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Program and Abstracts

26th Annual Meetingof the High Country Lepidopterists

October 23 and 24, 2015University of Denver

Shannon M. Murphy (Ed.)

2001 Colorado Boulevard Denver, CO 80205

DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE REPORTS

WWW.DMNS.ORG/SCIENCE/MUSEUM-PUBLICATIONS

DEN

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F NA

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Cover photo: Female fall webworm (Hyphantria

cunea) laying eggs on narrow leaf cottonwood

(Populus angustifolia). Photo: Shannon Murphy.

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science Reports (ISSN

2374-7730 [print], ISSN 2374-7749 [online]) is an open-

access, non peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing

papers about DMNS research, collections, or other

Museum related topics, generally authored or co-authored

by Museum staff or associates. Peer review will only be

arranged on request of the authors.

The journal is available online at www.dmns.org/Science/

Museum-Publications free of charge. Paper copies are

exchanged via the DMNS Library exchange program

([email protected]) or are available for purchase

from our print-on-demand publisher Lulu (www.lulu.com).

DMNS owns the copyright of the works published in the

Reports, which are published under the Creative Commons

Attribution Non-Commercial license. For commercial use of

published material contact the Alfred M. Bailey Library &

Archives at [email protected].

Frank Krell, PhD, Editor and Production

Denver Museum of Nature & Science Reports

(Print) ISSN 2374-7730


(Online) ISSN 2374-7749

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science inspires

curiosity and excites minds of all ages through

scientific discovery and the presentation and

preservation of the world’s unique treasures.



NUMBER 2, OCTOBER 23, 2015


26th Annual Meeting of the High Country Lepidopterists

October 23 and 24, 2015, University of Denver



Edited byShannon M. Murphy1

1Department of Biological Sciences

University of Denver

2050 E. Iliff Avenue

Denver, Colorado 80208, U.S.A.

[email protected]

CONTENTS

Program 2

Abstracts 3

Morris, J.A. & Murphy, S.M.: A New Community Garden on the University of Denver Campus 6

The 65th Annual Meeting of The Lepidopterists’ Society, July 6-10, 2016, at Florissant, Colorado 9

26 Years High Country Lepidopterists’ Meetings 10

3DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE REPORTS | No. 2, October 23, 20152 DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE REPORTS | No. 2, October 23, 2015

26th Annual Meeting, High Country LepidopteristsMurphy

PROGRAM

Friday, October 23, 5:30–9:00 pmPotluck dinner at the house of Jan Chu, 964 Ravenwood Road, Boulder CO 80303 (north of Baseline Lake, off Baseline Road)

Saturday, October 24

11:30am–12:30pm: Lunch (Olin Hall Atrium)

12:30pm–2:25pm: Contributed Talks (Olin Hall, Room 105)12:30pm–12:35pm: Shannon Murphy: Welcome and Introduction12:35pm–12:55pm: Elizabeth Barnes & Shannon Murphy: Competition and Community Interactions of Two Web Building Caterpillars: Western Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma californicum) and Fall Webworm (Hyphantria cunea)12:55pm–1:10pm: Jan Chu: Evolution of a Once Biologically Diverse Trail1:10pm–1:30pm: Kylee Grenis & Shannon Murphy: Impact of Ecological Light Pollution on Species Interactions1:30pm–1:50pm: Todd Gilligan & Donald Wright: Eucosma Hübner of the Contiguous United States and Canada (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Eucosmini)1:50pm–2:10pm: Laurel Cepero & Shannon Murphy: Effects of Fire-Generated Disturbance on Lepidopteran Herbivores2:10pm–2:25pm: David Bettman: The DMNS Entomology Collection: Present and Future

2:25pm–2:45pm: Break (Olin Hall Atrium)

2:45pm–4:25pm: Contributed Talks (Olin Hall, Room 105)2:45pm–3:05pm: Shannon Murphy & Katrina Loewy: Trade-offs in Host Choice of an Herbivorous Insect Based on Parasitism and Larval Performance3:05pm–3:25pm: Scott Ellis: Colorado Front Range Distribution Trends (1980s–2015) in Garita Skipperling (Oarisma garita) Based on Review and Analysis of Annual Count Results3:25pm–3:45pm: Mayra Vidal & Shannon Murphy: Variation of Host Plant Use by the Two Types of Fall Webworm (Hyphantria cunea, Erebidae)3:45pm–4:05pm: Paul Opler & Evi Buckner Opler: Butterfly Use and Pollination of Colorado’s Eriogonum Species4:05pm–4:25pm: Todd Gilligan & David Bettman: 65th Annual Meeting of The Lepidopterists’ Society

