14 Spring 2016 Applegater
Elegant Sheepmoth is
a prize to observe
BY LINDA KAPPEN
The Hemileuca eglanterina, also
known as the Elegant Sheepmoth,
is a diurnal (day-flying) moth of the
Saturniidae family of moths, and often
is mistaken for a butterfly.
Elegant Sheepmoths are found
in northern California and southern
Oregon. Banded with bold black
markings, the background color on the
forewing looks wine-colored to pink,
with hind wings yellow to orange in
color. However, background colors can
vary. On some moths, the black markings
can be absent altogether with rosy-pink
forewings and yellow hindwings. The
wingspan of this moth can reach close
to three and a half inches.
The moth can be seen in
flight from summer to fall. It has a wide
range throughout the Pacific Northwest
from British Columbia to California,
stretching over to northern Arizona to
west of the Rockies in Colorado. Its wide
range makes this subspecies highly likely
to be encountered.
Mid-elevation to high
montane forests provide habitat for
the Elegant Sheepmoth. Host plants in
the forest can be of the Rosaceae family,
such as serviceberry, rose, and bitter
cherry. The moths lay eggs in a ringed
pattern around a stem of host plants or
other plants nearby. Eggs overwinter and
hatch in spring. Fully grown caterpillars
pupate into a cocoon in loose soil or leaf
litter near the host plants. Adults emerge
in summer to fall. The adult does not
feed. Sometimes it may take up to two
years to complete its cycle.
An interesting fact about the
sheepmoth is that the hairy spines of
the caterpillar urticate, which means
they emit a chemical that can cause
irritation or stinging if not handled
carefully. I experienced this first-hand
when I stopped on a forest road to move
a caterpillar out of the roadway.
The accompanying photos were
taken at different locations and years
in southern Oregon, with some years
producing more of this moth than others.
In August 2011 a
sheepmoth was
found laying
eggs on a stem
of a plant on the
roadside near
Dutchman Peak
on the Siskiyou
Crest. Another
photo shows a
pair mating on
Mount Ashland
in August 2010.
The sheepmoth
pictured on the
hand was being observed below Little
Hyatt Reservoir in June 2015 during a
butterfly course through Siskiyou Field
Institute.
Elegant Sheepmoths can be
a real challenge to net and observe
as they fly erratically a few feet off the
ground, bobbing along in an up-and-
down pattern, then disappearing into
the bushes. Catching one to observe is
a real prize!
Linda Kappen
humbugkapps@hotmail.com
Linda earned a naturalist certification from
Siskiyou Field Institute, and hosts two-day
butterfly courses there.
Photo, left: Elegant Sheepmoths mating on
Mt. Ashland. Photo: Jill Hamilton.
Photos, top right: Elegant Sheepmoth in
hand. Photo: Linda Kappen. Center right:
Sheepmoth with eggs. Photo: Jill Hamilton.
Bottom right: Elegant Sheepmoth caterpillar.
Photo: Linda Kappen.
ATA year in review
ATA Hike and Event Schedule
Visit www.applegatetrails.org for more details.
BY DIANA COOGLE
DATE
2015 was a great year for the
Applegate Trails Association (ATA),
culminating in the award of a Title II
grant for $12,000 through the Bureau
of Land Management (BLM). Those
dollars, coupled with several thousand
more from fundraising events, a grant
from REI, and generous donations,
will enable us to begin actual trail
construction for the Jacksonville end
of the Applegate Ridge Trail (ART), a
proposed non-motorized trail to extend
from Grants Pass to Jacksonville. It
looks like BLM is (at last) moving on
the surveys and paperwork necessary for
construction to begin. We have set our
sights on turning dirt by next fall!
Measured by fervent
response, our Call of the Wild
fundraising event last September was a
huge success. The enthusiasm more than
compensated for the small turnout, so
much so that we are planning a second
Call of the Wild outdoor seminar on
October 1, 2016, at Cantrall Buckley
Park. Once again we’ll have great food,
lots of kids’ activities, and interesting
workshops on nature topics relevant
to the Siskiyou Mountains and our
valley. Plan to be there! And if you have
expertise in an outdoor topic that you
would like to share in a workshop for
that event, let us know.
We were sorry to lose Michelle
LaFave as a board member in 2015.
She had been such a vital part of the
organization, bringing to it such energy
and attention to detail, that we feel
her absence keenly. Maybe it takes two
people to fill her shoes because now two
new people dedicated to non-motorized
trails in the Applegate have joined the
board. Alexandria Weinbrecht brings
the equestrian point of view, and Luke
Ruediger brings his intimate knowledge
of the area’s trails and ecology, along with
an understanding of the workings of the
BLM and US Forest Service in protecting
these lands. We are so fortunate to have
these two people on the board!
We are fortunate to have
the other board members, too: David
Calahan, board chair; Mike Kohn,
treasurer; and Josh Weber, long-time
board member. We are especially
fortunate to have many strong supporters
among non-motorized-trail users. We are
looking forward to an exciting year—the
beginning of the East ART trail and
ATA-led hikes.
Diana Coogle • 541-846-7447
ATA Board Member
HIKE
MEET
LENGTH
RATING
Saturday Cantrall Buckley Park
April 23 Maintenance
Lunch provided; bring
loppers, digging tools.
Some tools provided.
Cantrall Buckley
Park, 9 am to 1 pm.
Assemble 8:45 am.
4 hours Moderate
to
difficult
Sunday
May 15
East Applegate Ridge
Trail (East ART)
Off-trail thru hike with
shuttle.
Bunny Meadows
Staging Area. Forest
Creek Road at
Longanecker. 9 am
6 miles
Moderate
to
difficult
Sunday
June 4
National Trails Day
Equestrian trail ride, Four
Creeks/East Fork Trail,
Williams.
Trailer pool at
Pacifica, 14615
Water Gap Road
9 am
7 miles
Easy to
moderate
Sunday
June 19
Swayne Viewpoint
Wildflower hike to Frog
Pond with Luke Ruediger, Applegate Lake
local naturalist. Location 9 am
depends on snow levels.
4 miles
Difficult