Delicate Cycnia

Description:

This Cycnia tenera, the Delicate Cycnia, was the first moth which appeared on the sheets at the East Brunswick Moth Night I attended. I'd never seen the species before, but at the end of the night, I must have seen over fifty individuals! Their hostplant is milkweed (Asclepias sp.) and there was no shortage of milkweed at the East Brunswick Butterfly park! There, I was very fortunate to meet Elena Tartaglia, who recently received her PhD studying moths in the family Sphingidae. I also was very excited to meet Liti Haramaty and David Moskowitz, the cofounders of National Moth Week. They had two sheets hanging on ropes between trees with a mercury vapor light on a tripod. Liti and a few people who had arrived early also painted some trees with a fermented bait in the forested area, seen to the left of my location on the map. Before getting started mothing, Elena explained about National Moth Week and also introduced me to speak about Project Noah and my moth mission. I had a fantastic time connecting with fantastic people, and it was worth it, even after the three-hour drive back, and going to bed at 4 AM! In the second photo you can see a photo of David, me, Liti, and Elena, in order from left to right taken at 12:08 AM!!

Habitat:

Found at the East Brunswick Butterfly Park Moth Night in New Jersey.

Notes:

Lifer!