late season mothing

[jadams at daltonstate.edu]

Steve, et al,

         Nice to see your moth post, Steve.  I haven't done a lot of mothing here in north Georgia in the last month since the passing of my mother, but I decided with a great temperature and humidity night (the 23rd, the same night as Steve was encountering his good things) that I just had to get out.  My mom would have wanted me to, anyway.  

         So I called my mothing buddy from Atlanta (Irving Finkelstein), and we set out seven light traps in my grandparents-in-law's fallow pature/woodlands.  This site is probably the best known site in the world for Papaipema polymniae, at least in terms of total specimens taken from the place over the years.  If you saw the land in early August, it becomes clear why -- the Polymnia foodplant is everywhere and huge.  I actually took a Papaipema polymniae way back on August 15 this year, earliest by two weeks in this part of the country.  I have seen P. polymniae as late as the end of October, so I was suspecting that there would still be a few straggling individuals.  This late in October, however, is the prime time for the very scarce in Georgia Papaipema eupatorii.

         Anyway, when we picked up the traps, the numbers were not very impressive, but the quality was outstanding.  Turns out it was a five Papaipema night, not bad at all.  Several P. polymniae, a huge and fresh P. cerrusata, P. furcata (the commonest species here), a luciously large and spanking fresh P. cataphracta, and, yes, two P. eupatorii (nice since Irving and I didn't have to fight over them!).  The best moth for me, however, turned out to be the fourth from Georgia specimen of Lithophane disposita (also extremely fresh).  And, to round out the interesting stuff were a few Acleris, just like in PA!  Just wish my mom had been here to enjoy it . . . 

         Hmm . . . sorry about putting a damper on things!

         Thanks for the uplifting mothing stories Steve and Hugh.

James
James K. Adams 
Professor of Biology, Dalton State College 
706-272-4427; 678-767-5938 
Check out Georgia Lepidoptera at: 
  http://www.daltonstate.edu/galeps 
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