4:25pm–4:55pm: Business Meeting (Olin Hall, Room 105))

5:00pm: Dinner at a local restaurant



ABSTRACTS

Competition and Community Interactions of Two Web Building Caterpillars: Western Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma californicum) and Fall Webworm (Hyphantria cunea)

Elizabeth Barnes & Shannon MurphyDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Olin Hall 102, 2190 E. Iliff Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80208; [email protected]

Competition is one of the fundamental structuring forces in many communities, yet its role has historically been controversial in herbivorous insects. We study host-plant mediated competition between two herbivorous insects: western tent caterpillars (Malacosoma californicum) and fall webworms (Hyphantria cunea). Tent caterpil-lars feed on chokecherry early in the spring and fall webworms feed on the same plant species in the late summer and both species construct highly visible webs/tents on their host-plants. We studied the effects of com-petition at three different levels within the same study system: interspecific competition between tent caterpil-lars and fall webworm, intraspecific competition among tent caterpillars, and the season-long effects of tent caterpillars on arthropod community on chokecherry.

The DMNS Entomology Collection: Present and Future

David BettmanDepartment of Zoology, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Boulevard, Denver, Colorado 80205; [email protected]

In September 2014, the DMNS Entomology collection was moved into the museum’s new state-of-the-art collections facility. However, not all of the collections storage infra-structure was in place at that time, so the reorganization of the collection had to be delayed. That reorganization has now been completed, and this talk summarizes the

current state of the collection (with emphasis on the Lepidoptera) and plans for its future. Supported by NSF grants DBI-1203367 and EF-1207146.

Effects of Fire-Generated Disturbance on Lepidopteran Herbivores

Laurel Cepero & Shannon MurphyDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Olin Hall 102, 2190 E. Iliff Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80208; [email protected]

Climate change models project an increase in fire severity and an increase in the area burned in the United States through the year 2100, likely altering community structures and processes and generating heterogeneity across burned areas. How fires affect plant communities is well studied, but the effects on higher trophic levels are relatively ignored. Because higher trophic level organisms, such as insects and their natural enemies, play important roles in struc-turing early successional communities, it is important to study fire effects from a multi-trophic perspective. We are studying how fire may affect interactions of Lepidoptera with their host plants.

Evolution of a Once Biologically Diverse Trail

Janet Chu964 Ravenwood Road, Boulder, Colorado 80303; [email protected]

Anne U. White is a three mile long narrow wooded Foot-hill canyon trail in Boulder County. A divided jet stream caused about 18 inches of rain to fall in three days during September, 2013. This torrent destroyed a biologically diverse treasure. Anne U. White provided habitat for 85 species of butterflies that were observed over a seven year period. An average of 40 species per year had been identified. Now the trail is nonexistent and the plants are scrubbed from the remaining boulder strewn creek bed.



Access was permitted for a single day in August. During that day in 2014, 17 species were noted and in 2015, only 10 were seen. This event is a dramatic example providing a rudimentary beginning for succession studies.

Colorado Front Range Distribution Trends (1980s–2015) in Garita Skipperling (Oarisma garita) Based on Review and Analysis of Annual Count Results

Scott Ellis2055 Bonner Spring Ranch Road, Laporte, Colorado 80535

The garita skipperling (Oarisma garita) is a widely distributed, usually abundant grass-feeding skipper that occurs at low to moderate elevations within the plains/foothills zones of the South Platte River drainage. Based on long-term monitoring, there is preliminary evidence that this species may be disappearing from low elevation portions of its range. To develop occurrence trends, the NABA 4th of July and other counts were reviewed for a variety of count locations to estimate the past and current distribution of this species. Habitat and climatic factors that may be influencing current distribution pat-terns are discussed.

65th Annual Meeting of The Lepidopterists’ Society

Todd Gilligan* & David Bettman*Colorado State University, BSPM, 1177 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523;[email protected]

The 65th Annual Meeting of The Lepidopterists’ Society will be held from July 6–10 in Florissant, Colorado. We will provide an overview of the meeting and discuss potential opportunities for local lepidopterists to contribute to the program and associated field trips.

