Lunedi Moth

Chiricahua multidentati (Geometridi)

Falena di questo Lunedi è una specie spettacolare delle montagne dell'Arizona – Chiricahua multidentati, un Geometrid. La posizione unica conosciuta per questa specie è in cima delle montagne Chiricahua di cui sopra 9,000 piedi (che è stato appena bruned per un croccante). Hopefully the fire was not . . . → Per saperne di più: Lunedi Moth

Lunedi Moth

I’ll keep the ball rolling with Arctiinae and post a photo today of Ctenucha brunnea. This moth can be common in tall grasses along beaches from San Francisco to LAalthough in recent decades the numbers of this moth have been declining with habitat destruction and the invasion of beach grass (Ammophila arenaria). Ma . . . → Per saperne di più: Lunedi Moth

Curators Astounded!

Well as you may have guessed the subject isn’t as shocking as my title suggests, but I couldn’t help but to spin from the Guardian article. I really find it hilarious when I come across anything that says scientists areastounded”, “baffled”, “shocked”, “puzzled”, – I guess that’s a topic for another timeNevertheless a . . . → Per saperne di più: Curators Astounded!

Lunedi Moth

Today’s moth is a beautiful and rare species from SE Arizona and Mexico: Lerina incarnata (Erebidae: Arctiinae). Like many other day flying species it is brilliantly colored and quite likely aposematic. After all, the host plant is a milkweed and the caterpillar is just as stunning (sotto).

Lerina incarnata (Erebidae: Arctiinae)

 

This . . . → Per saperne di più: Lunedi Moth

Lunedi Moth

I’m going to keep the ball rolling with this series and try to make it more regular. I will also focus on highlighting a new species each week from the massive collections here at the California Academy of Sciences. This should give me enough material forat least a few hundred years.

Grammia . . . → Per saperne di più: Lunedi Moth

Arizona followup

Map/% updated June 20, 6pm.

Updates to the maps and containment percentages have been made to my earlier post. Here is a map of the 4th fire burning in SE Arizona, the Monument fire. This one is only 10% 17% 15% 27% contained and is burning in the southern end of the Huachuca Mountains . . . → Per saperne di più: Arizona followup

Lunedi Moth

Whoops, it’s almost Tuesday! Above is Schinia ligeae (Noctuidae) resting on its host plant Xylorhiza tortifolia, the Mojave Aster. I photographed this about three weeks ago outside the town of Big Pine, California. The asters were thick in the valleys below the snow capped Sierra, and the moths were abundant. . . . → Per saperne di più: Lunedi Moth

La missione Blue Butterfly

 

Maschio – Marin Headlands

Come tanti altri animali urbani, la Mission Blue Butterfly (Plebejus icarioides missionensis) è uno che è gravemente in pericolo. Questo piccolo blu vive in minuscoli frammenti di habitat insieme a uno sviluppo multimilionario all'interno e intorno alla baia di San Francisco. Un secolo fa questa farfalla . . . → Per saperne di più: La missione Blue Butterfly

Domenica Moth

 

Everyone is familiar with the famous death’s head hawkmoth, but I think it’s a shame we have popularized such a grim character. Above is a much more cheery Neotropical Arctiinae from French Guiana that looks like it’s sporting a clown face. Sadly this isn’t my photograph, ma . . . → Per saperne di più: Domenica Moth

Il più piccolo di falene

La famiglia Nepticulidae tenere alcune delle falene più piccole conosciute, che vanno da 3-8mm wing-tip a wing-tip. Per un confronto che ho ripreso due falene sopra: il più grande conosciuto – Hercules Coscinocera che punta le scale a quasi 9 pollici, e uno dei più piccoli (sì che minuscolo granello . . . → Per saperne di più: Il più piccolo di falene