Moth Week at H Ferrell Hogbottoms Wildlife Refuge and Outdoor Learning Center

This blog post was written by Caleb Hinojos and posted by David Gladden.

Hello friends, welcome back to the blog!

Last month on Friday July 26th, 2024 Jim Widener was gracious enough for some of my friends and me to come and set up a few mothing stations at H Ferrell Hogbottoms Wildlife Refuge and Outdoor Learning Center to celebrate the end of moth week.

Many more folks came than I expected and I greatly appreciate everyone for making the time. It really warmed my heart to see so many people interested in checking out an event that they had never been to.

Now, unlike other blogs the purpose of this one is to show all of you the biodiversity that exists within Irving. I believe that when I talk to many folks, their opinions on biodiversity may center around larger vertebrates or charismatic invertebrates. However, I think of the full load and the importance that all of them have. Not only for energy transfer as I discussed in the last blog, but also for the genes that make up the creature you see.

Losing species means a lot more than a niche opening up for others to come and take. It means that we have lost genetic material. Now, to some of you this also may not mean a lot, but in the age of genomic inquiry it can be a big deal.

Consider many of the insects that you will see below. They do not have an immune system, instead they have an open system. This means that they have to have a completely different way of taking care of invaders such as microbes, fungi, and parasites to name a few.

It is here where the genes really matter. Since many bacterial species have developed antibiotic resistance, scientists are trying to find new ways to combat them. Our six-legged friends show much promise for this. At the core of it, their genomes harbor defenses that we cannot fathom, but by studying them we can begin to discover what is really going on, and possibly implement their defenses into our medical systems.

I’ll stop my rambling at that and post some pics...

Please enjoy the photos and if there are any creatures on here that you may want a deep dive on, please post a comment.

White Ibis, Eudocimus albus

Wrinkled Grasshopper, Hippiscus ocelote

Bitterweed, Helenium amarum

Western Cattle Egret, Bubulcus ibis

Common Buckeye, Junonia coenia

Eastern Pondhawk, Erythemis simplicicollis

Neogerris hesione

Showy Grasshopper, Hesperotettix speciosus

Blanchard's Cricket Frog, Acris blanchardi

And as the sun set, they began to come out.

The moths and other insects were attracted to several different observing stations by setting up a white cloth and an ultraviolet light that shined on the cloth. Notice how some of the pictures have a violet tint to them.

Chrysops flavidus

Tribe Gyponini

Erythroneura calycula

Asian Tramp Snail, Bradybaena similaris

Red Bull Assassin Bug, Repipta taurus

Green Burgundy Stink Bug, Banasa dimidiata

Burrow-living Wolf Spiders, Hogna (undescribed species)

Sharp-headed Sharpshooter, Draeculacephala robinsoni

Complex Ponona citrina

Eastern Dobsonfly, Corydalus cornutus

Now for the moths!

Sparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sparganothis sulfureana

Falcate Sericoplaga, Sericoplaga externalis

Ragweed Plume Moth, Adaina ambrosiae

Cobubatha dividua

Snowy Urola Moth, Urola nivalis

Genus Desmia

Moonseed Moth, Plusiodonta compressipalpis

Southern Purple Mint Moth, Pyrausta laticlavia

Zebra Conchylodes Moth, Conchylodes ovulalis

I hope that you enjoy the photos everyone. If you aren’t already, please think about getting in touch with the garden so we can have you come volunteer with us when we are able to get back out there.

Cheers!