Eucosma Hübner of the Contiguous United States and Canada (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Eucosmini)

Todd Gilligan* & Donald J. Wright*Colorado State University, BSPM, 1177 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523;[email protected]

Eucosma Hübner is one of the largest genera in the Tortricidae, with more than 230 described species. It achieves its greatest species richness in the Nearctic, where members of the genus can be found in nearly every habitat, from the dunes of the Gulf Coast to the barren summits of the Rocky Mountains. Here we detail the first com-prehensive treatment of North American Eucosma to be published in more than 90 years. We provide an overview of the genus and the 133 species present in the contigu-ous United States and Canada, present recent taxonomic changes, and discuss several unresolved species complexes.

Impact of Ecological Light Pollution on Species Interaction

Kylee Grenis & Shannon MurphyDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Olin Hall 102, 2190 E. Iliff Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80208; [email protected]

Nearly half of the world’s human population lives in urban areas with artificial night lighting, which degrades night skies. Yet most studies of light pollution only focus on species-specific effects, which exclude a number of differ-ent interactions that could be altered. Using a variety of field and greenhouse experiments, we tested how light pol-lution alters interactions between nocturnal Lepidoptera and their predators and host plants. We found no impacts of light pollution on predation in the field, but we did find indirect and direct effects of light pollution on herbivory and plant growth, and conflicting impacts of light pollu-tion on nocturnal Lepidoptera communities.



Trade-offs in Host Choice of an Hebivorous Insect Based on Parasitism and Larval Performance

Shannon Murphy & Katrina LoewyDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Olin Hall 102, 2190 E. Iliff Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80208; [email protected]

Herbivore diet breadth is predicted to evolve in response to both bottom-up and top-down selective pressures, including host plant abundance, quality and natural enemy pressure. As the relative importance and strength of interactions change over an herbivore’s geographic range, local patterns of host plant use should change in response, altering local diet breadths. Fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea) is a widespread, polyphagous moth species and populations in Colorado have a restricted diet breadth compared to eastern populations. We tested whether host abundance, larval performance, and parasitism drive local specialization in Colorado populations.

Butterfly Use and Pollination of Colorado’s Eriogonum Species

Paul Opler & Evi Buckner OplerP. O. Box 2227, Loveland, Colorado 80539; [email protected]

Wild buckwheats (Eriogonum species) present one of Colorado’s predictable abundant plant hosts for Colo-rado butterflies. Information is presented for eight of Colorado’s Eriogonum species. Fifteen butterfly species (13 Lycaenindae and two Riodinidae) use Eriogonum as larval hosts and adults of most of these species also visit their hosts flowers for nectar. An additional 15 or more butterfly species also visit Eriogonum flowers for nectar but use plants in other families as their larval hosts. The potential of these butterflies as pollinators is discussed.

Variation of Host Plant Use by the Two Types of Fall Webworm (Hyphantria cunea, Erebidae)

Mayra Vidal & Shannon MurphyDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Olin Hall 102, 2190 E. Iliff Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80208; [email protected]

Fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea; FWW) is a highly generalist species, feeding on >600 plant species over its geographic range. There are two types of FWW, black and red-headed larvae, which may be different species and vary in host plant use. In the eastern US, black-headed larvae frequently feed on box elder (Acer negundo) and green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), while in Colorado red-headed larvae rarely use these plants, even though they both occur here. We tested the performance of red-headed FWW from Colorado and black-headed FWW from the eastern US by rearing them on two good quality hosts [chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) and narrow leaf cot-tonwood (Populus angustifolia)] and two bad quality host plants (box elder and green ash) from Colorado. We found that the two types of FWW differ in the plants that they are adapted to use.



In early spring 2015, a new community garden was constructed on the University of Denver campus. This garden is conveniently located next to the buildings for the Natural Sciences and the Center for Sustainability, and is easily accessible to students interested in science and the environment. Over 100 students representing various student groups have been involved in the gar-den’s initiation and inaugural year. Campus gardens can be thought of as “living classrooms” and offer a unique opportunity for students to learn about their environment and other important issues facing our society, such as food access, loss of biodiversity, and climate change.

Using Gardens for EducationThe community garden at the University of Denver increases biodiversity on campus and can be used to teach students and other community members about the diversity of plant, soil and insect life that surrounds us every day. It provides a great opportunity to highlight the importance of native pollinators (including bees, butterflies and moths), and future designs for the many

small gardens within the space include plants that are beneficial and attractive to Lepidoptera. Faculty members from a variety of departments and several academic units across campus have expressed interest in incorporating the garden into their curricula, includ-ing biology, chemistry, geography, international studies, art, business, and the writing program. The garden was specifically designed to include a seating area for small groups of students, and is listed as a reservable space on the University registration system to help coordinate future demand for the space.

