The Audubon Insectarium staff had a great trip south of New Orleans (but only 33 miles from home) last week. Just next to Paradis, LA is the tiny town of Bayou Gauche, population around 200-300. At the end of LA hwy 306, we had about an hour to poke around before we had to go to dinner. It was mostly an acridid grasshopper and eastern pondhawk collecting session with some aerial and sweep net play mixed in.
After a heck of a buffet (Chinese place, but they had boiled crawfish too 'cause, you know, you ARE in Cajun country there), we drove to Des Allemends for a sunset airboat tour. What a treat! Gobs of four-spotted skimmers perching on leafless branches, blad eagle with chick, barred owl with a fresh kill, two really large egret/heron rookeries, lots of 'gators, deafening frog calling, good numbers of whirligig beetles, and some dip-netting for water scorpions were among the highlights.
When we hauled out we invsetigated a very well-lit truck stop that produced lots of large predaceous diving beetles (Cybister sp.) and a couple each of large water scavenger beetles (Hydrophilus sp.) and giant water bugs (Lethocerus sp.). By 10 or 10:30p.m. we had returned to the end of LA 306 and set up a UV/mercury vapor light rig with a sheet. The next couple of hours produced relatively little in the way of both moths and beetles. This was a surprise, especially considering that the regular street lights lining the bayou on our drive in were replete with the 3 genera listed previously. In fact, we went on foot just two hundred yards or so and were able to collect about 20 more Lethocerus. The Cybister count was 36 and the Hydrophilus numbered about 16 by night's end.
What a good time! Pretty, close, and easy pickings for several of the aquatic species we intend to display!
Zack
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