Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Moth

Update on the Waterton wildfire, from CBC News - includes a poor quality helicopter video showing the townsite and the Prince of Wales hotel. Just amazing work done by all the firefighters! Thank you so much for everything you've done! Apparently, a few Elk and Bears have been seen in the town, which is great news. Plants will recover - some plants grow after there has been a fire, and some actually require a fire in order to grow and bloom. The status of the fire is now "held", which means that it is no longer growing but it is still burning in spots. Crandell Campground was significantly affected, which presumably means the same for the nearby Canyon Church Camp. Also, the Bison Paddock was damaged. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-waterton-lakes-nat... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This morning, our temperature is 0C (windchill -2C). I am SO not ready for this! On 8 September 2017, I decided on the spur of the moment, to drive south to the Saskatoon Farm. I wasn't sure what I would be doing that weekend and wanted to make sure I went there to buy a few of their vegetables and fruit. I knew that a weekend would be a much busier time. I also wanted to photograph a few of their beautiful Artichoke flowers before they were all past their prime. All the flowers were very popular with the bees and this Looper Moth, which was so good to see. As usual, I wandered round the grounds with my camera, catching one of the cats, one of the dogs, and a few of the chickens, as well as flowers. I never return home with an empty memory card when I visit this place. Unfortunately, it was a smoky day (what's new?) with the air quality rating an unpleasant High Risk level. In fact, I almost turned back before I was half way there. This interesting place is maybe a 25-minute drive SE from the southern edge of Calgary. You can collect your own Saskatoon berries in season, look around their outside green houses, and their inside gift shop full of unusual things, and buy special baking, jams, teas and so on. They also have a restaurant that offers great food. www.saskatoonfarm.com/

During a day of botanizing three days ago, 30 June 2015, at the property belonging to Judy Osborne - James River, N. of Sundre - I happened to notice this rather fine Virginia Ctenucha moth. Love those beautiful, feathery antennae, the iridescent turquoise, and the tiny splash of bright orange. Just three of us went with Judy to visit her cabin (or, as she describes it, her "shack") and the surrounding forest and river. What a beautiful property she has - 100 acres of forest, meadow, and river valley. We so appreciate her having us there to record all the plants, insects, birds, etc. that we could find. I've never seen so many beautiful wild Roses! She also has a Great Gray Owl, but there was no sign of it while we were there. We are always happy to visit someone's land and compile a very detailed list of our findings for them. It's always a win/win situation - we enjoy what we are doing and love to explore a new location, and the owner ends up with a record of what was found on their property. Judy very generously provided a delicious lunch for us, too, which we ate out on the deck, surrounded by busy little Pine Siskins visiting her bird feeder. Thanks so much for this absolute treat, Judy, and for driving the three of us out there from our meeting place in the city. We were so lucky with the weather, enjoying a day of sunshine. How things changed when we got back to Calgary. Our meeting place was near Chinook Mall and to drive home, I had to drive through flash flooding!! I don't remember ever having to drive through water like that! What a storm this part of the city must have had while we were way NW of Calgary! www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/flash-flooding-causes-prob...

Three days ago, I finally managed to get out along the Elbow Falls Trail that goes westwards into the beginning of the mountains. This was the first time I had managed to get out there this year and, really on the spur of the moment, that's where I decided to go. The weather called for some sun and some cloud, which sounded good. After the two heavy snowfalls on 9 and 10 September, I wasn't sure what to expect before I reached the beginning of the mountains, but every bit of snow had disappeared. The furthest point of my drive was Forgetmenot Pond, one of my favourite places to go. Too many other people had also decided to come out to this beautiful spot, unfortunately. This drive is the only one I will do on my own into the mountains, and it only takes about an hour to get from home to the Pond. On the return drive, I called in at a place not far from the pond, where I have found a few mushrooms in previous years, and managed to find just a few that were in good enough condition to photograph. Other than that, I didn't see a whole lot during the few hours I was out. The scenery is spectacular and there were patches of trees that have turned yellow. Some of the trees looked as though their leaves were past their fall prime, and I came away wondering if I was a bit too early or a bit too late (seems to be the latter) to see the best of the fall colours. Found this small Moth on an outhouse wall : ) The final place I called in at was Maclean Pond, but the light was fading somewhat and so I didn't feel like going far into the forest. I had just got back into my car when I happened to look up just in time to see a family of beautiful Bluejays not far from the parking lot. Managed to get a few shots, but distant and not as sharp as they should have been. A nice way to end the day, though.

