Nebraska Lepidoptera Blog
The curious case of Anisota stigma (or is it manitobensis?)
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 (discussed…
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 of…
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.…
Cedar County Bonanza
Recently Steve Spomer (UNL) came in contact with an amazing moth enthusiast in Cedar County. It turns out that Eric Strehlow had a childhood interest in insects that was rekindled around 15 years ago. Since that time he has been hugely successful in developing and refining bait traps to attract moths in the oak woodlands…
Just when you thought it was over …
A couple more October county records to report: On October 16 Colin Croft photographed a Crescent butterfly in the Wildcat Hills of southern Scotts Bluff County. We forwarded the photograph to Steve Spomer at UNL who shared it with other experts and identified it as a Mylitta Crescent (Phyciodes mylitta). Scotts Bluff County is only…
End of the Season Blues
Although most of Nebraska has seen a frost a few hardier plants and butterflies are still hanging on for our viewing pleasure. So the following sightings might not be the last county records for 2022. On October 11 Lori Tomes spotted a Marine Blue (Leptotes marina) in Fremont which was a Dodge County record. This…
More Marine Blues, Pt. 2
Since our last post on Marine Blues (Leptotes marina) a week ago observers have come through with sightings from eight additional new counties. Diane Miller found them on alfalfa in Boone and Madison counties, Joanne Langabee and Holly Hoffreiter recorded the species while doing a butterfly survey at Homestead National Monument east of Beatrice in…
More Marine Blues
While most other butterflies have passed their peak numbers, the same cannot be said for Marine Blues. This past weekend five observers reported Marine Blues from six counties where they had not been previously reported. Colin Croft found one in Banner County in the far southern reaches of Wildcat Hills SRA. Jonathan Nikkila found them…
Zabulon Skipper found in Saunders County
This skipper is most abundant in the southeastern United States with Nebraska records being at the northwestern most edge of its range. So it is always a treat to find them in Nebraska where it goes unreported most years. The Nebraska Natural Heritage Program has this species listed as S2, indicating that they consider it…
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 found…
Some Good Reading
Some good reading came out recently that might merit a few minutes of your time. The first appeared in the July 31 (Sunday) Omaha World Herald and deals with gardening for pollinators and Monarch butterflies in particular as a conservation group recently listed them as endangered. https://omaha.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/in-the-garden-fight-isnt-over-to-help-monarchs-and-heres-how-to-do-it/article_dcc3f590-0ddc-11ed-b666-3b7bee54ef2a.html The August/September issue of Nebraskaland magazine has a…
Marine Blue found in Scotts Bluff County
On July 19 Colin Croft was exploring Buffalo Creek Wildlife Management Area in southern Scotts Bluff County when he came across a Marine Blue (Leptotes marina) which hadn’t previously been found in Scotts Bluff County. Marine Blues stray to our area from their southern home range and breed continuously (feeding on various legumes) once arriving…
Another California Tortoiseshell
Once three California Tortoiseshells were found in Sioux County on July 11 it seemed likely more sightings would follow. This has proved out as another has been sighted by Marie Smith at her residence in Gering (Scotts Bluff Co.). She reports that one has been in her yard for three days. What a treat! Colin…
Invasion of the California Tortoiseshells
How to follow up with the first Mulberry Wing Skipper photographed in Nebraska? Colin Croft was kind enough to share his experience from July 11. With a relatively milder day forecast for Monday July 11th, I headed off north into SiouxCounty from Scottsbluff/Gering to check up on my little quarter section of pasture about15 miles…
Nebraska’s Rarest Butterfly – Mulberry Wing Skipper Photographed
Back in 2001 I was prowling Boone County’s back roads looking for county records. I had already had some success in Nance County along the Loup River south of Fullerton but Boone County was proving to be more difficult. Then I happened upon a marsh on Beaver Valley Road west of Petersburg. It was a…
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