Utah 2014

High elevation shrub meadows and rock outcrops just above treeline, just south of Empire Pass at 9000′ in Wasatch County, Utah. Abundant wildflowers and fabulous 360 degree views.

utah_treeline

Desert habitat at 4800 feet in Washington Co., Utah. Ephedra, Opuntia, Quercus in pine-juniper scrub. This site produced two female moths of Nemoria darwiniata punctularia who both laid eggs for larval rearing.

utah_habitat_leeds

 

Moths (plus a Tipulid crane fly and a large desert katydid) from Dixie National Forest above Leeds, UT. The sheet was particularly rich in Catocaline Noctuids (Drasteria and some Catocala) and Macariine Geometrids (Digrammia and Macaria).

utah_moths

Below, on the left, our field study and DNA research poster presentation hanging at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Lepidopterists’ Society, Park City, UT. Congratulations to Jenna, Emily, Amy, Justin, and Sam for having your many months of great work presented at a national meeting!
utah_poster

A few high elevation butterflies, day-flying moths, and light trapped Geometrids from Utah field collecting in Wasatch County and Utah County around Park City. The blue butterflies are Lycaena heteronea. The green moths in bottom rows are two specimens of Nemoria unitaria, a widespread summer species in Utah.

utah_speciemens

Map locating site of light sheet run in Uinta-Cache NF on July 18th at about 7800 feet in Aspen, Spruce, Willow along Indian Creek – cold night – in the fifties at dusk, but very active for noctuids, some geometrids, a few other hardy high elevation moths.

utah_map

While watching the sunset and the water at Renegade camping area on Strawberry Reservoir, we were treated to some beautiful courtship displays and synchronized skimming by three pairs of Pacific Loons. Lots of calling and neck bobbing, side by side skittering across the water and diving together.

PacificLoons

Pacific Loon, above, by Tim Lenz is licensed under CC BY 2.0.