As one example, Dr. Morris will use the garden in various laboratory exercises for her non-major’s science course: Sustaining Life, including studies of soil biodi-versity, pollination ecology, and phenology. We also have direct experience using gardens on campus to teach University and Denver public school students and teach-ers about ecological theories and how to test hypotheses. For instance, Dr. Murphy taught several short courses on Ecology to elementary grade teachers from the Denver Public Schools as part of a summer institute that

A New Community Garden on the University of Denver Campus

Julie A. Morris & Shannon M. MurphyDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Denver,

Olin Hall 102, 2190 E. Iliff Avenue, Denver, Colorado [email protected]

Figure 1. Dr. Morris and undergraduate

students from the University lay out the design

of the community garden in April 2015.

Figure 2. Student volunteers help to build the

garden and create raised beds for plants (May

2015).



provides elementary school teachers with the science content that they need to successfully implement an inquiry-based science curriculum in their classrooms. We have used the University of Denver campus as our study area and the teachers have learned to measure the abundance and richness of plant species on campus and then perform an experiment in which they measure insect diversity and test whether it is correlated to plant diversity (methods adapted from Richardson & Hari 2008). Now with the addition of the community garden to our campus, we will have a location with much greater plant diversity for our experiments and learning activities for teachers and students alike.

Through the University of Denver Wellness Program, we have also offered a workshop to staff and faculty about the insects that they find in their own gardens at home. We teach participants how to recognize pest insects, but more importantly we also teach them to recognize insects that are a gardener’s ally. Many gardeners get rid of beneficial insects because they have never learned how to tell them apart. The community garden now offers a spectacular location in which to teach the DU community more about insects, plants and how to grow a sustainable garden. We also plan to use this space to teach faculty, staff and students about the wide variety of bees, butterflies, and moths in our area and how to incorporate plants into their gardens that attract these beneficial insects.

Sustainability on CampusFunding for the garden was primarily collected through DU’s Center for Sustainability (http://www.du.edu/sustainability/) and many of the undergraduate students who work in the garden are introduced to it through this program. A few student groups on campus (including DU Students for Sustainable Food) have initiated a pilot project to grow herbs that could be used in kitchens on campus and eventually served in the dormitories. Inevitably, their plants will encounter some herbivorous insects and this will be a learning opportunity to teach them about various insect orders, including Lepidoptera. Students will learn to identify different caterpillar species and we can even rear them out so they can learn about the different life stages of the insects in the garden. We plan to have several students complete independent research projects within the garden to study how intercropping different herbs and plants together changes the diversity of insect pests and beneficials, and how that may cascade to affect plant productivity. Furthermore, we are planning a study of how butterfly and moth diversity in particular changes over time within the garden. We also foresee initiat-ing several citizen science projects within the garden, including the University of Colorado at Boulder’s “Bee’s Needs” project that studies solitary, wood-nesting bees across the Colorado Front Range.

Figure 4. The community garden after

construction has started (May 2015).

Figure 3. Raised beds in the background and a

sitting area for classes and group meetings made

of large rocks in the foreground (May 2015).



Community EngagementAdditionally, the garden is an excellent opportunity for the University of Denver to strengthen ties with its surrounding community, and many Denver citizens who live near the campus currently rent space in the garden to grow their own food. To help facilitate these connections, the garden is part of the Denver Urban Garden Network, which includes community gardens across the city. At the end of our first year, our garden provides a shared space where faculty, staff, students and the wider Denver community can gather and work together towards our shared goals of sustainability and education.

Literature CitedRichardson, M.L. & Hari, J. 2008. Teaching students

about biodiversity by studying the correlation between plants and arthropods. The American Biology Teacher 70: 217–220.

Figures 5–6. Students and community members grow a wide variety of plants in the garden,

including flowers that attract Lepidoptera (September 2015).



The 65th Annual Meeting of The Lepidopterists’ Society

July 6-10, 2016, at Florissant, Colorado

The 2016 Annual Meeting of The Lepidopterists’ Society will be held from Wednesday, July 6, to Sunday, July 10, at The Nature Place, a superb conference center sponsored by the Colorado Outdoor Education Center and located near the tiny town of Floris-sant at 8,800 feet elevation, a few miles west of Pikes Peak in the Colorado Rockies.

Beautiful facilities, an incredible mountain environment of flower-filled meadows and pine-fir forests, an amazing diversity of Lepidoptera, and cool summer weather

combine to make a perfect meeting site where you can step out your front door to be immersed in Nature while enjoying a fantastic meeting in a most relaxing and fun-

filled atmosphere with your fellow lepidopterists.

