Kevin, how in god's name does someone get robbed while conducting field work? What did you do, stumble into a pot field Chuck, to be fair, I wasn't robbed at gunpoint. Although I've "lost" a kayak and other equipment, it was sneak thieves that saw an opportunity. This is an interesting th...

es, there are places to avoid. In USA, the red/blue voting map is a good start- stay out of red areas. The good thing is that there aren't many insects of interest in the red areas. These areas are largely urban areas, and the same rule applies elsewhere- avoid. This is, of course, dependent on the...

My copy of The Hawk Moths of North America doesn't have much information on using virgin females to attract males, has anyone tried it with Smerinthus? I have a female cerisyi and hope to attract some local males with her. I have the pupa outdoors in a screen box, protected from the rain so she has ...

So you don't feel ignored- the pictures are not definitive, and do appear to show 2 different moths, unless someone is familiar with that particular
moth, it's going to be difficult to identify.

I will end with that statement I often repeat: The only persons that don't make mistakes are those that do not do anything. Now this is a 100% certainty, then maybe not. Exactly what I said once to my employer at the roofing company when one of my coworkers claimed he never made mistakes, after I, ...

Yes, there are exceptions to virtually everything. I think people use "figures of speech" and that's where "absolutes" pop up. For instance, the old saying is the only certainties in life are death and taxes, I would argue that taxes are not a certainty, and we can only count on ...

Maybe. I am sure D, plexippus is found here in Oregon. I just saw a news clip about a butterfly house in Hawaii and all they showed were Monarchs, I don't think they occur there naturally, but I've never been. Perhaps it is just the comparison between the respective species, I had to look up gilippu...

Does anyone have any info on the structure and possible function of a flipper-like outgrowth on the dorsal side of Limenitis lorquini chrysalis? It is present in other Limenitis species as well... As both the larvae and chrysalides are bird dropping mimics, perhaps this projection serves to give a ...

It's about time. Except possibly for Star Trek, The Simpsons is the greatest tv show of all time. There is a Simpsons episode for every facet of modern
life.

These topics are always interesting.
So then- the seller{s} currently using eBay and located/shipping
from Vietnam are illegal? Assuming I understand the thread correctly?
Interesting.

It may be safe, but it's not legal to send insect material of any sort through the mail without a permit, especially from overseas. That includes sending material to other countries from the USA. I've already had that argument at the post office. I've thought that using the mail would be a good opti...

All great looking moths, and super setting jobs.
I have an eclectic success rate with spreading these smaller leps.

Old books and plates are wonderful to see. Photos aren't everything.
I have some of Haekel's plates as well, amazing artwork in these older books.
Wishing I had more wall space.

It is interesting, I don't think I've had a larva do that in particular, but they do sometimes go off script. Raise enough and eventually you'll see nearly
everything. Nearly. Yes, only one chance to get pictures usually.

Good luck, sounds interesting. Try hairspray for the wings perhaps. I have made clocks using spiderwebs that I have sprayed with hairspray, there's
more to it than just that, but it may be a substitute for the clear polyurethane.

This topic has brought a question to my mind. Do people really make a living selling insects? I've tried it years ago, when the internet was young. It seems like a difficult market. Perhaps it's the suppliers, but in any event, how many buyers are out there that continue to purchase material? I find...

Agreed Chuck, clearly Charles knew what he was doing, continuing to receive material, he was still operating his business up until not long ago.
He was gruffy and perhaps conceited, tempting fate with the feds is not my idea of sound strategy.

That's unfortunate for Dr. Limmer. I am sorry for him. Yes, he circumvented the rules. Nevertheless, I have sympathy, not everyone will, like I told
my defense attorney one time- "someone's got to do it" . If there is a market, there will be suppliers, I have limmerleps butterflies-

The color change before they burrow in. It happens sometime during the night and they park f a few hours before wandering.
Digging in was a little problematic, they are picky and took some coaxing, but turn into pupa fairly quickly.

I like the hoverflies and beeflies. Yes, when I was younger, I caught everything. Now, it is different, and I have narrowed the field a bit, but all insects are fair game, especially something new or to cool to pass up. Here we have several species I have noticed of hoverflies and the beeflies. Cock...