This section, starting October 2001, will track the development of The World's Largest Saturniidae Site.
Membership continues to grow. I am constantly upgrading the site with new pictures and information. It may become increasingly difficult (time consuming) to send out individual newsletters so newsletters will be posted here, hopefully on a timely basis, the fifteenth or sixteenth of each month.
Generally, I have been updating the most recent newsletter as new information and images arrive. If you really want to stay on top of special opportunities, you should check the current newsletter periodically.
Kirby Wolfe released his Saturniidae CD in 2005. It is an excellent compilation of his work. See reviews and access Kirby's ordering information by clicking on the banner below. Use your browser "Back" button to return to this page.
Mothly newsletter October 2009
Mothly newsletter September 2009
Mothly newsletter February 2009
Mothly newsletter January 2009
Mothly newsletter December 2008
Mothly newsletter November 2008
Mothly newsletter October 2008
Mothly newsletter September 2008
Mothly Newsletter February 2008
Mothly Newsletter January 2008
Mothly Newsletter December 2007
Mothly Newsletter November 2007
Mothly Newsletter October 2007
Mothly Newsletter September 2007
Mothly Newsletter: February 2007
Mothly Newsletter: January 2007
Mothly Newsletter: December 2006
Mothly Newsletter: November 2006
Mothly Newsletter: October 2006
Mothly Newsletter: September 2006
Mothly Newsletter: August 2006
Mothly Newsletter: February 2006
Mothly Newsletter: January 2006
Mothly Newsletter: December 2005
Mothly Newsletter: November 2005
Mothly Newsletter: October 2005
Mothly Newsletter: September 2005
Mothly Newsletter: August 2005
Mothly Newsletter: February 2005
Mothly Newsletter: January 2005
Mothly Newsletter: December 2004
Mothly Newsletter: November 2004
Mothly Newsletter: October 2004
Mothly Newsletter: September 2004
Mothly Newsletter: August 2004
Mothly Newsletter: February 2004
Mothly Newsletter: January 2004
Mothly Newsletter: December 2003
Mothly Newsletter: November 2003
Mothly Newsletter: October 2003
Mothly Newsletter: September 2003
Mothly Newsletter: August 2003
Mothly Newsletter: February 2003
Mothly Newsletter: January 2003
Mothly Newsletter: December 2002
Mothly Newsletter: November 2002
Mothly Newsletter: October 2002
Mothly Newsletter: September 2002
Mothly Newsletter: August 2002
Mothly Newsletter: February 2002
Mothly Newsletter: January 2002
Mothly Newsletter: December 2001
Mothly Newsletter: November 2001
Mothly Newsletter: October 2001
A bit of history:
I started using the internet as a marketing tool for Saturniidae livestock in the late 1990's. I opened an email account with Sympatico and got five mgb of free webspace.
That space was quickly filled with pictures borrowed from others and information files that I created. People like Scott Henninger, Bill Welsh, Bruce Walsh, Scott Smith, Pete Honl, John Campbell, etc., were very kind in letting me use images from their already existing sites. I wove text around the images in html format and posted them for others to enjoy.
Always interested in high quality images of live moths and larvae, I contacted Leroy Simon and he agreed to send me slides to scan. His images are beautiful. I scanned the slides Leroy sent to me (using a friend's scanner), and saved them on my own harddrive and on diskettes which I sent to Leroy along with his slides.
With all the images I was acquiring, I no longer had sufficient webspace with my Sympatico account.
I spoke with friends who had email accounts who were not intending to use their webspace and I created additional sites entitled Mexican Saturniidae, European Saturniidae, African Saturniidae, Austalian Saturniidae, Asian Saturniidae, Butterflies of Prince Edward Island, etc., on space available to me through these other accounts.
My oldest son taught me a great deal about internet displays and html format. He also provided me with free additional webspace available to him through his work.
Frustrating Times!
With all the webspace available to me, I spent much time typing and organizing files, uploading and submitting website URL's to search engines. Things were going quite well until....
One of my friends moved away and the email space/account (Ceratocampinae and Sphingidae) was lost to me.
Another friend (elderly couple) found the phone to be more user friendly and personal and sold computer and discontinued account (Mexican Saturniidae Site).
My son switched jobs and lost the email accounts and webspace available to him (Asian, Australian, South American and African Saturniidae Sites)
Fortunately I still had files on my own hard drive, but all of the URL submissions were now invalid. Links I had exchanged with others had to be updated and I had to find new webspace for my files.
There were several "DOT COM" companies offering free webspace, but their advertising windows had to be displayed for their "paying" customers.
I began using TRIPOD, BIZLAND and two or three others. Things seemed to be back together again, and then the "bottom fell out" of the "DOT COM" industry.
I think it was only six months after uploading files to the new host servers and resubmitting URLs to search engines that the "DOT COM" webspace was no longer free. I felt I had been betrayed by the companies offering the "free space" which, after countless hours of file work, uploads and URL submissions on my part, suddenly required a monthly rental fee. I let them know exactly how I felt.
Bizland seemed to have the best offer at the time so I created The World's Largest Saturniidae Site membership club on webspace rented from Bizland. I was also so busy on the computer all the time that there were conflicts with children and spouse over the phone line being tied up with my computer usage. Hence a highspeed server account (much more expensive) that allows phone and computer to be going at same time, unlimited airtime, and also has much shorter upload times for large files (pictures) became the operational mode here. Hence the the one-time-life-time registration fee.
That meant more changes. My original site on Sympatico space had to be moved to its current location at http://www3.islandtelecom.com/~oehlkew
The new URL with a new email address had to be resubmitted and again all links had to be changes. You can probably still find old, non-functional URLs for some of my original sites on search engines that still have not updated the info I sent to them.
At any rate, I was making new contacts and gathering information and receiving quite a few more images and had discovered Dan Jansen's extensive Sphingidae and Saturniidae files and received his permission to resize and utilize images and information.
The World's Largest Saturniidae Site soon outgrew the 130 mgb of rented Bizland space. I had been in contact with Clive Pratt who owns and operates The Insect Company and he made me an offer I could not refuse.
The Insect Company now provides the space (probably close to 300mgb) for the Membership Site. Clive sells and has a very extensive listing of insects through The Insect Company
I chose kurthi.htm for the end of my URL to recognize Kurt Himmelbauer who gave me some early encouragement and insights with scanning techniques during some of the most frustrating times. Kurt also sent me some outstanding images.
I have made many new contacts along the way. The additional photographs and information supplied by Scott Smith, Chris Conlan, Bernhard Wenczel, Bernhard Jost, Bob Vuattoux (hybrids), Kirby Wolfe (extensive and beautiful), Bob Jensens, Thibaud Decaens, etc., really make the site what it is today.
I continue to devote much time and money to maintenance and development of the site.
I still maintain a greatly expanded Sphingidae of the Americas website on space rented from Bizland. I also utilize that space for the recently created (2002) Catocala Website.
I retire from teaching in June of 2003. It is my hope that someday the site will display all of the world's Saturniidae. I am very thankful to Clive Pratt for his sponsorship of the site, to all the members, especially those who submit images and articles or help with identifications, to my two oldest children who purchased my computer equipment as a family present (sale of livestock helped to put them both through university), to my parents and to my wife.
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