2021 November 3 morning

    Jochen Möhr sends a photograph of a Juniper Carpet from Metchosin, November 1.   Comparison with the specimen shown on October 16 illustrates not only the variability of the species, but may let viewers know something of the problems that we who identify moths have to face!

Juniper Carpet Thera juniperata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

2021 November 2

    Kate Woods photographed two American Ladies in a Sooke Garden on October 30:

American Lady Vanessa virginiensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Kate Woods

American Lady Vanessa virginiensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Kate Woods

Rosemary Jorna found some noctuid ova on a Manzanita leaf in East Sooke Park, November 1:

Moth eggs on Manzanita (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Rosemary Jorna

Moth eggs on Manzanita (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Rosemary Jorna

2021 November 1

    Our contributors are testing us with difficult ones today – but I think we are up to it.

Aziza Cooper sends photographs of some tiny spiders from Swan Lake.  These, I think, are the same genus, at least, as the ones shown also by Aziza on October 5.  One is shown below. They are called money spiders in the UK and dwarf spiders in the US.

Money spider Erigone sp.  (Ara.:  Linyphiidae)   Aziza Cooper

Rosemary Jorna writes from the Kemp Lake area: A real mystery from my Big-leaf Maple today.  I have seen them before on the bark in the last few weeks.  If it was in the water I would think caddisfly  –  but on the maple?

Jeremy Tatum writes:  The first time I saw one of these I was equally puzzled.  It looked very, very like a caddisfly larva – but a long way from water?  It was Claudia Copley who put me on to the moth Family Tineidae (same Family as the clothes moths.)    A common species here is  Phereoeca uterella  – this might be Rosemary’s one.

Caterpillar of tineid moth in case – possibly Phereoeca uterella (Lep.: Tineidae)Rosemary Jorna

After that hard work, it was a relief to get an easier one – already identified for us – from Gordon Hart, who writes:  On Whiffin Spit, at least two Autographa californica were nectaring on purple or pink flowers of an unidentified succulent beach plant; and on Billings Spit, several were flying around the Ivy which is just coming into bloom. I have attached a photo of one at Whiffin Spit.

The challenge with this one is to identify the flower.  How about Cakile edentula or C. maritima?

Added later:  Our viewers are always up to a challenge.  Steven Roias writes:  It is Cakile maritima. The two species are very easy to distinguish, and although the image isn’t ideal for plant ID purposes, there’s enough detail to draw from. The foliage on C. maritima has large deeply incised lobes at fairly consistent intervals along both leaf margins, which is visible in the photo.   Thank you, Steven.

Autographa californica  (Lep.: Noctuidae – Plusiinae)  Gordon Hart

2021 October 31

     Jeremy Tatum writes:   Nothing very exciting to report today, but I saw a Cabbage White today flying over Fort Street in downtown Victoria.    Now the obvious question:  Is it possible to see a butterfly in southern Vancouver Island in November?  We shall wait and see.

2021 October 30

    Aziza Cooper sends two photographs of one of our most productive and exciting butterfly locales  – McIntyre reservoir, Central Saanich  –  as it was yesterday, October 29.

McIntyre reservoir        Aziza Cooper

McIntyre reservoir        Aziza Cooper

Apparently the butterfly season isn’t quite over yet.  Kirsten Mills and Aziza Cooper have both seen  Cabbage Whites recently.  Kirsten saw and photographed one at Muir Creek on October 28.  Aziza saw three near McIntyre reservoir on October 29.  Kirsten also saw a Lady (Vanessa sp.) at Jordan River on October 28, but was unable to be certain of the exact species.)

Cabbage White  Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae)   Kirsten Mills

And Aziza photographed a drone fly near the reservoir on October 29:

Drone fly Eristalis sp. (probably tenax) (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Aziza Cooper