Distribution and phenology of barrens buck moth (Hemileuca maia Drury) in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve

       Pitch pine-scrub oak barrens are one of the most threatened ecosystems in the northeastern United States with more than 40% of state-listed species endemic to this habitat in New York and New England. Rampant development, fire suppression, and the proliferation of invasive plants have reduced barrens to a fraction of their historical extent. Barrens buck moth, Hemileuca maia (Drury), is found nearly exclusively in this habitat and its presence is often used as an indicator of quality barrens habitat. Extensive and intensive efforts have been directed at restoring this rare inland barrens ecosystem in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve in Eastern New York State. Treatments have included prescribed burns, mowing and herbicide application to create and maintain a mosaic of different aged open-canopy barrens habitat. To gauge the effectiveness of these management efforts, we assessed the distribution of buck moth using a variety of survey approaches for adults and for larvae. Our objectives were to (1) determine an optimal sampling methodology, and (2) assess the relative distribution of the species across different management compartments. Line transect sampling and adaptive sampling techniques were used to estimate the densities of individual larval clusters in this gregarious species at 5 sites throughout the preserve. These density values are correlated with adult flight counts from the previous fall (R²=0.87), suggesting that adult counts, the easiest life stage to sample, may be useful for monitoring. Larval sampling at a limited set of sites suggests that buck moth are more abundant in habitats that have been managed to reduce scrub oak density (growing season mow and burn followed by selective herbicide application), as opposed to unmanaged sites or those subjected to only mowing and burning. Sample larval clusters exhibited large phenological differences between those in frost-prone "kettleholes" and those feeding at higher elevation ridgetops.

See more of: Graduate Student Poster Display Competition,P-IE-3
See more of: Student Poster Competition

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