One of the more rewarding aspects of photographing/collecting Lepidoptera is the occasional discovery of a species new to an area (and/or well outside it’s known range). Such is the case with Spiny Oakworm Moth (Anisota stigma). Or is it the Manitoba Oakworm Moth (A. manitobensis)? Both of them belong to the Lepidopteran Family Saturnidae (discussedContinue reading “The curious case of Anisota stigma (or is it manitobensis?)”
Category Archives: Learning About Moths
Nebraska Saturniidae
This is one of the moth groups we will be adding to our website later this spring. Moths in the Lepidopteran Family Saturniidae are commonly called silkworm moths although the moth used by the Chinese to make silk is actually a member of a closely related family (Bombycidae). Nonetheless many Saturniid Moths spin cases ofContinue reading “Nebraska Saturniidae”
New for 2023
I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. We have great news for 2023!! Through the Watchable Wildlife Program, Nebraska Game and Parks has funded an expansion of our Nebraska Lepidoptera website that will enable us to cover species from three of the more conspicuous and/or identifiable moth groups found in our state.Continue reading “New for 2023”
30 New Moths recorded in Nebraska plus a Rare Sphinx Moth found in Hall County
In June and July this summer Crane Meadows staff, Mark Brogie (one of our resident moth experts) and numerous volunteers (with funding from Nebraska Game and Parks) surveyed for moths at several locations on Crane Trust property which is located south of the Alda I-80 interchange. A brief description of their work can be foundContinue reading “30 New Moths recorded in Nebraska plus a Rare Sphinx Moth found in Hall County”
Spurge Hawkmoth and Website Update
This is a followup to my Sept 2 post from last year. Diane Miller found a bunch of caterpillars at her mother and brothers residences in Platte and Nance counties. She was kind enough to give me a couple. They promptly pupated and I left them in a Folgers coffee container on my workbench inContinue reading “Spurge Hawkmoth and Website Update”
Season Summary
Well 2021 ended up being a pretty good year for increasing our knowledge of the butterfly and moth fauna of Nebraska. 30 butterfly county records were found, with one of them being a state record (see the list below). In addition Mark Brogie and Barb and Loren Padelford recorded 31 moths never before found inContinue reading “Season Summary”
Spurge Hawkmoths
Recently (Aug 29) Diane Miller noticed a large number (20+) of big colorful caterpillars on an ornamental spurge in Platte County. After doing some research we decided they were Spurge Hawkmoths (Celerio euphorbiae), European cousins of our abundant (Celerio lineata). Steve Spomer verified our determination. According to Steve (who keeps Sphnix Moth distribution maps forContinue reading “Spurge Hawkmoths”
Master Naturalist Class finds a Sweetheart
Sweetheart Underwing Moth that is. July 23 I had an opportunity to blacklight with the latest class of NE Master Naturalists at Cedar Point Biological Station (which is located below Lake McConaughy in Keith County). Our lights attracted insects belonging to 37 insect Families from 11 Orders (sorry for the taxonomy jargon). Among our moreContinue reading “Master Naturalist Class finds a Sweetheart”
Two More County Records and a Tier 1 Moth Sighting
Jen Corman contributed two county records – a Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus) from Bassett in Rock County this June 27 and a Queen (Danaus gilippus) from Knox County from back in July (9th) of 2018. The Banded Hairstreak is a NENHP Tier 2 species. And then the Bloomfield Scout Troop improvised a light trap withContinue reading “Two More County Records and a Tier 1 Moth Sighting”
Black Witch – Something You Don’t See Every Day
Late last month I received word of a Black Witch sighting in Keya Paha County. On June 20 Teresa Bammerlin discovered an unexpected visitor at her residence which she found to be a Black Witch (Ascalapha odorata). This large moth is a breeding resident in the southern United States and from there southward to asContinue reading “Black Witch – Something You Don’t See Every Day”