Port Burwell moths

I recently picked up a new moth light that utilizes LED technology. Marketed as the LepiLED, the light is produced in Germany by Dr. Gunnar Brehm, a lepidopterist who studies moth communities in Costa Rica and Ecuador.

Some moths and other insects are attracted to light and are particularly fond of wavelengths found along the UV spectrum. Black lights and mercury vapor bulbs are some of the better options to produce the desired wavelengths, but these lights come with a downside. That being, of course, that they use a lot of energy (especially the very bright mercury vapor bulbs) and thus need a constant energy source, such as an electrical outlet on the side of your house, a generator, or a deep cycle battery. Neither of these options are very portable! LEDs use far less energy but in the past they were never really used to attract insects. But relatively recent advances in LED technology mean that LEDs that produce the correct types of wavelengths are now available. The LepiLED uses 8 LEDs that cover a wide sprectrum. The reviews seemed to be generally positive so I forked out the cash and patiently waited for the light to arrive.

The light certainly wasn't cheap, and you can buy a lot of UV lighting for how much one LepiLED costs, but you can't beat the portability. It weighs a total of 410 grams and can run off of a powerbank (I use a 27,000 mAh powerbank to power it). The setup is incredibly portable and the powerbank should provide about 15 hours of continuous use before it needs to be recharged. The LepiLED also appears to be very well built, and is more-or-less waterproof as well (though it shouldn't be used in steady rain, but who goes mothing when it is pouring with rain?).

The light arrived last week and I completed a few trial runs at home. But I did not get a chance to test it out properly until this past weekend when Laura and I drove down to Port Burwell to meet my parents, sister and brother-in-law for our annual camping weekend. We strung up a white sheet from the awning of my parent's trailer, hung the LepiLED and turned it on for a few hours after dark.

I have to say, I was very impressed with the results! I photographed about 90 species of moths combined between the two nights. And that is with my powerbank dying on me during the second night, giving us only about an hour or so of mothing. In addition to the moths, a nice variety of wasps, beetles, leafhoppers and other insects appeared. Many of them were species I had never seen before. Without any further ado, below are a few photos of some of our favourite finds from the weekend.

Straight-lined Argyria Moth (Argyria critica) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

White-ribboned Carpet (Mesoleuca ruficillata) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Red-crossed Button Slug Moth (Tortricidia pallida) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Green Burgundy Stink Bug (Bamasa dimidiata) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Even-lined Sallow (Ipimorpha pleonectusa) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

The next one seems to be uncommon in Ontario. There are only four previous reports of this species on iNaturalist for the province; all of them from deep within the Carolinian.

Black-patched Glaphyria (Glaphyria fulminalis) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Red-fringed Emerald (Nemoria bistriaria) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Beautiful Wood-Nymph (Eudryas grata) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Yellow-shouldered Slug Moth (Lithacodes fasciola) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Doubleday's Baileya Moth (Baileya doubledayi) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Theridion sp. - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

While the big showy moths are fun, my favorites have to be the micros. The diversity in morphology and patterning is insane. With the help of a macro lens, the intricate detailing comes to life.

Reticulated Decantha Moth (Decantha boreasella) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Aster Eucosma Moth (Eucosma parmatana) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Orange-headed Epicallima Moth (Epicallima argenticincella) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Clemens' Bark Moth (Xylesthia pruniramiella) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Maple Caloptilia Moth (Caloptilia bimaculatella) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Walnut Caloptilia Moth (Caloptilia blandella) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Casebearer (Coleophora sp.) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

This is what a typical section of the moth sheet looked like:

Mothing at Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Olethreutes is a diverse genus of moths. I noted at least five species at the sheet, and they were some of the more common moths as well.

 Olethreutes concinnana - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Bunchberry Leaffolder Moth (Olethreutes connectum) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Mysterious Olethreutes Moth (Olethreutes mysteriana) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Northern Bush Katydid (Scudderia septentrionalis) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Red-lined Panopoda Moth (Panopoda rufimargo) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Crowned Slug Moth (Isa textula) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

I botched the focus on the next photo but wanted to include it anyways. This Crane Fly is afflicted with several mites. After doing some research it appears that these are mites in the genus Calyptostoma. This type of mite apparently prefers the thorax of crane flies.

Calyptostoma sp. - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Omnivorous Leafroller (Archips purpurana) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Variegated Midget (Elaphria versicolor) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

This beetle had pretty crazy antler-like antennae!

Dendroides canadensis - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Striped Chocolate-tipped Moth (Clostera strigosa) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Basswood Leafroller Moth (Pantographa limata) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

A single Summer Azure decided to visit for a few minutes as well. It was the only butterfly that came to the light.

Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Check out these showy leafhoppers, each of them barely 5 mm in length.

Saddled Leafhopper (Colladonus clitellarius) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Three-banded Leafhopper (Erythroneura tricincta) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Morrison's Pero Moth (Pero morrisonaria) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Sawfly sp. - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Showy Emerald (Dichorda iridaria) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Arched Hooktip (Drepana arcuata) - Port Burwell Provincial Park, Elgin County, Ontario

Even if the LepiLED is, say, only 3/4 as effective as a mercury vapor bulb, its advantages far outweigh that, at least for someone like myself who travels a fair bit, either within Ontario or places further afield. I will be taking it with me on future trips to the tropics, where even in a remote part of the jungle I could do several nights of mothing before the powerbank runs out. It will also be very useful in Ontario, as I will be able to set it up pretty much anywhere I visit. I am planning on taking an evening or two this week to set it up in a high quality natural area locally, like perhaps Short Hills, St. John's Conservation Area, Wainfleet Bog or Niagara Shores Conservation Area. It should be fun!!