2021 September 22

Say goodbye to Summer, and welcome to Autumn.   The declination of the Sun was zero at 12:21 pm PDT today.

Jeff Gaskin reports that Kirsten Mills saw two Lorquin’s Admirals yesterday, September 21.    One was seen on the Cedar Hill Golf Course, and the other was seen while Kirsten was driving along Royal Oak Avenue near Lochside School.   These are late dates for Lorquin’s Admiral, but not unprecedented.  For example, in 2019 one was seen as late as September 25.

Gordon Hart sends photographs of two flies and a moth.  We thank Jeff Skevington for identification of the flies, and Libby Avis for the moth.

Of the first fly, Dr Skevington writes:  It is a female Dasysyrphus intrudens (a complex of species but currently all bearing this name so you can post it as this species).   The second is the Drone Fly Eristalis tenax.

 

Dasysyrphus intrudens (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Gordon Hart

Drone Fly Eristalis tenax  (Dip.: Syrphidae) Gordon Hart

    The moth also belongs to a complex of species – although they do have different names  – in  the genus Parabagrotis.  There are several species, and a good case could be made for identifying Gordon’s moth as any of them – or for rejecting any of them.  Thanks to Libby for identifying the genus.  Prudence suggests leaving it as the genus level.

 

Parabagrotis sp. (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Gordon Hart