Jupiter
Last night I put on my porch light and black light to see if any moths were in the air. They were not, yet – some have been already, though the conditions that night were not great for them and the temperature lately was not helpful. A chilly north wind kept migrant birds to a minimum, and I only heard a couple of call notes going over. I saw Jupiter shining brightly in the clearing sky. While Connecticut’s light pollution and my inexperience of shooting the night sky make it a little less pretty and a little more difficult (not to mention the moon since I hadn’t planned...
Read MoreStreaked Orange Moth (Nascia acutella)
This appears to be a Streaked Orange moth (Nascia acutella), a species that the Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America by David Beadle and Seabrooke Leckie describes as “uncommon” with its host plant “presumably grasses and sedges”. It is an example of how little we know about some of these scarce, cryptic, often local or specialized moth species. Only by extensive searching and subsequent discovery can we begin to unravel the mysteries of their life histories.
Read MoreClose-banded Yellowhorn
Here we have what looks to be a Close-banded Yellowhorn (Colocasia propinquilinea) moth, one of a few dozen species that I enjoyed seeing while mothing this weekend. I will be sharing moths all spring, summer, and fall, in part to honor one of young Roger Tory Peterson’s hobbies, and something that helped foster his passion for the natural world in our Wild America. This pastime is as easy as turning on an outside light at night and seeing what shows up. The very difficult part comes in identifying these (mostly) nocturnal creatures! I do have the superb Peterson Field Guide to Moths...
Read MoreMoon Work
We at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History do not only work during the day! I am not just talking about sitting behind our computers all night either. Moon work, or nocturnal field surveys, will be undertaken throughout the spring and summer seasons for species like the Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor), a New York species of Special Concern that nests in the Jamestown area, and for moths of all types. Those moths were a favorite area of study for Roger Tory Peterson, and we are looking to expand our knowledge on them as well as all the dragonflies, butterflies and other...
Read MoreGreater Mastiff Bats (Eumops perotis)
Our crew caught a few Greater Mastiff Bats (Eumops perotis) while in Panama at the Cocobolo Nature Reserve. This is the largest North American species of bat, but it is in the mid-size range in Central America. They are primarily insect foragers, with a particular sweet tooth for moths. They need a lot of space to be able to take off and can even be found foraging on the ground. Photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Panama while on assignment for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.
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