2023 September 15

Hello, Butterfly Watchers,

The September count period starts Saturday September 16 until Sunday September 24. This is an informal census of butterfly numbers and species in Greater Victoria. The area is defined by the Christmas Bird Count circle, extending from Victoria to Brentwood Bay and Island View Road in Central Saanich, and west to Happy Valley and Triangle Mountain, and Langford Lake and Goldstream areas.

You can submit a count any time over the count period, just use a separate form for each count and location. In the case of repeat or duplicate counts, I will use the higher numbers. To submit counts, please use the form from the VNHS website at https://www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?p=33

If you have difficulty with the form, just send me an email with the information.

Thank-you for submitting your sightings and good luck with your count.

Gordon
Gordon Hart
Butterfly Count Coordinator,
Victoria Natural History Society

As if to reinforce Marie O’Shaughnessy’s comment (September 13) that this has been a good season for Variegated Meadowhawk, Aziza Cooper saw and photographed one at Beachey Head on September 14.  Also there, she writes, was a Pine White, and two more Pine Whites at Aylard Farm.

Variegated Meadowhawk  Sympetrum corruptum  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Aziza Cooper

Marie has been photographing some small creatures at Outerbridge Park in the last few days:

Banasa dimiata (Hem.: Pentatomidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

We thank Dr Philip Bragg for the identification of the harvestman:

Male Phalangium opilio (Opiliones:  Phalangiidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Blue-green Sharpshooter Hordnia atropunctata (Hem.: Cicadellidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Udea profundalis (Lep.: Crambidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

  We have not yet, unfortunately, been able to identify the following two creatures.  If anyone can help with the identifications, please do get in touch with us. The first is probably a pentatomid bug, but is an immature nymph, which makes identification difficult.

Pentatomid nymph (Hem.: Pentatomidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Jeremy Tatum writes:  I really have little idea what the fly below is, except that it might just possibly be of the Family Xylophagidae (genus possibly Dialysis?), but that is by no means certain.

Unidentified fly (Diptera)  Marie O’Shaughnessy