March Speaker – Fabiola Rodríguez
Speaker Series Event – March 30, 2016 at 7:00pm with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute Ornithological Club Title: The Ecology and Conservation Challenges of the Honduran Emerald in the Agalta Valley Presenter: Fabiola Rodríguez, Masters in Biology student Institution: Indiana University of Pennsylvania & Indiana University of Pennsylvania Research Institute The Honduran Emerald (Amazilia luciae) is the only endemic bird to Honduras. This hummingbird species is included in the IUCN’s Red List as endangered and its population is considered to be in decline. Honduran Emeralds inhabit...
Read MoreMonarch Movement
As we press on into October it becomes all the more vital for Monarch butterflies to hurry up and head to the south. The weather may feel lovely this week with sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s and 70s, but as Yogi Berra said, it is getting late early. The results of tagged Monarch butterfly studies have shown that those individuals that migrate earlier have a better chance of reaching the wintering grounds. Every week that passes at our higher latitudes in the United States means it will be more difficult for those currently passing through to survive the journey. At least right now...
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 MoreEight-spotted Forester
This Eight-spotted Forester (Alypia octomaculata) was photographed in poor conditions with the bright, noon sun shining down on the otherwise cool, black body, creating an iridescent look. More moths are popping up by the day…or night…or both!
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...
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