Mokka mit Schlag » Bugs

American Copper, Lycaena phlaeas
Sandy Hook, New Jersey, 2009-09-26
1/250 s, f/11, ISO 100, Canon 100mm macro with ring flash

Augochlora pura
Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY, 2009-09-20

Last weekend I saw moths everywhere I went in Staten Island and Brooklyn. This weekend I couldn’t find a single one so we return to William R. Mason Regional Park in California for Hodges#5451.2, Parapediasia torquatella:

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I’ve been seeing some interesting day flying moths in the parks here in New York, especially in grassy areas. However I haven’t yet unpacked my camera gear from the move, much less taken it out in the field so it’s lucky I still have a bunch of California moths in the queue, like this beautiful Monopis crocicapitella from Mason Park:

Monopis crocicapitella, Hodges#415
William R. Mason Regional Park, Irvine, California, USA; August 26, 2009
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Before I left Irvine, I was starting to get in the habit of walking around Mason Park after dark, something I’d be a little more nervous about doing in Prospect Park, especially with a couple of thousand dollars worth of camera equipment around my neck. However the few lights in the park really did attract some beautiful insects you’d be hard-pressed to find in the daytime including this Diamondback Moth I found on my very last nightly foray:

Plutella xylostella, Hodges #2366
William R. Mason Regional Park
2009-08-26
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I missed Moth Monday last week because I was busy packing for my move back to Brooklyn, as well as trying to squeeze in just a few more state birds in California. I didn’t quite hit 300, but Little Blue Heron and Semipalmated Sandpiper were still nice additions.

I’m now back in New York. Federal Express hasn’t dropped off the Firewire disk where I store my raw photos; but here’s a JPEG from 2007; and in honor of my return, it’s from Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. This is Hodges 7132, the Common Tan Wave Moth:

Common Tan Wave Moth, Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge; August 12, 2007
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