[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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