The setting is exceptional, the food is superb, and The Nature Place staff will help to make this an outstanding meeting, one that your family will enjoy and one in which you can collect, photograph, and watch many of Colorado’s almost 300 species of butterflies around you while walking to the spacious lodge or spending each night at the moth sheets with well over 1,000 species of nocturnal Lepidoptera potentially

flocking to your lights.

The organizing committee, including Tom Emmel, Jackie Miller, Charles Covell, Andrei Sourakov, Andy Warren, David Bettman, and Todd Gilligan (and growing daily)

is already planning an outstanding program of papers and field trips. So set these dates aside now for the “Lep Soc Meeting” in your 2016 calendar and travel plans. We will be doing a direct mailing to every Lepidopterists’ Society member (and several other lepidopterist organizations that are interested in participating jointly), which will include full information for early registration, facilities available, activities, and

an invitation to participate in the program. These items will also be placed online for ease of reference and access. It is anticipated that travel grants and student support will be available by application so that younger members especially can be encour-

aged to pursue attending this meeting where as many as 200 avid, knowledgeable and highly enthusiastic lepidopterists will be helpful mentors!

.



26 Years High Country Lepidopterists’ Meetings

1990: 1st meeting (High Plains Lepidopterists), September 14–15, Holiday Inn University Park, hosted by Colorado State University, Entomology Department, Fort Collins

1991: 2nd meeting (High Plains Lepidopterists), October 4–5, University of Colorado Museum, Boulder

1992: 3rd meeting, September 11–12, Denver Museum of Natural History, Denver

1993: 4th meeting, September 18, University of Wyoming, Department of Entomology Insect Collection, Laramie

1994: 5th meeting, October 28–29, Holiday Inn University Park, hosted by C.P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity Colorado State University, Fort Collins

1995: 6th meeting, October 20–22, University of Colorado Museum, Boulder

1996: 7th meeting, October 25–26, Butterfly Pavilion, Westminster

1997: 8th meeting, September 19–20, Holiday Inn University Park, Fort Collins


1999: 10th meeting, October 22–23, C.P. Gillette Museum, Colorado State University, Fort Collins

2000: 11th meeting, November 3–4, C.P. Gillette Museum, Colorado State University, Fort Collins

2001: 12th meeting, September 7–8, C.P. Gillette Museum, Colorado State University, Fort Collins



2004: 15th meeting, November 5–6, University of Colorado Museum, Boulder

2005: 16th meeting, October 21–22, C.P. Gillette Museum, Colorado State University, Fort Collins




2009: 20th meeting, October 23–24, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver

2010: 21st meeting, November 5–6, C.P. Gillette Museum, Colorado State University, Fort Collins

2011: 22nd meeting, October 14–15, University of Colorado Museum, Boulder

2012: 23rd meeting, October 20, Butterfly Pavilion, Westminster


2014: 25th meeting, November 7–8, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver

2015: 26th meeting, October 23–24, University of Denver, Denver


26th Annual Meetingof the High Country Lepidopterists

October 23 and 24, 2015University of Denver

Shannon M. Murphy (Ed.)

2001 Colorado Boulevard Denver, CO 80205



DEN

VER M

USEU

M O

F NA

TURE &

SCIEN

CE REPO

RTS • NU

MBER 2

• OC

TOBER 23

, 20

15

Cover photo: Female fall webworm (Hyphantria

cunea) laying eggs on narrow leaf cottonwood

(Populus angustifolia). Photo: Shannon Murphy.

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science Reports (ISSN

2374-7730 [print], ISSN 2374-7749 [online]) is an open-

access, non peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing

papers about DMNS research, collections, or other

Museum related topics, generally authored or co-authored

by Museum staff or associates. Peer review will only be

arranged on request of the authors.

The journal is available online at www.dmns.org/Science/

Museum-Publications free of charge. Paper copies are

exchanged via the DMNS Library exchange program

([email protected]) or are available for purchase

from our print-on-demand publisher Lulu (www.lulu.com).

DMNS owns the copyright of the works published in the

Reports, which are published under the Creative Commons

Attribution Non-Commercial license. For commercial use of

published material contact the Alfred M. Bailey Library &

Archives at [email protected].

Frank Krell, PhD, Editor and Production


(Print) ISSN 2374-7730


(Online) ISSN 2374-7749

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science inspires

curiosity and excites minds of all ages through

scientific discovery and the presentation and

preservation of the world’s unique treasures.




denver museum of nature & science reports denver … · 4 denver museum of nature & science...

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