A washroom of any kind is always so welcome on long days out in the mountains. This particular one had various buildings nearby and so was a fancier one, with a window! This small Moth was an added bonus. Seen on a wonderful two-day trip to the Rocky Mountains, west of Calgary, with friends Cathy and Terry.

Not sure where I took this photo, but it may have been on my bathroom door. Moths' patterns never fail to amaze me. I rarely get one of these in my place, and I'm glad, as I really don't like these furry ones, ha.

Haven't had time yet to see what general kind of moth this is - I don't usually see them and when I do, it's not easy to photograph these very small, narrow insects. Should be a good enough photo for ID, though. Taken while botanizing the beautiful hillside at the Leighton Art Centre (SW of Calgary) on 6 July 2013, when three of us went there to record all the flora and fauna that we found. Later: this appears to be some kind of Plume Moth, but that's as far as I have got so far. The closest I've been able to find so far is Platyptilia carduidactylus. "The Pterophoridae or plume moths are a family of Lepidoptera with unusually modified wings. Though they belong to the Apoditrysia like the larger moths and the butterflies, unlike these they are tiny.... The usual resting posture is with the wings extended laterally and narrowly rolled up. Often they resemble a piece of dried grass, and may pass unnoticed by potential predators even when resting in exposed situations in daylight." From Wikipedia.

Two of us were photgraphing what we thought was a "new" (to us) beautiful yellow butterfly, on a walk at Shannon Terrace in Fish Creek Park. Instead, it turned out to be a beautiful "new" moth. Thanks for researching the ID, Doug W!

I'd never seen this species before, so was happy to see this one, hanging inside the glass display window in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. Couldn't get a better photo of it, unfortunately. Can you imagine having no mouth, so you can't eat and you only live for one week?? Apparently, this was the only Luna Moth that they had at the Zoo, so weren't successful in creating more. I feel very lucky to have seen this one. "Actias luna, commonly known as the Luna Moth, is a lime-green, Nearctic Saturniid moth in the family Saturniidae, subfamily Saturniinae. It has a wingspan of up to 4.5 inches (114mm), making it one of the largest moths in North America. This moth is found in North America from east of the Great Plains in the United States to northern Mexico and from Sasakatchewan eastward through central Quebec to Nova Scotia in Canada.[ Although rarely seen due to their very brief (1 week) adult lives, Luna Moths are considered common. As with all Saturniidae, the adults do not eat or have mouths. They emerge as adults solely to mate, and as such, only live approximately one week. They are more commonly seen at night. " From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actias_luna

Photographed on a great day of botanizing (plus a bit of canoeing!) at the Medicine River Wildlife Centre, Spruce View, Alberta (NW of Calgary). Funny how it works sometimes - the best of a bunch of photos of this moth, and it happens to be on a most unphotogenic Fleabane flower, ha. There seem to have been a lot of these Police Car Moths this year. "This is a fairly large moth with a wingspan of up to 50 mm. The wings are jet black with large white patches between the black scaled veins. As well, there are two orange patches of hairs on either side of the thorax, right behind the head. It is this colour combination, that of an old style police car, that gives it its name. Larvae are hairy and black with yellow and blue markings. The Police Car Moth is found throughout the province in or near forested areas. Adults fly throughout July and early August." From www.royalalbertamuseum.ca "A common western North American species found from southern British Columbia across to western Manitoba and south to northern New Mexico. Adults are diurnal and are found nectaring on flowers. There are four other species in this genus, however this is the only one that occurs in Alberta. Wingspan is 46 - 50 mm; various habitats, but not on the prairies; caterpillar's diet is Lungwort." www.insectsofalberta.com/policecarmoth.htm

Another shot of a Police Car Moth, taken on a small boardwalk near the parking lot at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, on 4 August 2012. "This is a fairly large moth with a wingspan of up to 50 mm. The wings are jet black with large white patches between the black scaled veins. As well, there are two orange patches of hairs on either side of the thorax, right behind the head. It is this colour combination, that of an old style police car, that gives it its name. Larvae are hairy and black with yellow and blue markings. The Police Car Moth is found throughout the province in or near forested areas. Adults fly throughout July and early August." From www.royalalbertamuseum.ca .

