CANADIAN PETROPHILA MOTH COMMON ALONG SANDUSKY RIVER IN OHIO

Hiking along the Sandusky River near Fremont, Ohio, hundreds of small butterfly or moth species would flitter out of the bushes as I pushed my way through them. One, the Canadian Petrophila moth, perched upon a flower and allowed me to take a close-up shot (above photo). Its larvae live inside underwater silk nests, which it spins on top of rocks in the Sandusky River. And, the adults flock to nearby vegetation bordering the river. The larvae live inside underwater retreats (sheets of spun silk) on top of rocks in the often swift-flowing Sandusky River and the adults find shelter in the nearby riparian vegetation during the day. They live from May to September, producing two broods.

I wonder how much of a food source the larvae is to trout and other creatures inhabiting our streams and rivers. The aquatic larvae feed preferentially on diatoms that become trapped in their silk sheets, and also scrape algae from the rocks. Two generations of larvae grow each year and the adults over winter. 

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The adults, as you can see in the photos I took, have a triangular arrangement of 3 black spots on the forewing. Petrophila canadensis is fairly small, with a forewing length of 5.5 to 9 mm. The forewing is whitish, with bands and lines of grayish brown, brown and orange-brown. The basal area is brownish. Aquatic Lepidoptera are amazing and are only recently beginning to be studied more intensely. The distribution of aquatic Lepidoptera in Michigan is limited, but the Aquatic Lepidoptera of Michigan is a project in just beginning.

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Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S believes urban sprawl can be offset by creating wildlife-friendly spaces in America's 25,000,000 lawns, one yard at a time! Click HERE to learn why. A portion of Ad revenues (10%) will be donated to Monarch Watch, earmarked for their Monarch Waystation program. Do you have a wildlife-friendly space? Please share it! Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

MONARCH BUTTERFLIES LAYING EGGS EARLY IN NW OHIO!

I didn't expect to witness a Monarch butterfly, but I did. Tattered and appearing as if it flew a considerable distance and weathered a few storms...there it was at Wolf Creek Park in Sandusky County, Ohio. I tried to snap a photo but it was wary of my presence and flew across the field as if it was on a special mission...which it was. The Common Milkweed plants were thriving, so I checked the leaves and collected 13 Monarch eggs off of 8 plants.

Last year, I didn't see a Monarch until June, so I was both surprised and happy. I scrubbed out my "nursery" plastic aquarium and placed the milkweed leaves and attached eggs in it, atop a moist paper towel. I can't believe it...the Monarch butterfly season has started early for me at Waystation No. 613. I took these photos today, 5/13/12 before collecting them.

Here's another shot of three leaves collected with one egg on each. I collected 8 more leaves with a total of 13 eggs. I didn't see any more Monarch butterflies and wondered if the one tattered adult had laid all of them. Despite her weathered appearance, she flittered rapidly through the meadow doing her duty to  perpetuate her species.

It was 70 degrees and I soon overheated. It's not easy bending over and checking the underside of each milkweed leaf I came across, especially in the hot sun. So, I sought shelter in the woodlands of Wolf Creek Park and enjoyed the cool shade of towering trees along the Sandusky River. That female Monarch butterfly made my day! The Monarch raising season has officially begun at Monarch Waystation No. 613 in Fremont, Ohio!

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Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S believes urban sprawl can be offset by creating wildlife-friendly spaces in America's 25,000,000 lawns, one yard at a time! Click HERE to learn why. A portion of Ad revenues (10%) will be donated to Monarch Watch, earmarked for their Monarch Waystation program. Do you have a wildlife-friendly space? Please share it! Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form.

NEW OHIO BIRD BOOKSTORE SPECIALIZES IN OHIO'S BIRDS!

This is a great resource for information on Ohio birds. The Ohio Bird Bookstore has 11 Aisles of field guides, research papers, and articles focused on Ohio birds, including county-by-county papers. For example, "The Birds Found in Sharon Woods", "Birds of Southwestern Ohio", "Nesting ecology and nesting habitat requirements of Ohio's grassland-nesting birds: A literature review", "Population Trends of Breeding Birds in Ohio", and "The birds of Ohio; a complete scientific and popular description of the 320 species of birds found in the state" shows how specific the selections are in this Ohio Bird Bookstore. Enjoy!