Alianthus webworm

Alianthus webworm

Alianthus webworm

Common Name: Alianthus webworm

Scientific Name: Atteva aurea

Season: At least two generations in the northeast, and more likely to increase due to climate change. Adults by May, and caterpillars throughout the summer and into fall.

Food: Tree-of-Heaven, an invasive species. Its native host plant can only be found in southern Florida and into the tropics. The adults take nectar from flowers.

Ecology: Originally, this species could only be found in southern Florida. However, since the introduction of the invasive plant Tree-of-Heaven (Alianthus altissima) and climate change, the Alianthus webworm has since spread north. If the moth if found on your property, it is likely that Tree-of-Heaven plants are somewhere nearby. Caterpillars form nests made of silk, and eat the leaves within.

Doug Tallamy Photo

Acronicta fallax moth Fishers Island 2015

Green Marvel

Acronicta fallax moth Fishers Island 2015

Common Name: Green Marvel

Scientific Name: Acronicta fallax

Season: Two generations in New England; mature caterpillars in June and July, and again from August into October. Moths from late May into June, and again in late July. Caterpillars in the fall overwinter as pupae.

Food: Viburnum

Ecology: The Green Marvel earns its name well with the bright green and black patterning across its wings, which help the moth blend into lichens and moss on the bark of trees during the day. It can be found in forests and scrub meadows where viburnum bushes are common. As caterpillars, they hide on the underside of leaves to feed. When the caterpillars are ready to pupate, they tend to tunnel into soft wood to help protect themselves from being fed on.

Doug Tallamy Photo

Azalea Sphinx Moth

Azalea Sphinx

Azalea Sphinx Moth

Common Name: Azalea sphinx

Scientific Name: Darapsa choerilus

Season: At least two generations a year, with adults by June and caterpillars onward.

Food: Caterpillars feed on azalea, black gum, blueberry, grape, and viburnum. Adults take nectar from flowers.

Ecology: Like many sphinx moths, the Azalea sphinx is diurnal, meaning it is active during the daytime. Adults take nectar from flowers with their long tongues, and prefer elongate, tube-like flowers. As such, these moths are pollinators, and provide an important service to the environment. Caterpillars will move to the base of their host plant and form a silken cocoon out of dead leaves. Caterpillars overwinter as pupae.

Adam Mitchell Photo

azalea sphinx moth

Photo by: Douglas Tallamy, Entomologist

Pandorus Sphinx Moth

Pandorus Sphinx

Common Name: Pandorus Sphinx

Scientific name: Eumorpha pandorus

Season: Some places see only one generation a year, while others see two.

It is a large, greenish gray moth with darker patches and pink edges and small pink eyespots. The underside is usually pale yellow-green or brown. It has a wingspan of 3¼–4½ inches (8.2–11.5 cm), females being slightly larger than males. Pandora sphinx moths fly during dusk.

Adam Mitchell Photo

Luna moth, male

Luna Moth

Luna moth, male

One of the most beautiful silkmoth species in North America. Male luna moth, June 15, 2016, Fishers Island, New York.

I collected this male from a light trap around midnight and released him after a few pictures. You can tell the males apart from females in most silkmoths by the large, feathery antennae, which they use to “smell” pheromones of females, up to miles away!

Common name: Luna moth

Scientific name: Actias luna

Food: Luna moths feed on a variety of woody plants as caterpillars, including birches, persimmons, walnuts, sweetgums, and sumacs.

Ecology: As adults, they do not feed, and rely on the energy they consumed during their caterpillar stage to keep them alive until they find a mate. Unfortunately, they only live a few days after emerging from their cocoons.

Luna moths have been in severe decline for the past century. There are many reasons why: habitat loss through loss of native host plants, the introduction of parasitic flies and wasps that attack the caterpillars, and artificial light from buildings and streets that attract adults all contribute to population decline.

luna moth

This image gives perspective to magnificent male luna moth.

Adam Mitchell Photos

Automeris io moth

Io moth

Common Name: Io moth

Scientific Name: Automeris io

Season: Usually two generations in the Northeast.

Food: Feeds on many different trees, shrubs, legumes, and grasses (this one was feeding on black locust).

Ecology: Adults emerge during late morning or early afternoon, and mating takes place in the late evening. Females lay clumps of eggs on leaves or stems of the host plants. Young caterpillars feed together as a group and move in long “trains” while older caterpillars feed alone. Papery cocoons are spun in litter under the host plant or in crevices.

Adam Mitchell Photos

caterpillar

Caterpillars of the io moth are dangerous to touch, even young caterpillars such as these (mature caterpillars become green). The large spines that protrude from their backs can cause a stinging sensation to the fingers, similar to stinging nettle. The adults, however, are harmless.

Weed Team

Weed Team 2017

Weed Team

Three University of Delaware undergraduates and Adam Mitchell, PhD student (right), clear invasives in Parade Grounds. Justine Kibbe Photo

 

On June 3, 2017, three University of Delaware (UD) students arrived on Fishers Island with a few bags of food, backpacks, and a handful of garden shears. Employed by the Fishers Island Conservancy, and trained and supervised by both UD professor, Douglas Tallamy, PhD. and his graduate student, Adam Mitchell, the Weed Team was ready for battle.

