Hemileuca peigleiri is flying

We were notified last week that the 1st adults of the Hemileuca peigleiri population in Calhoun County were observed by Petra Hockey and John Karges of The Nature Conservancy. This is exciting news and in fact was predicted by Dr. Peigler based on the arrival of a cold snap in the general area the week before.

We have contacted John Karges of The Nature Conservancy to request permission to complete our studies by venturing onto the Powderhorn ranch property in Calhoun County on Sunday, December 13, 2015. We received our official access permit and permission for the expedition yesterday. As always, The Nature Conservancy, with the assistance of Mr. John Karges is doing everything in their power to assist us in completing the studies of this amazing moth.

The team has been working on the final paper and with this expedition we should be able to complete and submit the paper for publication either later this month or in the 1st part of January of 2016. All of our backers will receive an autographed copy of the paper once publication has been accomplished. We have managed to follow this moth virtually every year for the last 11 years and this trip on to the Powderhorn ranch will represent the 1st time we have actually been in the habitat with the moth during the adult flight. Early indications are that this is a large flight and we expect to see thousands of adults engaged in their ultimate purpose prior to death – reproduction and ensuring the next generation.

I will post a lab note with photos after the trip but it is my intention to keep everyone, especially our backers, updated on the progress that we are making.

Thank you again for your patience as we forge forward progress is steady and we are looking forward to getting the paper submitted for publication as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Bob Nuelle, Jr.