The Daily Bucket is a place to catch your casual observations of the natural world and turn them into a valuable resource. Whether it's the first flowers of spring or that odd bug in your basement, don't be afraid to toss your thoughts into the bucket. Check here for a more complete description.
Seattle. September 9, 2011.
This will have to be be a DIY Bucket today. Mr bwren and I are celebrating 16 years with a big to-do and I'll be happily occupied all day and into the night with friends, food and the playing of music.
I promised jim in IA a picture of the pile of termite wings I found yesterday.
September 9, 2011. Termite wings
In addition to this pile, today there were two more piles in similar barky crevices in the same Douglas Fir snag. I need to learn more about of the life cycle of termites; something is happening right now where wings are shed.
On to the moth ID. Sunday last I put up this photo of an odd moth that was hanging about in the Wapato down at the wetland.
??? Aug 30, 2011. ~10mm
My notes on Sunday:
I'm going to call this a "feather moth". At first glance it looked just like a dropped feather lying on a leaf. I was a bit startled when it flew off the leaf and across to another in that fluttery way moths have. Once settled, it again looked just like a tiny striped feather. On a closer look it morphed into an oddly shaped moth doing a headstand.
To be honest, I was overwhelmed by the task of trying to find an ID. Where to look? How to look? So I threw up the image hoping that someone might recognize it.
Billybush came to the rescue:
I think I found your moth.
Take a look at Bronze Alder Moth.
I said "feather moth". Had I thought to google "moth that does headstands" I might have found an ID that evening. There is a family of moths named Shiny Head-Standing Moths (Argyresthiinae), and this is one of them. Go figure.
Thank you Billybush, and thank you jim in IA for pushing me to think and to act.
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You all do the reporting thing. No Bucket from me tomorrow but I'll check in when I can.
Enhydra Lutris will be away until early Oct starting Thursday. I'll be able to fill in for him some days. Can anyone else take a day or two? The more regions reporting the better.