Wildlife July 2011

[alpines]

No spiders this time, although there could Maggi
Here's a shot from Sherba of a Lunar Moth relative, Antheraea polyphemus. Apparently, the adult moths don't eat. They just stay alive long enough to mate. Sounds good to me

[Maggi Young]

Perhaps its my age.... but I'd vote for the food myself......

A most attractive moth, well pictured by your clever lady..... taken while you were having supper? 

[alpines]

 

[Anthony Darby]

Nice harvestman Fred. Difficult to identify small brown caterpillars Mark. I have bred polyphemus from New York. It feeds on oak and beech leaves as a caterpillar and has relatives in Asia, such as the Assam silkmoth (Antheraea pernyi, which has been naturalised on Mallorca, and the Australian emperor gum moth, which used to be lumped in with it. The last is also found in New Zealand, but is now Ododiphtera eucalypti, not Antheraea eucalypti. I have 30 cocoons in the garage.

[Lesley Cox]

The lunar moth is a real beauty. I've always wanted to see these since reading "A Girl of the Limberlost" and "Freckles" by Gene Stratton Porter. Old, old books, but beautiful.

[Lori S.]

Luna moth (not "lunar")... of which I have only ever seen one - they are a beautiful ghostly green!

[Lesley Cox]

Luna moth (not "lunar")... of which I have only ever seen one - they are a beautiful ghostly green!

Thanks Lori. I wondered about that but I was following the lead of the above "expert."

[Anthony Darby]

It's not a luna moth, it's a luna moth relative, Lesley. The luna moth (Actias luna) is green with tails, and again has relatives in Europe, Africa and Asia.

[Lori S.]

It's not a luna moth, it's a luna moth relative, Lesley. The luna moth (Actias luna) is green with tails, and again has relatives in Europe, Africa and Asia.

Yes, I know.... (it was me who started this.  )  I was just pointing out that the term is "luna", not "lunar".

[Anthony Darby]

..........and I was correcting Lesley, not you Lori.

[Lori S.]

But maybe Lesley was actually referring to luna moth, not to the relative shown above... ?? 

[Anthony Darby]

But maybe Lesley was actually referring to luna moth, not to the relative shown above... ?? 

You could be right Lori?

The lunar moth is a real beauty. I've always wanted to see these since reading "A Girl of the Limberlost" and "Freckles" by Gene Stratton Porter. Old, old books, but beautiful.

I have a copy of Gene Stratton-Porter's "Moths of the Limberlost", which my piano teacher gave me for my birthday in January 1970. Alas, it's not an illustrated version. I notice the spelling in this, and "Song of the Cardinal" and "Laddie", the spelling in UK English, which is interesting for a book written by an American.

[Lesley Cox]

..........and I was correcting Lesley, not you Lori.

How DARE you?

No I was referring to Alan's picture, as "a beauty" assuming though that it was one of a number of different lunar (sic) moths. Happy to be corrected by you both, and I had in my mind the ghostly pale green one, which was the inspiration for Elnora's beautiful dress. Funnily enough I also have a copy of "Laddie" and a couple of others, which I've never read. All picked up at the local Regent booksale where wonderful books go for 50c or a $1, to raise funds for the Regent theatre here in Dunedin. The sale goes for 24 hours, 12pm-12pm just one day a year and there are up to 100,000 books on sale.

[Anthony Darby]

Laddie is quite a read. The Song of the Cardinal much simpler. My mother has these copies. I'm going to have to get rid of some books! Went to a book signing with Jeffrey Deaver. He was quite entertaining, so I bought the new James Bond book and another Lincoln Rhyme thriller.

[alpines]

Thanks Lori. I wondered about that but I was following the lead of the above "expert."

That was no expert. That was me