males have emerged since and both of those on 2 November. Those in the 
> field that still remain on the wing match those that emerged in 
> October, and, all males have extensive yellow coloration along with 
> the orange. Females were both orange and white. I also have 300 plus 
> larvae in various instar's. However, they continue to feed on Alfalfa 
> and enclose. They enter the litter between 4 and 5PM and return to the 
> plants by 11 AM. The feed aggressively.
> 
> Heres my opinion. Colias philodice continue to emerge and will fly 
> late into the fall or as long as the weather is warm. Once winter sets 
> in, the adults are killed off (This may not be true, I will find out 
> in the spring, more below). I assume that any remaining pupa will pass 
> through the winter. However, my earliest collection of Colias 
> philodice is 22 April and these are not common. Colias eurytheme will 
> continue to fly until winter. However, adults will emerge in the 
> spring much earlier. I collected several males on 19 March and a 
> female on 27 March. The majority of Colias philodice hibernate as 
> larvae and the majority of Colias eurytheme hibernate as pupae.
> 
> All of my rearing is conducted outdoors in cages with potted plant. I 
> do have a roof structure overhead. Females that I have caged for ova 
> always position themselves facing west Legs facing west). As a result, 
> they must only open their wings in the morning to warm up in the sun. 
> We have had numerous frost and two hard freezes. When I check the 
> cages in the morning, during the cold snaps I find that they have 
> moved into a corner and they almost huddle together. I almost feel as 
> though they will hibernate.
> 
> I got carried away. What I wanted to report was what else I find on 
> the wing. On 8 November I collected a very small male of Papilio 
> polyxenes (spring form). On 9 November a Junonia coenia and today 14 
> Nov. I collected and released a very fresh but small male of Danaus 
> plexippus. I also find Phyciodes tharos and Clossiana bellona. I also 
> took a Catocala vidua in a bait trap today.
> 
> While on the subject of bait traps. I put two bait traps in a cane 
> break in early this spring. During September and October I took 
> numerous Papaipema moths in them.
> 
> Stuff flies late guys, you just got to get among them more often.


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