We have a talk and slide show at 8:30 p.m. by the National Moth Week folks in the Meadowlands Environment Center.
We are hoping that the predicted thunder showers pass through by the time the presentation is over, or shortly thereafter. Moth Night goes until approx. 11 p.m.
You can call Jim Wright’s cellphone at 201-469-7349 after 8:00 for a DeKorte weather report…
Thanks for bearing with us.
We have been getting some scattered rain here at DeKorte Park, but at present the weather calls for the precipitation to end by 9 p.m.
Since the event begins with a talk and slide show in the Meadowlands Environment Center Auditorium at 8:30 p.m., we hope to go ahead with the event as scheduled.
We will make a final determination at 5:15 p.m.
One of our favorite events of the year is Moth Night at DeKorte Park — brought to you by the masterminds behind National Moth Week and sponsored by the Meadowlands Commission and Bergen County Audubon Society. And it’s tonight!
The folks at National Moth Week will be bringing their bright lights, moth cloths and moth bait to DeKorte Park from 8:30 to 11 p.m. As we did last year, we expect to see some pretty cool moths — and learn about these amazing, misunderstood, nocturnal creatures.
Link to a recent South Bergenite column on Moth Night is here.
National Moth Week’s Facebook page is here.
More information follows.
Continue reading
Ron Shields writes:
“There’s been a black-crowned night heron-palooza every evening for the past week or so in the cul de sac between the Transco Trail and the Lyndhurst Nature Reserve.
“Upwards to a half-dozen adults/juveniles have been allowing extremely close looks.”
(Thanks, Ron!) One more pic follows. Continue reading
Just read on eBird that Ray Duffy had a White-rumped Sandpiper yesterday at DeKorte Park around 3:50 p.m. Sorry, but no details…
Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute Executive Director Francisco Artigas reports:
Attached are photos from Thursday at low tide showing the new establishment of Spartina alterniflora on the Saw Mill Creek WMA mudflat.
This mudflat has been without vegetation since I have known it (1997). It seems that Sandy changed the elevation, which is allowing a healthy establishment of Spartina.
We hope to measure past and current LiDAR to determine exactly the magnitude of the elevation change in this area. (Thanks, Francisco!)
Butterflies are abounding at DeKorte Park these days.
On an early lunch break we had:
Black Swallowtails (several)
Eastern Tiger Swallowtails (3)
Pearl Crescent
American Lady
Viceroy (above)
Silver-spotted Skippers (many)
Broad-winged Skippers (oodles)
Delaware Skippers
Cabbage Whites (many)
Orange Sulfurs (many)
In recent days have also had Monarchs, Question Mark, Wild Indigo Duskywings and a Common Buckeye that would not pose for a photo. (DeKorte Butterfly Guides are available free in the Meadowlands Environment Center.)
Joey the Hornworm was relocated to a terrarium yesterday after he showed signs of pupating (including stopping eating and trying to dig).
As soon as he went into the terrarium (right, held by the MEC’s Sue Lewicki, who has been tending to Joey’s well-being), he went underground.
We think he is making himself a sleeping bag to pupate in. If all goes well, he could emerge as a Tobacco Hawkmoth in three weeks.
More on Tobacco Hornworms here.
We have two nifty, free, family-friendly nature events at DeKorte Park in the next 10 days.
First up is Moth Night, next Monday from 8:30 to 11 p.m. The amazing folks from National Moth week will be here to give a short talk about moths and set up their big lights to attract the local night-flyers. A couple of posts about last year’s first-ever Moth Night are here and here.
Next up is our fourth annual Butterfly Day, on Sunday, July 28, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It features short butterfly walks, displays and a scavenger hunt for kids (the kids do the scavenging), talks about the butterflies of DeKorte, hourly door prizes and a butterfly costume contest for kids 12 and under. All with the help from the folks at Bergen County Audubon Society and the North Jersey chapter of the North American Butterfly Association. Posts about previous Butterfly Days are here and here.
Listings for Moth Night and Butterfly Day follow. Continue reading
Just in time for Moth Night, an NJMC colleague brought in a Tobacco Hornworm for everyone to admire. The hornworm had been devouring his tomato plants. (It is not a nice caterpillar.)
This is why it is called a hornworm. The horn is located at the worm’s aft.
With a little research, we discovered that the hornworm, nicknamed “Joey” by a fellow staffer, could someday turn into an awesome Tobacco Hawkmoth.
We are now trying to keep Joey alive so he can live out his dream of being a hawkmoth or, failing that, at least hanging around until Moth Night, where he is scheduled to appear.
(Moth Night is from 8:30 to 11 p.m. next Monday night, July 22, and features bright lights and folks from National Moth Week! It’s free and family-friendly.)
We are posting a photo of a Tobacco Hawkmoth, courtesy of bugguide.net, below. A link to more info on the Tobacco Hornworm is here. (Thank you, Sue Lewicki of the MEC, for your help!)