July 11, 2021: Big Moths and Big Snakes

I need to go back and catch up with some items that were neglected the past few weeks due to all the loon news on the lake.  First, the appearance of Luna Moths occurred quite some time ago and several people told me of their sightings including this one by Dotty Treisner who found two of them resting on the red siding of her house.

Luna Moth (Actius Luna).   Photo by Dotty Treisner.

Though jealous of these sightings because I haven't seen one myself in many years I'm always excited to know these beautiful, huge moths are still present in the Lakes Region.  A big reason they're not often seen is that they only live for about a week in their adult, moth form, during which time they mate but they don't eat - they don't even have a mouth or a digestive tract.  All their food consumption occurs while they are a caterpillar, munching on tree leaves such as birch.

Another overdue observation dates all the way back to the rained-out bird walk that was to be led by UNH Extension Service biologist Mart Tarr at the Page Pond Community Forest.  As we were all waiting at the trailhead to see if the thunderstorm would pass quickly (it didn't) he mentioned there had been a lot of Baltimore Orioles in new Hampshire this summer.  Since I hadn't seen one of these bright orange birds yet this year I went out the next morning in the kayak to peruse likely oriole habitats, and sure enough I found one right away.

A Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) sings from the highest branch of a white pine.   

They are such impressive birds and their loud, repeated song carries a long way over the water to lead you to them.  You can listen to their songs here.

Another impressive bird is the great blue heron which even standing three feet tall is often hidden among the weeds and bushes of the shoreline.  So it was an uncommon sight when Cindy Desmond saw one perched completely exposed on a raft.

A great blue heron (Ardea herodias) standing tall.  Photo by Cindy Desmond.

Wild creatures aren't ashamed to take advantage of human alterations to the environment when they suit their needs, sometimes to their benefit, sometimes to their demise.  Running along the side of the road one day I saw a bright green snake sunning itself on the edge of road, soaking up the heat from the pavement.   I stopped to encourage it to move farther from the road lest it become a participant of the old "Frogger" video game, but I was too late.  Though still alive and wriggling from what looked like a minor injury I'm pretty sure it wasn't going to survive the trauma it had endured.  And that wasn't the only snake-on-human-structure moment this week.  One morning I found this large northern water snake sunning itself on our dock when I went out for a paddle.

One warm, happy, water snake.

Like all snakes it wanted nothing to do with me and immediately slithered off the dock as I approached, but I was ready.  You probably shouldn't watch this video if you don't like snakes and ever want to swim in a lake again.

There's been plenty of stormy weather lately including the most recent heavy rains from tropical storm Elsa; the lake right now is a good six inches above full pond.  Did you catch the sunset as one of the recent storms departed?

I think our drought conditions have been largely remedied at this point.

I can't close without an update on the loons.  Coco and Jimmy were both doing fine at my last check on Saturday.  I don't see them as often now that they are widening their circle of travel all the way out to the area between Sheep and Bryant Islands.  Keep an eye out for them on your lake trips as they may be most anywhere on the northern portion of the lake in the coming weeks - they are still pretty small and vulnerable.

"Move your head dad, I can't see!"

My counterparts who report on the nature scene at Pleasant Lake in New London have been following an interesting loon story that mirrors our experience with a mate change.  But the female loons battling each other on Pleasant Lake have not given up the fight and it's taking a toll on everyone.  Their reporting implies that male loons fight over territory while female loons fight over males.  This week's report is dramatic, violent, and heart wrenching, but it's worth reading to better understand these complex animals.  You can find their report here; it will make you appreciate how fortunate we are to be having a peaceful year on Wicwas.

Nap time on Lake Wicwas.

August 23, 2020: Luna Moth

Back in June a friend sent me a picture of the tremendous Luna Moth that she saw on a tree trunk near Sawyer Pond in Gilmanton.

Luna Moth (Actius luna), June 21, 2020.    (Photo by a good friend.)

These are one of our largest moths and though not rare in New Hampshire, they are not often seen due their nocturnal behavior.  I still remember the first time I saw one of these - it was on the exterior wall of my parents cottage on the west side of Lake Wicwas.  My mom noticed it and called us all out to see it.  I don't know if it was her excitement or just the size and beauty of it, but that moment has stuck with me, and I've been fascinated by them ever since.  I haven't seen one myself in a long time so I was most appreciative of receiving this photo from a friend - thank you!

Luna moths are members of the silk moth family, and are found only in North America.  They are sensitive to light so are often attracted to porch lights.  But this attraction to artificial light is also a problem for them as it affects their navigation and possibly their life cycle.  Light pollution and pesticides are two of the largest risks to these moths, as are naturally occurring parasitic flies and the many birds and animals that hunt them for food.  Their attraction to porch lights and their subsequent landing on illuminated walls makes them highly visible to predators.  

I'm writing about the Luna moth now because Linda found this huge green caterpillar crawling along the ground in one of her gardens this week, and we immediately thought "Luna moth".  

Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus) caterpillar.

Researching this journal entry I learned wasn't a Luna moth caterpillar, but rather a Polyphemus moth caterpillar.  The Polyphemus moth is equal in size to the Luna, but its adult form is brown rather than green, and it also has the distinctive eye shapes on its wings which help to confuse and scare predators.  The two moths' larval stages are very similar;  I learned the best way to distinguish them is by their face.  The Luna moth has a green face while the Polyphemus moth has a brown, bearded face.  Fortunately we had gotten a good look at its business end.

Linda's friend has the brown face of the Polyphemus moth.

This future-moth will soon wrap itself up in a cocoon made of silk and leaves where it will spend the winter amidst the leaf litter - another reason not to rake the leaves under the trees at the periphery of your lawn!  

Both types of these "macro" moths have one life cycle per year.  The pupa will start to develop in May when the ground warms; the adult moth will emerge a few weeks later.  The adult does not eat, but will find a mate and the female will lays its eggs on the underside of a leaf - mostly birch in our area, but hickory and walnut are also preferred hosts.  The eggs will hatch in about a week and eat and grow until they reach three inches in length.  During this phase both Luna and Polyphemus caterpillars will molt five times as they grow; each of these phases is called an "instar", so these species have five instars.  After their final instar they will form their cocoon and the cycle begins again.  Here are a couple of references to learn more about these giant insects:

Magical Moths, Rick Van de Poll, NH Fish and Game Wildlife Journal, July/August, 2017

Butterflies and Moths of North America

These caterpillars will be all sealed up and safe when the cool weather arrives.  Did you feel the late-summer chill in the air earlier this week?  The lakes sure did, and they showed their displeasure by weeping mist from their still-warm waters.  

Summer is starting to get tired.