Diario del proyecto 2020 Keystone State Park BioBlitz

While looking for moths a few nights ago, visitors were delighted to come across an eastern dobsonfly. Although they are not moths, these large insects are a welcome site for nature lovers because they are often indicative of clean, relatively unpolluted water. Their eggs are laid on a surface that is above a rocky water body. When hatched, the larvae will fall or crawl into the water, looking for a rocky substrate. They'll live 2-3 years as larvae, serving as top predators in the macroinvertebrate world. They live under rocks and feed on soft bodied invertebrates. After 2-3 years of feeding and growing, they'll pupate, either for about 7 to 14 days, or they will overwinter in pupae form in areas of cold winter temps. When they emerge as adults, they can be fearsome looking with their large mandibles. The mandibles are not used for eating as its thought that the adults do not feed at all. Rather the mandibles are used for holding on during reproduction and can also be used for self defense. As adults, they will live about 7 days.

The eastern dobsonfly found on July 3rd was listed as an observation by the Keystone State Park official account as well as a visitor's account.

It is so gratifying to log in and see that so many like minded wildlife enthusiasts have shared their observations in the park. There's some really interesting stuff that you guys are sharing. Keep them coming!

Park staff and volunteers recently were delighted to stumble across a male Io moth resting on a sycamore tree. The photo can be found in the observations in this project. Io moths are one of the most vivid moth species that we have here in Pennsylvania. While the females have more muted coloration, better suited for blending into their environment, the males are bright yellow with very feathery antennae. Both males and females have tell tale 'eye spots' on each of their hind wings, an adaptation that allows them to fool their predators into thinking that they're watching them.

What interesting moths have you found at the park?

Welcome to the 2020 Keystone State Park BioBlitz, starting today! We want to know what's catching the eye of our visitors. Did you see an interesting bird at the beach? Did you see an unusual flower on a hike? Share it! If you know it, share the species. If you don't know it, use the iNaturalist species search to help you figure out what it is. Or just leave it blank and let the community weigh in.

Enjoy!

~Jean H. Keene