[Leps-l] FW: luminescent moth

BPatter789 at aol.com BPatter789 at aol.com
Tue Jul 17 16:08:36 EDT 2012


Dear Jim,
 
I do not know if this will post to the list serve.  If it does not,  please 
feel free to re-post it there.
 
In July of 2010 (about the 9th) my wife and I spent a couple of nights at  
Manchester, Tennessee.  I think we stayed at the Sleep Inn at 84 Relco  
Drive.  The rear of that hotel faces a Quality Inn at 2314 Hillsboro  Blvd.  At 
the edge of the Quality Inn parking lot is a pole rising about  20-30 feet 
at the top of which is a 3-sided enclosure holding 1-2 extremely  large 
lamps, probably mercury vapor but possibly another type.  The light  from this 
structure illuminates the large parking lot and the side of the  Quality Inn.
 
We observed many dozens of moths flying back and forth through what I  
presume to have been an electrically charged or ionized atmosphere that might  
have extended 5-10 meters in front of and to the sides of the lamp(s).  The  
flight path of each moth looked like a streak of bright light (nearly white 
or  off-white) and, with so many moths being present, gave the impression of 
a  burst of fireworks. These "contrails" were, I presume, the result of  
the collision of "charged particles" brought about by moth flight roiling the  
atmosphere.
 
I don't believe that any moths flew into the lamp enclosure or nearer  than 
2-3 feet of it.  I examined the parking lot near the pole and found no  
evidence of killed moths.  There was no bat activity that we  observed.  I did 
not think to take photographs.
 
Bob  Patterson
12601 Buckingham Drive
Bowie, Maryland 20715
(301) - 262-2459  pm. hours
_Moth Photographers  Group Website_ 
(http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/Plates.shtml) 
_My  Personal Moths Website_ 
(http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/Files1/Live/BP/BPsite/identified.shtml) 


In a message dated 7/17/2012 10:26:23 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
jim at gpnc.org writes:

Did  anyone respond to Shane on this?  Very curious phenomenon!

Jim  Mason, Naturalist
Jim at gpnc.org 
Great Plains Nature Center
6232 E.  29th Street North
Wichita, KS 67220-2200
316-683-5499 x103 -  voice
316-688-9555 - fax
www.gpnc.org 

-----Original  Message-----
From:  leps-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu
[mailto:leps-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On  Behalf Of Shane Adams
Sent: Saturday, July 14, 2012 1:37 AM
To:  leps-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: [Leps-l] luminescent moth

On june  13 2012 ~ 2Am  about an hour north of Hinton Alberta, I seen  what
appeared to be luminescent moths.
They would fly into a high watt  halogen light then come out glowing like 
hot
embers. Even when they went  behind the light tower they glowed.  About the
size of a 25 cent coin.  This would last about five seconds then it would
fade, and they would fly  back to the light and come out glowing again. 
There
where moths on the side  of the building that where flat white ish with
triangular wigs but I don't  know if these where the same ones that where
glowing. Is there such a  things a luminescent moth? What did I  see?


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