possumsend's Favorites

Lastly, my favourite from the night. I think this could be Meterana tetrachroa! Certainly, doesn't look like plena. Delighted to see this. There was a lot of small-leaved Olearia shrubs which I believe is the host plant for them.

Interested in this one. I spent over an hour trying to match it to no avail! (sigh....). In terms of moth uploads, I am currently 16 days (and A LOT of moths!) behind real-time. Only my 3rd day at home this December. So... we are still on my way up to Kahurangi National Park. Here is an interesting batch from a night at Lake Rotoroa (Nelson Lakes) in the beech forest and adjoining shrubland.

The story behind the observation: Camping at a small tarn north-east of Devil River Peak, I noticed these fast-moving 'bright orange blurs'. In sunny weather, they would rarely settle. Constantly fluttering around, zipping left and right at 'break-neck speed', and occasionally just hitting the air and 'shooting-off' - until completely out of sight. I thought that they were probably this species, or perhaps a moth in the genus Metacrias. After three nights at this tarn, we ascended Devil River Peak before a long, challenging, and arduous 9-hour tramp through steep bluffs and boulders to a tarn east of Peak 1645 in the Anatoki Range. About one hour before we reached our campsite by the tarn, these 'orange-blurs' reappeared. I had my heavy tramping bag on my back and was 'pretty stuffed' after a long day's tramping and navigating bluffs, screes, dense scrub, and tors. Tempting as these 'orange-blurs' were, I could barely muster the energy to keep walking, let alone get my hand-net out of my pack, run after, and catch one! In addition, the terrain was extremely gnarly. Deep boulderfield, steep screes, and dense scrub. Running after one would have been treacherous, ankle-breaking stuff. I watched them with interest for a half hour whilst I continued my tramp. They were buzzing about, flitting left 5 metres, then right 10 metres. Never sitting still for more than half a second, then disappearing out of sight - just like the ones I saw near Devil River Peak. Later in the afternoon, just before 6 pm, I noticed that their behavior changed a little. Some of them starting landing in the vegetation more often, buzzing about in the foliage a bit. Observing this, I thought once I get to the campsite I will put my pack down, have a quick break, and then get my net out and try and catch one. It will be easier without a week's food and shelter on my back! Well..., as it turns out, I didn't have to do that! Only 200 metres before our camp site, an 'orange blur' lands in a very small (10 cm high) prostrate snow totara shrub a few metres in front of me. I notice that the moth gets a little tangled up in the foliage and branches. This is my chance! Quickly, I drop my pack and whip off my sunhat, slamming it over the moth in a cupped manner - so as not to squish it. To my amazement, I actually manage to catch a Declana glacialis in my hat! I carefully transfer the beautiful creature into a plastic container and take it the final few hundred metres to our campsite. After a sit down and a coffee, I set my tent up and photograph the moth on white paper (and a near-by pretty rock) within the safe confines of my tent - where I know it cannot escape my camera clicks! After a few dozen snaps I am done, and the moth is free to go. I release it back about where it was found and return to camp for some dinner and a well-earned rest.

Couldn't figure out what this moth is with any confidence. Three individuals uploaded separately of the same thing; I think. Drawn to light. Very busy night at Falls Dam. Lot's of interesting moths amongst the 1,000 porinas! Splitting the upload into manageable batches over this week.

These Physeticas do not look like the usual phricias I see and caught me eye immediately. I think they might be Physetica sequens. I see sequens is more common in the North Island but there are records from the Kakanui Mountains (close to this site), Lindis, and southern lakes areas. These ones are similar looking to this observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/103144587.

Day-flying on wetlands. Very small. Two individuals pictured. Burgan skink monitoring in a remote part of the Lammermoor Range provided good opportunities for a little mothing. First of 3 uploads. Moths starting with 'A' (lots of moths seem to start with 'A').

Burgan skink monitoring in a remote part of the Lammermoor Range provided good opportunities for a little mothing. First of 3 uploads. Moths starting with 'A' (lots of moths seem to start with 'A'). Drawn to light. One night there were at least 12 of them buzzing around the light. Absolute scenes!

Drawn to light. Burgan skink monitoring in a remote part of the Lammermoor Range provided good opportunities for a little mothing. First of 3 uploads. Moths starting with 'A' (lots of moths seem to start with 'A').

Day-flying on wetlands. Burgan skink monitoring in a remote part of the Lammermoor Range provided good opportunities for a little mothing. First of 3 uploads. Moths starting with 'A' (lots of moths seem to start with 'A').