Moths

[Slimy2]

Aside from amphibians and reptiles, I rear a variety of moths and butterflies throughout the year. Occasionally I take a stab at mounting some of the local species in the area. Here are my latest two moth mounts I wanted to share here. The first photo is of a male Amorpha juglandis (walnut sphinx moth) and the second is a male Darapsa myron (hog sphinx moth).

(I didn't do so well mounting this moth-the abdomen is pointing to the right)

 

[Dcerdeiras]

Pretty cool. What do you raise them for? hobby? conservation? I didn't know people raise them.

 

[Slimy2]

Thanks! It's a hobby for now, but I plan on studying to become an entomologist in college. I release the majority of individuals that reach adulthood and keep a few others to either breed again or mount. Lots of people raise moths and I currently have a batch of Actias luna ova (luna moth eggs) which I recieved from a gravid female last week. I plan to start bagging the larvae on hickory tree branches later in the week.

 

[Dcerdeiras]

Man,
I have heard of many hobbys involving nature over the years, but this is new to me. Is there a book i can read on the subject?

 

[blueberlin]

"Take a stab at mounting" is a really funny pun!

-Eva

 

[Slimy2]

Man,
I have heard of many hobbys involving nature over the years, but this is new to me. Is there a book i can read on the subject?

There are quite a few books which explain how to mount insects, but one of the best I know of and have is Insects on Display by Connie Zakowski.

"Take a stab at mounting" is a really funny pun!

-Eva

And I thought nobody would catch on!

 

[jamminnewt]

Cool. I took an Entomology class last fall. Very neat. They are BOTH sphinx moths? The local ones in CA must all have similar wing shapes. Your two seem very different. The mounting looks nice. I'm impressed that you got the antennae to "fluff" like that when they died. How did you make sure they didn't curl up?

 

[Slimy2]

They are BOTH sphinx moths? The local ones in CA must all have similar wing shapes. Your two seem very different. I'm impressed that you got the antennae to "fluff" like that when they died. How did you make sure they didn't curl up?

Yes, both are sphinx moths. Many species of moths and butterflies can only be found on the eastern or western side of the U.S., and you will never find these species of sphinx moths in the wild as long as you're west of Texas.

I freeze my moths instead of gassing them. As they thaw I mount them to my liking, pinning the wings and antennae the way I want them, and then letting them sit on a rack for a couple days to dry out. After two or three days the moths are ready for display. I usually don't have a problem with them curling up after drying for two days.