The Applegater

Applegater Winter 2016 13 Lepidoptera on the Rogue River Preserve BY LINDA KAPPEN e 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. e 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. e 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 Wi t c h c o m e s w i t h m u c h f o l k l o r e a n d l e g e n d s . T h e one I like is if the moth lands on you or your door, you will come into money or win the lottery. omas's kitchen sink in the caretaker's cabin sounds close enough for that. Clio Tiger Moth (Ectypia clio of the Erebidae family) Another rarely seen moth in the Pacific Northwest is the Clio Tiger Moth, whose range is western and southwestern states. It has a localized range in the Pacific Northwest; most of the recorded sightings are in Jackson County. It is a beautiful white moth with black lines marking the wings and is medium-sized at three-quarters of an inch in length. Annette Trujillo, an artist and photographer from Medford, observed a Clio Tiger Moth ovipositing on narrowleaf milkweed at the Table Rocks area in July 2016 (see photo). At nearby RRP about a month later, in August 2016, I discovered some eggs in the oak woodlands on narrowleaf milkweed. After I researched and contacted two of my entomologist friends, David James and Dana Ross, Dana identified the Clio Tiger Moth from photos of eggs and caterpillars. Dana had seen the moth years ago in northern California. Dana and I will try to rear the moth to its complete cycle to further confirm this. About Rogue River Preserve Kristi Mergenthaler, with Southern Oregon Land Conservancy, describes the "magical" RPP: Rogue River Preserve is a 352-acre property located north of Eagle Point that features two miles of riverfront, an amazing and diverse floodplain property with forests, oak woodlands, meadows, and vernal pools. It supports 29 species of plants and animals that are rare and declining, such as coho salmon (spawning and rearing habitat), wood duck, common king snake, and large-flowered meadow-foam. Southern Oregon Land Conservancy, a local land trust that works cooperatively with people to preserve land, is in the process of raising funds to buy this wild valley-floor property for long-term conservation. For more information or to make a donation, visit landconserve. org/heart of the rogue. I brought the eggs home, and they hatched and grew into hairy little caterpillars. ey began to skeletonize the leaves of the milkweed in much the same way a painted lady butterfly does to the many host plants it uses. e larvae have not grown much, but are now in a diapause or hibernation state. From my research, it appears as though few people have reared Clio Tiger Moths, and little is known about their life history. e host plant is Apocynaceae, also known as the dogbane family. Some dogbanes occur in southern Oregon, but the moth also uses milkweed, a relative in the plant family that grows well here, and spreading dogbane, although I have not seen it myself. Finding these rare moths is just one reason that makes the untouched RRP so special. I will be sure to watch for these moths as I go about my observations in Lepidoptera at the RRP next summer. Linda Kappen humbugkapps@hotmail.com Linda earned a naturalist certification from Siskiyou Field Institute and hosts butterfly courses there. Black Witch Moth (above) taken by Thomas Craig at Rogue River Preserve; Adult Clio Tiger Moth (right) taken by Annette Trujillo at Table Rocks. Clio Tiger Moth eggs on narrowleaf milkweed. Photo by Linda Kappen. Clio Tiger Moth caterpillars reared from eggs found at RRP. Photo by Linda Kappen. Contact information to volunteer • 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 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. e 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 — Gift ideas from the Applegate Valley —

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