My mother, Rita Eileen Oehlke, also had a great appreciation for nature and all its beauties and wonderments.
When the family moved to Pottersville, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, when I was twelve, that combination allowed for the study of many animals in and around the house.
I hope you will enjoy and find useful some of the many websites I have created and continue to develop:
Sphingidae of the Americas. This website covers all of the Sphingidae (Hawk Moths) from North, Central and South America. There are checklists for all Canadian provinces, all US states, all Central and South American countries and most of the Carribean Islands. There are thousands of images of adult and larval stages, and in many cases there are pictoral checklists at the county level for most US states.
Catocala of North America. This website covers all the Catocala (underwing moths) from Canada and the United States. There are pictoral checklists for all Canadian provinces and all US states, known to host Catocala. There are also identification keys, sugar recipes, food plants, flight times, etc., for these beautiful moths.
Many photographers have submitted images and data to make these websites possible. Tim Dyson from Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, has provided some of the most outstanding Catocala images that I have ever seen. I have posted many of his images, and some of my nature stories to Tim Dyson: Night Vision Photography.
My main personal interest lies with the giant silkmoths (Saturniidae). During the summer months I rear many of the local species found on Prince Edward Isand in eastern Canada. Please visit GIANT MOTHS (SATURNIIDAE) OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, CANADA. There are many articles posted on that site that would be helpful to those who wish to rear Saturniidae.
The above site contains links to three major public Saturniidae websites that I have assembled featuring the images of Leroy Simon, Kirby Wolfe and Thibaud Decaens. These gentlemen have sent me hundreds of beautiful images of the Saturniidae they have reared:
THE LEROY SIMON SATURNIIDAE COLLECTION
THE KIRBY WOLFE SATURNIIDAE
COLLECTION
THE THIBAUD DECAENS SATURNIIDAE COLLECTION
Many other Saturniidae enthusiasts have sent me images of Saturniidae (eggs, larvae, cocoons and pupae, and adults) from their rearing experiences or collections. I have purchased many of the top reference books to aid with identifications and have now assembled a private membership site, called World's Largest Saturniidae Site, where over 10,000 Saturniidae files are available to members. Over 1450 different Saturniidae species/subspecies are depicted. There are active checklists for most countries of the world. There are many articles on site, written by myself or members, sharing our rearing experiences. Digital images are provided by over 100 different photographers/rearers from all over the world.
I also maintain a private membership site covering North American (Canada and USA) butterflies and their larvae, called Caterpillars Too!. Almost all Canadian and US butterflies are depicted with foodplants, ranges, flight seasons. Each member gets a personalized home page with links to state and province maps indicating which species they can expect to find. Many larvae are depicted.
Just as many people submit images for the public Sphingidae and Catocala sites, many members submit images for the two private sites.
Here are some additional public access sites I have created:
ARCTIIDAE: TIGER MOTHS; WOOLLY BEAR CATERPILLARS
BUTTERFLIES OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND BUTTERFLIES
Caterpillar Identification Guide
For care of "found Sphingidae larvae/caterpillars" visit Manduca sexta larva, central Texas, August 21, 2008, Trina Woodall.
For general instructions about rearing Saturniidae larvae, visit Actias luna rearing
I welcome comments and questions.
902-838-3455 or email: oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
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