Photographed in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo yesterday afternoon, 21 August 2012. There was a rack with a number of pupa hanging from it and a couple of these emerged Atlas Moths. They are incredible, huge Moths, but I never seem to get a photo of one that I am happy with, ha. Always fascinated by their amazing antennae and their unusual legs. "Atlas moths are considered to be the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface area (upwards of c. 400 square cm or 65 square inches). Their wingspans are also amongst the largest, from 25-30 cm (10-12 inches). Females are appreciably larger and heavier .... The Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) is a large saturniid moth found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia, and common across the Malay archipelago" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacus_atlas

Not the best photo of a Police Car Moth, but I wanted it as a record. Seen in Weaselhead on 18 July 2012. "This is a fairly large moth with a wingspan of up to 50 mm. The wings are jet black with large white patches between the black scaled veins. As well, there are two orange patches of hairs on either side of the thorax, right behind the head. It is this colour combination, that of an old style police car, that gives it its name. Larvae are hairy and black with yellow and blue markings. The Police Car Moth is found throughout the province in or near forested areas. Adults fly throughout July and early August." From www.royalalbertamuseum.ca .

I haven't identified this Moth yet, but it was on my bathroom wall a few days ago. One thing I hate in my house is a large, furry Moth fluttering and dive-bombing me! There was no way I was going to go to bed until I had removed it - had visions of it flying round my head on the pillow in the dark, lol. Finally fell into bed around 3:30 a.m. - this one was so difficult to "get", and I'm afraid that it did eventually go for a long, long swim into the sewer system. Embarrassing, seeing as I AM a nature lover : ) If anyone sees this and recognizes it as being a very rare Moth, please don't tell me! I feel bad as it is, ha.

These huge Atlas Moths always amaze me. I don't get to see one very often - at the Calgary Zoo - and they are often on a messy background, which is OK for a macro shot The antennae are quite amazing, I think. Taken on 8th September 2011. "The Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) is a large saturniid moth found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia, and common across the Malay archipelago. Atlas moths are considered the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface area [upwards of c. 400 cm2 (62 sq in)]. Their wingspans are also amongst the largest, reaching over 25 cm (10 in). Females are appreciably larger and heavier. Atlas moths are said to be named after either the Titan of Greek mythology, or their map-like wing patterns. In Hong Kong the Cantonese name translates as "snake's head moth", referring to apical extension of the forewing, which bears a passing resemblance to a snake's head." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacus_atlas

Taken on August 20th in the forest at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park. A very grainy image - didn't realize how bad it was until I just uploaded to Flickr, ha. I still remember how thrilled I was when I saw my very first Police Car Moth - and since then have seen so many. I have just been trying to find out on the Internet why some of these Moths appear to be brown and white, not black and white. Male/female? Age? Light? "This is a fairly large moth with a wingspan of up to 50 mm. The wings are jet black with large white patches between the black scaled veins. As well, there are two orange patches of hairs on either side of the thorax, right behind the head. It is this colour combination, that of an old style police car, that gives it its name. Larvae are hairy and black with yellow and blue markings. The Police Car Moth is found throughout the province in or near forested areas. Adults fly throughout July and early August." From www.royalalbertamuseum.ca . Posting really early this morning, as I have a day of botanizing. I was glued to my TV set till the early hours of the morning, watching the progress of Hurricane Irene and hoping against hope that it will somehow veer off to the right. My thoughts are with all those who have been, and will be, affected by this powerful act of nature.

No idea at all what kind of tiny Moth this is, but wanted to add it to my set of Insects of Alberta. Seen while we were botanizing the beautiful forest and meadows at the Medicine River Wildlife Centre (north west of Calgary and west of Innisfail) the other day.

Taken in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. The netting is definitely not my favourite setting, but you take what you can get - it was this or nothing : ) Note that their wingspan is 10-12 inches! "Atlas moths are considered to be the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface area (upwards of c. 400 square cm or 65 square inches). Their wingspans are also amongst the largest, from 25-30 cm (10-12 inches). Females are appreciably larger and heavier .... The Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) is a large saturniid moth found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia, and common across the Malay archipelago" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacus_atlas

This moth was resting on a lovely bright orange wall of a restaurant that we stopped at in Vulcan (south east of Calgary), after our long birding day to the Majorville Medicine Wheel. Haven't identified it - not sure if it can be identified with its wings closed! Not very spectacular, but I loved it against the orange. Another dull day today, but thankfully it has stopped raining and snowing.