On Saturday, June 22 we held a Moth Night at Oxley Nature Center in Tulsa. This was the largest event I have been involved in, with around 80 people in attendance. This is thanks to the large network of nature enthusiasts that attend events at Oxley and the promotion they did for this event. We had 5 observing stations setup and had some great finds for the evening, even though we were dealing with a nearly full moon, which was competing with our artificial lights. It looks like we tallied right around 100 species of moths for the evening.

It was really good to meet some people in person with whom I have only been acquainted virtually through iNaturalist or Facebook.
Bob Webster (@xpda)
Ben Gruver (@myxfit)
Lisa (@lmm3629)
Lynn Michael (@zebraweeds)
Mathew Radford (@mathewradford27)

And I think we even got a few new people hooked on mothing, right Mathew!?!

Our moth highlight of the night was probably the Pink-striped Oakworm Moth (Anisota virginiensis).

Another good sighting was this Brindled Shawl, which Rick Parker photographed. It's the first one submitted in Oklahoma on iNaturalist. +1 for the state inventory

Shortly before we packed up for the night this male Giant Stag Beetle (Lucanus elaphus) captured everyone's attention and admiration.

All submitted observations from the evening can be seen here.

We'll definitely be back for another moth night at Oxley Nature Center!

I wanted to make sure everyone is aware of these upcoming public moth nights around the state:

Saturday, June 15 - Ruby Grant Park in Norman
Saturday, June 22 - Oxley Nature Center in Tulsa
Saturday, July 27 - Lake Wister State Park in southeast Oklahoma

Each moth night will begin around 9 pm.
If you have any questions about details of locations, please reach out to me.

2024 Irruption?

Most people know the word "irruption" (or more often "eruption") in reference to volcanos. In ecology the word "irruption" means a sudden increase in an animal population. I first learned this word in the birding world when one year we would have a high number of an otherwise uncommon bird in our area. For instance, one winter we were seeing a bunch of Mountain Bluebirds in central Oklahoma. Prior to that year, Mountain Bluebirds were pretty much unheard of in central Oklahoma, and a rarity in western Oklahoma.

This year I have noticed a few different moth species in higher than usual numbers, so I thought I would mention this for historical reference, if nothing else. This year we have seen a lot of Forage Loopers, but that is already a pretty common moth in Oklahoma, so I wouldn't classify this as an irruption. The species that has really stood out for me is the Yellow-banded Pyrausta (Pyrausta pseuderosnealis). As of June 14, there have been 43 observations of this species in the state. Last year there were only 5 for the whole year!

As for why this is occurring, it's hard to say. My guess would be that the host plant for this species had a very good year last year, resulting in more caterpillars making it to maturity, resulting in more adults this year. But there's a whole host of questions that opens up.

Hey moth-ers!

It's a new year and the opportunities abound! I have started making my own travel plans for the year, which includes visiting several state parks and doing some mothing.

mid April - family trip to Great Plains State Park (southwest OK)
mid May - family trip to Natural Falls State Park (northeast OK)
==== July 17-23 - Pollinator Week! ====
June 22 - Oxley Nature Center, Mohawk Park, Tulsa - Public is invited!
==== July 20-28 - National Moth Week! ====
July 27 - Lake Wister State Park (southeast OK) - Public is invited!

We will also have lots of moth nights at our usual spot in Norman, beginning in late March and running through early October.

If you are not already a member of my moth night email group and would like to be added, please let me know.

We had a great moth night at Roman Nose State Park on Saturday evening. Around 30 people attended, mostly guests who were staying at the state park for the weekend. We saw more than 150 species, which includes some moths seen around the area the day before and after the moth night.

Observations from the weekend can be found here.

Highlights include Beet Webworm Moth, Americerura candida, Trapeze Moth, Abegesta species, a Pyralini we haven't quite identified yet, and Wilson's Wood Nymph. We also had SEVEN species of sphinx moths (Sphingidae): Five-spotted Hawkmoth, Hagen's, Elm, White-lined, Virginia Creeper, Twin-spotted, and Blinded Sphinx.

Due to the small number of previous observations in Blaine County many of our observations are probably county records.

This year National Moth Week will be held Saturday, July 22 through Sunday, July 30. I have organized two moth night events that are open to the public and I would love for you to attend. If you aren't able to attend either of these, I would encourage you to observe moths wherever you happen to be, and upload your observations to iNaturalist! I will report back about how many species Oklahoma records during the week and how that compares to other states.

Saturday, July 22 - Roman Nose State Park - This state park is just over an hour drive from the OKC metro. We will be setting up our lights near the bathhouse (swimming pool area). There is plenty of parking at this location and there are restrooms nearby. The weather forecast looks relatively mild for this time of year. We'll be starting around 9 pm and probably going until 1 am or later. Rooms at the lodge are sold out, but there are some campsites still available, but it does look like there is a two-night minimum requirement.
Google map pin: https://goo.gl/maps/Qj4k7NkJxVnMjpHd9

Wednesday, July 26 - Thunderbird Chapel in Norman. This is our normal location east of Norman, on Highway 9 between 108th and 120th. Again, we'll start around 9 pm and stick around until 1 am or so.

Happy mothing!

Hey everyone!

This year has been great for moths! Our state project is approaching 1600 species and I've no doubt we will pass that number within the next month. In a few weeks we will be celebrating National Moth Week. It runs from July 17-25 this year. I will be hosting a Moth Night at Thunderbird Chapel in east Norman on Thursday, July 22, and another at Boiling Springs State Park on Saturday, July 24. Both of these are public events and I hope to see some new people there.

