[tn-moths] Re: [ncsc-moths] High gear
- From: "J. Merrill Lynch" <jmerrilllynch@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: ncsc-moths@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2012 07:31:23 -0400
Interesting. Abbot's Sphinx would also be a lifer for me and is high
on my list of must-sees.
Temps here in the high country for the next few days are also forecast
to be almost 20 degrees warmer than normal--today's high will be the
warmest since mid-October. However, that does not necessarily
translate to a surge in moth diversity. I think moth emergence like
most natural biotic cycles is more correlated with plant
phenology--the emergence of buds, leaves, and flowers of the local
vegetation. Here, despite the warm temps, the vegetation is still in
winter dormancy but showing signs of spring emergence--for example,
red maples in just the past few days have started flowering.
At 3400 feet elevation, my location is phenologically about 3-4 weeks
or more behind lower elevation areas at the same latitude--so despite
the May-like weather, most moths are not going to suddenly burst upon
the scene. I had 4 species last night and about 12 individuals--all
typical late winter/early spring fliers. That makes sense because we
still have winter weather ahead of us; we typically have snows into
early-mid April.
I bet the vegetation at Ken's location is weeks ahead of what things
are here and that is what is driving the moth emergence more than
anything else.
Merrill
On Wed, Mar 14, 2012 at 6:54 AM, kjchilds <kjchilds@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> The 20 degree warmer than average temps really got things going
> here....around 80 moths of 26 species. By far the best night of the year.
> The highlight was an Abbot's Sphinx which is one I hadn't see before.
>
> Ken Childs
> Henderson, TN
> Chester County
>
> http://tinyurl.com/FinishFlagFarmsMoths
> http://www.finishflagfarms.com
--
J. Merrill Lynch
Echo Valley Farm
Watauga County, NC
Elevation: 3,400 feet
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