Applegater., November 01, 2016, Page 13, Image 13

Applegater Winter 2016
13
Lepidoptera on the
Rogue River Preserve
BY LINDA KAPPEN
The moths shown here come from
a place I believe to be magical, science or
no science! (See sidebar.)
Black Witch Moth
(Ascalapha odorata of the
Erebidae family)
In August 2016, Thomas Craig,
caretaker at Rogue River Preserve (RRP),
had a rare encounter with a Black Witch
Moth, which flew into his home through
a kitchen window. At first he thought
it was another bat, but when it landed
on the kitchen sink he saw that it was a
moth as big as his hand (see photo). He
posted a photo of the moth on Facebook,
where I saw it and immediately knew it
was a Black Witch. I did some research
and sent the information and photos
to Corvallis entomologist Dana Ross,
who confirmed the identification as a
rare moth for our area. In checking the
records, he found that this moth was
the first reported sighting to be recorded
in Jackson County and only the eighth
sighting recorded in the state of Oregon.
The Black Witch is unmistakable
with its seven-inch wingspread and
resemblance to a bat. It is blackish to
brownish in color with patterned lines
and spots. The moth is tropical from
Central to South America and is known
year-round in south Florida and south
Texas. It is also reported as breeding in
San Diego County. Larval host plants
in these areas are woody species of cassia
and catclaw.
In the Pacific Northwest, the moth
is a rare occurrence as a stray migrant;
it is not a breeding resident. Most
commonly found in western Oregon and
eastern Washington, it has been known
to migrate up
to Anchorage,
Alaska.
The Black
Witch comes
with much
Black Witch Moth (above) taken by
f o l k l o re a n d
Thomas Craig at Rogue River Preserve;
Adult Clio Tiger Moth (right) taken by Annette Trujillo at Table Rocks.
legends. The
one I like is if
the moth lands on you or your door, you
I brought the eggs home, and
will come into money or win the lottery. they hatched and grew into hairy little
Thomas’s kitchen sink in the caretaker’s caterpillars. They began to skeletonize
cabin sounds close enough for that.
the leaves of the milkweed in much the
Clio Tiger Moth
same way a painted lady butterfly does to
(Ectypia clio of the Erebidae family)
the many host plants it uses. The larvae
Another rarely seen moth in the have not grown much, but are now in a
Pacific Northwest is the Clio Tiger Moth, diapause or hibernation state. From my
whose range is western and southwestern research, it appears as though few people
Finding these rare moths is just one
states. It has a localized range in the have reared Clio Tiger Moths, and little reason that makes the untouched RRP so
Pacific Northwest; most of the recorded is known about their life history.
special. I will be sure to watch for these
sightings are in Jackson County. It is a
The host plant is Apocynaceae, also moths as I go about my observations in
beautiful white moth with black lines known as the dogbane family. Some Lepidoptera at the RRP next summer.
marking the wings and is medium-sized dogbanes occur in southern Oregon, but
Linda Kappen
at three-quarters of an inch in length.
humbugkapps@hotmail.com
the moth also uses milkweed, a relative
Annette Trujillo, an artist and in the plant family that grows well here, Linda earned a naturalist certification from
photographer from Medford, observed and spreading dogbane, although I have Siskiyou Field Institute and hosts butterfly
a Clio Tiger Moth ovipositing on not seen it myself.
courses there.
narrowleaf milkweed at the Table Rocks
area in July 2016 (see photo).
About Rogue River Preserve
At nearby RRP about a month
Kristi Mergenthaler, with Southern Oregon Land Conservancy, describes
later, in August 2016, I discovered
the “magical” RPP: Rogue River Preserve is a 352-acre property located north
some eggs in the oak woodlands on
of Eagle Point that features two miles of riverfront, an amazing and diverse
narrowleaf milkweed. After I researched
floodplain property with forests, oak woodlands, meadows, and vernal pools.
and contacted two of my entomologist
It supports 29 species of plants and animals that are rare and declining, such
friends, David James and Dana Ross,
as coho salmon (spawning and rearing habitat), wood duck, common king
Dana identified the Clio Tiger Moth
snake, and large-flowered meadow-foam. Southern Oregon Land Conservancy,
from photos of eggs and caterpillars.
a local land trust that works cooperatively with people to preserve land, is in
Dana had seen the moth years ago in
the process of raising funds to buy this wild valley-floor property for long-term
northern California. Dana and I will try
conservation. For more information or to make a donation, visit landconserve.
to rear the moth to its complete cycle to
org/heart of the rogue.
further confirm this.
Clio Tiger Moth eggs on narrowleaf milkweed. Photo by Linda Kappen.
Contact information
to volunteer
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Applegate Community Church: Vicky, 541-846-6100
Applegate ACCESS Pantry: Charlotte Knott, 541-899-8381
Boys and Girls Club: begreat4kids.com or 541-479-1923
Brookdale senior living communities: brookdale.com
Gospel Rescue Mission: gospelrescuemission.org or 541-476-0082
Kids Unlimited: kuoregon.org or 541-774-3900
Meals on Wheels: Rogue Valley Council of Governments website at
rvcog.org or 541-734-9505 x4 for Jackson County and 541-955-8839
for Josephine County
RiverSong Sanctuary: 541-761-0188
ROC Food Pantry, Grants Pass: rochome.org (select “volunteer”) or
541-476-3344
St. Vincent de Paul, Medford: 541-772-3828, ext. 7
Salvation Army, Grants Pass food pantry: 541-955-1017
Salvation Army bell ringer: volunteer.usawest.org
Sanctuary One: sanctuaryone.org or 541-899-8627
Veterans Benefits Assistance for Josephine County: 541-474-5454
Clio Tiger Moth caterpillars reared from eggs found at RRP. Photo by Linda Kappen.
— Gift ideas from the Applegate Valley —
Handcrafted ‘Applecrates’ for sale
Beautiful planters called “Applecrates,” built with
donated local wood and volunteer labor, are for sale.
All proceeds help sustain the Applegater. See these useful
and long-lasting Applecrates at Applegate Valley Realty,
935 N. Fifth Street, Jacksonville. The price of a stock
planter box (see photo), 12” wide x 22” long x 14” deep,
starts at $40. For more information, call Chris Bratt at
541-846-6988.
From the Heart of the Applegate
Anthology of original essays, poems, and short
stories contributed by Applegate Valley writers
in support of the Applegater.
Available now for $16 at:
Amazon.com and applegater.org; Applegate Valley
Realty, Jacksonville; Bloomsbury Books, Ashland;
Oregon Books, Grants Pass; Terra Firma, Jacksonville