Rivers of Gold

Quelques images de mon voyage de mothing de week-end vers Shell Creek, San Luis Obispo County. Le début du printemps le long de la côte centrale est magnifique, et les routes secondaires ont été emballés avec les observateurs de fleurs. Il y avait des dizaines de voitures occupées par des familles pour un entraînement de fin de semaine, many had packed lunches and sat to watch the flowers grow. While I am happy to see people enjoying the natural beauty, it is difficult to see the damage their trampling can cause. Cependant, if more people could get out to appreciate nature, perhaps it would be easier to protect. The flowers were so bright and dense it was difficult to focus on moths, and after a few hours I started to go a little snow-blind (or as it shall forever be now known, flower-blind). Here are a few feeble attempts to capture the beauty.

(more images after the break)

Most likely a Schinia species feeding here.

Heliothodes diminutiva

Heliolonche joaquinensis

Xanthothrix neumoegeni

C'est Adela thorpella, or a fairy moth. Note the incredibly long antennae.

The full list of Lepidoptera seen for the day:

Papillons de nuit

Heliothodes diminutiva(Noctuidae)

Heliolonche joaquinensis (Noctuidae)

Heliolonche modicella (Noctuidae)

Schinia crotchii (Noctuidae)

Schinia amaryllis (Noctuidae)

Schinia pulchripennis (Noctuidae)

Xanthothrix neumoegeni (Noctuidae)

Axenus arvalis (Noctuidae)

Achyra occidentalis (Crambidés)

Adela thorpella (Adelidae)

Papillons

Danaus plexippus

vanessa atalanta

Coenonympha tullia

Anthocharis sara

Colias eurythème

Everes amyntula

Glaucopsyche lygdamus

Plébéjus acmon