Hi All,
As of August 29 most of the harvest is in on Prince Edward Island, but I still have some luna, columbia and many polyphemus still feeding. The harvest of Sphinigidae: Pachysphinx modesta, Smerinthus cerisyi and Sphinx drupiferaum is complete, and over 90% of the Dryocampa rubicunda have pupated.
I did not have a good year with cecropia, and just about all of the columbia are already spoken for, but I do expect to have lots of nice luna and polyphemus for marketing along with the three Sphingidae species and the rubicunda. There is also possibility that I will be able to acquire some promethea and Eacles imperialis pini from a friend and fellow breeder in Ontario.
I will be setting prices by mid September and will begin taking Canadian orders at that time.
In the United States it is still too early to know what will be available this year, but I hope to have listing with prices by early October.
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I had an interesting experience in July. I received a box of returned cocoons from a US customer. He had ordered (mostly) some cecropia and polyphemus in late fall 2019 and cocoons were shipped early winter 2020. As of end of June he had had only one polyphemus emerge so he returned three polyphemus cocoons and all four cecropia cocoons, thinking that they must all be dead.
When I opened the box, there was a dead polyphemus moth inside that apparently emerged in transit and did not inflate properly. The other two polyphemus cocoons still seemed good so I cut them open to check on their viability. Both were fully formed and lively. The following moth emerged August 14 from one of the returned cocoons.
The cocoons had been overwintered in an enclosed porch. I suspect they experienced some unusual photo-period x temperature extremes.
I shook the cecropia cocoons and two had desiccated but contained fully formed pupae. The dry rattling sound indicated the pupae were dead, and the cocoons would not have been shipped by my US shipping partner in that condition. One cocoon contained a fully formed adult moth that was unable to escape. I found it hung up in the escape valves when I cut open the cocoon. The other cocoon contained a larva that had not pupated. The cocoon must have felt good to shipping partner when the order was packaged.
Customer has been offered a credit for three cecropia cocoons and a different overwintering technique has been suggested.
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Sphingidae Express
I had good success with the three Sphingidae species I reared this year. Pupae are large and healthy.
Joe Garris has done an excellent job of providing me with images (posted) of the development of Sphinx franckii larvae that he has been rearing. It is the first time that larvae, other than final instar, have been displayed on Sphingidae of the Americas website. Joe has also provided an image of the pupa.
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Catocala Capers
Matthew Beatty sent me some beautiful images of a live Catocala junctura from Lake County, Indiana. Id has been confirmed by Larry Gall. It is the first time there is a live junctura on display on my Catocala website. Image on display on the Indiana page and also on junctura page.
Jack Love recently sent me an image, identified by Larry Gall as Catocala amatrix form pallida, from Homedale, Owyhee, Idaho. Dr. Gall indicates the western specimens are often very pale. I have added amatrix to the Idaho checklist and posted the image of form pallida.
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