Read the full story

erik blomquist

Wildlife Monitoring and Connecting with the Natural Environment

My name is Erik Blomquist, and I have been fortunate enough to call Fishers Island a second home my entire life. Since I was little, I have come to the island to visit my grandparents and experience the unique little world that is Fishers Island. It was at a young age that I began finding undeniable interest in the natural world, always being told by my grandpa, John Ski, to “observe nature”.

For the past seven years, I have spent summers on Fishers working various jobs. Last summer, I worked as an intern for the Fishers Island Conservancy doing basic invasive plant species removal, mostly throughout the Parade Grounds. I worked alongside Adam Mitchell and Joe Henderson, helping to make progress in the projects they envisioned for that specific area.

After making only a tiny dent in overall removal goals for the Parade Grounds, I began thinking of ways to ramp up removal of these invasive species. Down a somewhat unexpected avenue, I found the means to further the progress in the battle against invasives.

During the off-season, I was given a spot on the Island Sentinels team. Justine Kibbe gave me the opportunity to create my own project to add to the Island Sentinels program. My project is still developing into a monitoring site that will encompass a portion of the Parade Grounds, from Airport Road east towards the movie theater, all along the Fort stretch. It will be a monitoring site, where we can observe and record invasive plant species.

Monitoring will be ongoing over the summers so we can gain awareness of how quickly and aggressively these species are taking over the area. My goal is that by recording the location and density of these invasive plant species, we can formulate an appropriate removal and restoration plan. The end result is to eventually see a healthier Parade Grounds habitat.

Nature Days

Fishers Island Conservancy 2017 Nature Days

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Join us for a week of conservation and preservation activities including music, tours, movie screenings, round table discussions, paint & sip, field lessons with experts and much more!

Learn, Help, Great Family Fun!

Wednesday August 9

9am: Oyster Farm Tour: Includes Pond and Hatchery (16 or Older)
10am: Island Naturalist Exploration: Justine Kibbe will be taking a group on an adventure in the Sanctuary of Sands. Ages 8-12 with or without an adult to meet at the corner of Airport Rd. (Limited space)

4pm: Round Table with Chris Finan and the Utlity Co. Let’s talk water!

7pm: Movie Screening: A Plastic Ocean

Thursday August 10

10am Recreational Path Tour: Start your morning exploring the path with guide Alex Williams, learning the differences between native and invasive vegetation. Meet at 9:45am at the Ballfield to carpool to the Gatehouse.

2pm: Pond Life: Hosted by the Dennison Pequot Museum: We’ll explore the pond, with dip nets and buckets, collecting and observing the local ponds of Fishers Island. Discover unique species of pond life including fish, frogs, and aquatic insects. Children under 6 accompanied by an adult.

6pm: Paint & Sip: Explore your inner artists while sharing a laugh with friends as you transform a blank canvas into a beautiful nature scene. Painting supplies included. BYOB at Community Center, art room upstairs. (Limited space)

7pm: Movie Screening: Ocean Warriors with Katie Carpenter & Crew

Friday August 11

9am-12pm: Beach and Marine Debris Clean Up: Come and help out! Prizes awarded for most collected and heaviest haul. Photo by Justine Kibbe

1pm: The Importance of Eelgrass: Soren Dahl from Long Island Nature Conservancy will be sharing the importance of eelgrass, and why its conservation is so imperative, especially along Fishers Island’s coast. Community Center, upstairs in big meeting room.

2pm: Symmetry in Nature: Hosted by the Dennison Pequot Museum there are patterns in nature! Meet live animals and take a nature hike through the Demonstration Garden focusing on symmetry found right in our own backyard.

5pm Plum Island Talk and Aerial Presentation: Presented by Louise Harrison from Save the Sound will be giving a talk on the island; see it all from a different angle and learn it’s past and future.

7pm: Movie Screening: Chasing Coral, an epic adventure to capture our changing oceans
Saturday August 12

9am-12pm: IPP Craft Fair: Come visit our table for t-shirts, hoodies, hats, and Naturalist photo greetings cards. FIC Hosts vocalist Maria Sangiola: Enjoy an uplifting musical performance, boasting of nature’s gifts and beauty.

11am: Prof. Doug Tallamy Parade Ground Tour: Stroll through the parade grounds with acclaimed University of Delaware professor, Doug Tallamy. (Meet at sign board entrance.)

4pm: Meet Prof. Doug Tallamy and Adam Mitchell at the Community Center for a wine and cheese reception. Learn about the Conservancy’s successful Parade Grounds grassland restoration project, its history, and the healthy ecosystems that have been reinvigorated in this area.

Sunday August 13

11am: Prof. Doug Tallamy Parade Ground Tour: Stroll the Parade Grounds with acclaimed University of Delaware entomologist and author Douglas W. Tallamy, Ph.D. Meet at Sign Board entrance.

**Email Kristen Peterson to sign up for activities or to volunteer at kmpfic@gmail.com. We will also be scheduling private walkabouts with Prof. Tallamy at your residence, times are filling up very quickly so please let us know if this is something you’re interested in.