Over the last 3 years we have been doing moth nights at state parks in different parts of the state during National Moth Week. In 2019 we visited Quartz Mountain State Park in southwest Oklahoma and Tulsa's Oxley Nature Center in northeast Oklahoma. In 2020 we visited Beaver's Bend State Park in southeast Oklahoma. So this year we are headed to Boiling Springs State Park in northwest Oklahoma to have at least hosted one moth night in each of the four "quadrants" of Oklahoma. There is a lot of moth diversity in Oklahoma thanks to the biogeographical transitions that occur from the dry highlands of Black Mesa down to the swampy southeast corner of McCurtain County. I really look forward to these "field trips," because I get to see species that don't occur in my familiar area of central Oklahoma.

I would love to see some of you at one of these two events. But even if you're not able to join us, I hope you will submit some moth observations from wherever you are during National Moth Week!

Last week Anna Bennett (@annainok) photographed a Sharp-blotched Nola Moth (Nola pustulata) in southeastern Oklahoma.

This is the first observation of this species in Oklahoma on iNaturalist, although there have been prior records listed on BugGuide and mothphotographersgroup. It's great when we add new species to the state project, so that our state project is more comprehensive and also to confirm the species is still present in our state.

Another new species for our state project is Common Spring Moth (Heliomata cycladata), observed by April Hathcoat (@april71) in northeast Oklahoma.

Finally, check out this dazzling little Peacock Brenthia Moth (Brenthia pavonacella) photographed by Thomas Shahan (@tshahan) in the Tulsa area. This is another new species for our state project.

Our current count for the state is 1,542 species!

Moth season is definitely here! We've held two moth nights in central Oklahoma. I have personally added 17 new species I had not seen before, and our state project tally has increased by 8 species. There is a lot of potential for adding new species to our count early in the spring and late in the fall, due to fewer observations during these time periods.

Here are a few of the new additions:

Gray Sallow (Psaphida grandis) found by Mark Parker on March 5 and 6.

Lemmer's Pinion (Lithophane lemmeri) found by Rick Parker, Leah Nelson, and me on March 21, photographed here by Leah.

Double-banded Zale (Zale calycanthata) found by Rick Park, Leah Nelson, and me on March 21, photographed here by Rick.

Straight-toothed Sallow (Eupsilia vinulenta) found by Rick Parker, Leah Nelson, and me on March 21, photographed here by Leah.

Red-winged Sallow (Xystopeplus rufago) found by Rick Parker, Leah Nelson, and me on March 8, photographed here by me.

Pseudexentera haracana found by me on March 20 and 21.

The Tortricid genus Pseudexentera consists of a huge number of species, many of which are quite hard to tell apart. I have quite a few observations that are sitting at genus level, awaiting some identification help from a Tortricidae expert.

Keep up the observations, everyone!

Well that was rough! I hope we don't have another arctic blast like that for another hundred years.

It's starting to warm up now and moths are appearing at porch lights. I hope you all are keeping your eyes peeled. There should be some early spring moths out and about that won't be seen later in the year. Spring Cankerworm is a common one this time of year. I've also seen some observations coming in for Fawn Sallow (Psaphida styracis), like this one from Mark Parker.

A new iNat user in Arkansas, @cloakedmarvel, has started uploading their observations from the past several years and there are some observations in eastern Oklahoma, including new species for our project. Check out this Oak Besma Moth (Besma quercivoraria).

Also, Anna Bennett has uploaded some observations from last year that are new for our state project.

Major Sallow (Feralia major)

Withered Mocis (Mocis marcida) - This species is very similar to the more common (in Oklahoma) Texas Mocis, but the PM line of this species does not extend to the center margin.

I look forward to seeing your observations this spring!

One of North America's leading amateur moth-ers, Laura Gaudette (@gaudettelaura), visited Oklahoma for a few days in September of this year. She set up her lights in Roger Mills County (north of I-40 near the border with Texas), Ellis County (a little west of Woodward), and Cimarron County (Black Mesa State Park). A few of her observations are state records, and even more of them are first iNaturalist observations in the state. This underscores the need for more observations in western Oklahoma. I hope to make at least one trip to the western reaches in 2021.

State Records

Hyperepia jugifera - Cimarron County

First iNat records for Oklahoma

Snakeweed Borer (Pelochrista ridingsana) - Cimarron County

Pseudanarta singula - Cimarron County

Tricholita chipeta - Cimarron County

Hulst's Flower Moths (Schinia hulstia) - Roger Mills County

Schinia alencis - Cimarron County

Schinia bicuspida - Roger Mills County
Schinia bicuspida - Ellis County

Schinia regina - Ellis County

Vermilion Granite Moth (Digrammia subminiata) - Cimarron County

The Nutmeg (Anarta trifolii) - Cimarron County
The Nutmeg (Anarta trifolii) - Roger Mills County

Ponometia libedis - Cimarron County

Acopa sp. - Cimarron County
This could be either Acopa carina or Acopa perpallida. The former would be a state record and the latter is already known to occur in Cimarron County. Regardless, this is the first iNaturalist observation of any Acopa species in the state.

Possible state records...

These last two are definitely the first iNaturalist records for their species in the state and they might be state records. I am checking on that.

Schinia walsinghami - Cimarron County

Ponometia nannodes - Cimarron County

Thanks to Laura for helping us map the moths of Oklahoma! I hope our paths cross someday.