Päiväkirja-arkisto kohteelle elokuu 2018

elokuu 9, 2018

Saturday Blacklighting Trip

We're planning a blacklighting trip near Green Swamp Preserve to look at
bugs on Saturday, August 11. The more people come out, the more fun it
will be for everyone! The site is just about an hour Northeast from USF.
We will meet on-site around sunset (ca. 8pm).


Nils photographed this luna moth last time!

Feel free to bring someone along. Bring something to sit on (extra
picnic chairs are always useful), snacks and/or non-alcoholic drinks to
share, a camera, and a flashlight. I recommend dark clothing, long
sleeves, long pants, and closed-toed shoes, since we can't use bug spray
near the blacklight.

You should receive an email with the details of the trip via Darwin today.
If you don't, and you want to go, let me know and I'll send you the rest of
the information (specific location, contact info, etc.) that I can't post online.

Julkaistu elokuu 9, 2018 02:18 IP. käyttäjältä durieudm durieudm | 0 kommenttia | Jätä kommentti

elokuu 13, 2018

Blacklighting Report

We had a great trip Saturday! We arrived about an hour before sunset to take some photos in daylight and set up the insect lights. This time, we brought a double 4-foot fluorescent fixture fitted with two blacklight bulbs, and a 175W metal halide bulb on a tripod. As usual, the first hour was relatively quite, with only a few small flies.

Around 9pm, and continuing through 11pm, things got crazy. We saw not one, but two Luna moths, a good half-dozen imperial moths, a handful of sphinx moths of several different species, and hundreds of smaller moths. In addition we found a fiery searcher beetle, stick insects, a bunch of toads and treefrogs, and the biggest katydid I have ever seen in my life!

Around 11:30, as we were packing up the sheets to head home, we got one last surprise: a friendly little black swampsnake crawling across the road. He was nice enough to pose for some photos before happily burrowing back into the sand.

We hope to see everyone at the next excursion, to be announced soon!
Let me know if there is anything in particular you would like to do.

(Thanks Nils for the wonderful photos)

Julkaistu elokuu 13, 2018 05:44 IP. käyttäjältä durieudm durieudm | 0 kommenttia | Jätä kommentti

elokuu 17, 2018

Hillsborough River State Park Nature Walk

We will be going to Hillsborough River State Park for a nature walk and picnic on Saturday, September 1, to celebrate surviving the first two weeks of the semester. This park has sections of ephemeral pools, riverfront, oak forest, and pine scrub, making for a diverse assemblage of plant and animal life.


(Great Blue Heron by Mary Mangiapia)

We will meet at the reserve at 9 am, hike the trails for a few hours, and then have a pot-luck picnic lunch at the visitor center before heading home. Please bring food and/or drinks to share. The trails are usually flat and dry, but I recommend sturdy shoes and sun protection. You may also want to bring binoculars, and of course your camera.


(American Alligator by Nils Tack)

We may be able to arrange carpooling from USF if anyone needs a ride there.
RSVP to David (durieudm) if you plan to attend, so we know to wait for you before we start our hike.

Julkaistu elokuu 17, 2018 08:03 IP. käyttäjältä durieudm durieudm | 0 kommenttia | Jätä kommentti

elokuu 21, 2018

Hillsborough River State Park instead of Circle B Bar

I have been informed that the Circle B Bar reserve closes most of its trails this time of year, so we will wait until later in the season to do that hike. In the meantime, I have changed the location to the Hillsborough River State Park, which covers a range of habitat types as well. Besides the obvious riparian habitat, we will see oak forest, pine scrub, and this time of year there are many ephemeral pools with their associated wildlife. The plans otherwise remain unchanged.


Eastern Rat Snake at Hillsborough River State Park, by Nils Tack

Julkaistu elokuu 21, 2018 04:39 IP. käyttäjältä durieudm durieudm | 0 kommenttia | Jätä kommentti

elokuu 27, 2018

2018-08-26 Bug Light

175 Watt Metal Halide against a vertical white sheet. Lights on ca. 8 PM, off ca. 9 PM EST. Weather overcast, turning to light rain.

Julkaistu elokuu 27, 2018 01:30 AP. käyttäjältä durieudm durieudm | 7 havaintoa | 0 kommenttia | Jätä kommentti

Arkistot