2015 August 14

   Reminder:  Monthly Butterfly Count period starts tomorrow. See yesterday’s posting for details.

   Jochen Moehr writes from his Metchosin farm:  Yesterday I caught a picture of a Grey Hairstreak. We have just sown a crop of Crimson Clover Trifolium incarnatum, with some mature plants still available from the previous application.  This little butterfly was very interested in them and stayed around for hours. Perhaps our beans are also attractive to him.

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Jochen Moehr

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Jochen Moehr

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Jochen Moehr

   Rosemary Jorna sends a picture of a little beetle, identified for us by Scott Gilmore as a

Twenty-spotted Ladybeetle.

Twenty-spotted Ladybeetle Psyllobora vigintimaculata (Col.: Coccinellidae)

 Rosemary Jorna

   Gordon Hart writes from Highlands District, August 13:  Today we still had a faded Lorquin’s Admiral, the Grey Hairstreak again, and one or two Cedar Hairstreaks. One seemed quite fresh and one seemed faded, so I think there were two.

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Mount Tolmie, 5:00 p.m. August 13.  One or perhaps up to three

Painted Ladies.

   Rosemary Jorna sends photographs of two flies.  The first, identified by Jeff Skevington, is a syrphid, and the second, identified by Monty Wood, is a tachinid.

Cheilosia sp. (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Graphogaster sp. (Dip.: Tachinidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Aziza Cooper writes:  On Thursday, August 13, I found one Purplish Copper next to the pump house on the east side of Martindale valley. One photo shows a purple sheen on the forewing.

Male Purplish Copper Lycaena helloides (Lep.:  Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

Purplish Copper Lycaena helloides (Lep.:  Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

   Devon Parker writes:  August 13 was a great day for butterflies on the San Juan Ridge. 

18 Hydaspe Fritillaries

1 Green Comma

1 Painted Lady

3 Lorquin’s Admirals

1 Sylvan Hairstreak

1 Mylitta Crescent

The Sylvan Hairstreak appears to be the same specimen as last time (see August 3 posting).

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Devon Parker

Hydaspe Fritillary Speyeria hydaspe (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Devon Parker

Both!      Devon Parker

   Gordon Hart sends a picture of an ichneumonid wasp from his Highlands garden.  If anyone can help with the identification, do let us know!

Ichneumonid wasp (Hym.:  Ichneumonidae)  Gordon Hart