2020 June 18 afternoon

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin on the morning of June 17:

1 Agrotis vancouverensis

1 Callizzia amorata 

1 Enypia packardata

1 Trichordestra liquida

2 Lophocampa maculata

2 Nadata gibbosa

1 Protitame subalbaria

2 Stenoporpia excelsaria

1 Xanthorhoe defensaria

Agrotis vancouverensis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Trichordestra liquida (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Xanthorhoe defensaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr  

Protitame subalbaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Nadata gibbosa (Lep.: Notodontidae) Jochen Möhr

   Jochen also reports a late Western Spring Azure from Metchosin.

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchison on the morning of June 18:

1 Callizzia amorata

1 Tyria jacobaeae

1 Plagodis pulveraria

   Rosemary Jorna sends photographs of a bug and a beetle from the Kemp Lake area:

Spittle Bug Philaenus spumarius (Hem.: Cercopidae) Rosemary Jorna

Checkered beetle  Enoclerus eximius (Col.: Cleridae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Jochen Möhr writes:  Today, Chris and I drove for four hours from 11 am to 3 pm around the Greater Victoria area.  First from Metchosin through Colwood and View Royal into the Shelbourne area, then around Hillside, and then on to North Saanich beyond Sidney and back.  

  On this round trip, I counted 13 Whites, which I record as Cabbage Whites, two Anise Swallowtails, and one Lorquin’s Admiral.  One of the Anise Swallowtails and the Lorquin’s Admiral were at the Cridge Centre on Hillside Avenue, where we stayed less than five minutes.  The other Anise Swallowtail was in Metchosin, coming back.  

  Despite driving along miles of huge Blackberry hedges in bloom and meadows full of Ox Eye Daisies, we saw no butterflies north of the Elk Lake area along the Highway and later off the highway in North Saanich and at Russell Nursery.  Most of the Cabbage White sightings were in suburbia, around Mattick’s farm, In the Strawberry Vale area, in Colwood and Metchosin.  

  Back at home, I immediately raised what I think is another Trichordestra liquida , and a Pale Tiger Swallowtail which stopped several times at Salal blossoms, but never long enough to get a picture.  

2020 June 18 morning

   Gordon Hart writes:  I  went to Panama Flats around noon yesterday . I saw my first of the year Lorquin’s Admiral by Roy Road, several Cabbage Whites, perhaps six; one Western Tiger Swallowtail, and about four Essex Skippers on the north-east side. [Jeremy Tatum writes:  You beat me there by a couple of hours to the Essex Skippers, Gordon!]

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Gordon Hart

   Val George writes: This Large Yellow Underwing moth was in our carport in Oak Bay yesterday, June 17:

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae) Val George

2020 June 17 evening

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  At Panama Flats this afternoon I saw five Cabbage Whites and three Essex Skippers.  There was a massive and extensive display of blackberry bushes in full flower, but not a swallowtail in sight.  However, at 6:15 pm this evening I saw a Western Tiger Swallowtail fly over the reservoir – the first swallowtail of any species that I have seen this year.  That was the only butterfly I saw at the top of Mount Tolmie.

  Kim Beardmore photographed this Sheep Moth caterpillar along the Munn Road power lines today.  These caterpillars can give you a rash if handled.

Sheep Moth Hemileuca eglanterina (Lep.: Saturniidae) Kim Beardmore

   Wendy Ansell writes:  Today (Wednesday) we saw 1, possibly 2, Lorquin’s Admirals and 1 Western Tiger Swallowtail at Playfair Park.  By the way, we frequently see 1 or 2 Western Tiger Swallowtails in our yard on Cordova Ridge, 1 so far today.

   Jeff Gaskin  writes:  Kirsten Mills and I  had some good butterflies in Nanaimo and Duncan today, June 17.  Along the trail near the Duncan sewage lagoons we saw from between 6 – 8 Western Tiger Swallowtails, and 1 Pale Tiger Swallowtail.

 On Nanaimo River Road:  For 15 kilometres from the Trans Canada Highway we saw 15 Pale Tiger Swallowtails,  4 Western Tiger Swallowtails,  5 Western Spring Azures,  1 Lorquin’s Admiral, and 13 Clodius Parnassians.  The Clodius Parnassians were found between the 8.5 km point to the 15 km point.

  More tomorrow – couldn’t get everything up today! – Jeremy T.

2020 June 17 morning

   Jeremy Tatum writes.  I have never seen the genuine Silverfish Lepisma saccharina in Victoria.  Perhaps some viewer will find one and photograph it for Invert Alert.  The usual animal I see is the Firebrat Thermobia domestica (see May 12).  The Silverfish likes cool places; the Firebrat likes warm places.  The animal below, Ctenolepisma longicaudata,  is somewhat intermediate in appearance between the two, though is more akin to the Firebrat than to the Silverfish.

Ctenolepisma longicaudata (Thysanura:  Lepismatidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Annie Pang sends photographs of two micros:

Udea profundalis (Lep.: Crambidae)  Annie Pang

Brown House Moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella (Lep.: Oecophoridae) Annie Pang

   Melanie Boyle sends a photograph of a pug, Eupithecia sp., from her window on Cortes Island:

Eupithecia sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)  Melanie Boyle

2020 June 16

   Rosemary Jorna sends a picture of a pair of bugs in her Kemp Lake garden.  These are probably Banasa sp, most likely Banasa dimiata.

Probably Banasa dimiata (Hem.: Pentatomidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin yesterday morning:

1 Callizzia amorata 

1 Enypia packardata

1 Eupithecia sp.

1 Hydriomena sp.

2 Iridopsis emasculatum 

1 Lacinipolia cuneata

2 Lophocampa maculata

2 Stenoporpia excelsaria

1 Tyria jacobaeae

1 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli

Stenoporpia excelsaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Lophocampa maculata (Erebidae – Arctiinae) Jochen Möhr

Lacinipolia cuneata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Callizzia amorata 

1 Enypia packardata

1 Eupithecia cretaceata

1 Lacinipolia cuneata

2 Lophocampa maculata

2 Nadata gibbosa (were also there yesterday, forgot to include them in the previous list)

3 Stenoporpia excelsaria

1 Tyria jacobaeae

1 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli 

  The Eupithecia cretaceata below, photographed by Jochen, is one of the larger pugs, and one that it is relatively (i.e. relative to most other pugs) easy to identify.  Its caterpillar feeds on the flowers of Veratrum viride, which is generally described as one of the most deadly poisonous (to humans) plants in our countryside.

Eupithecia cretaceata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jochen also reports seeing a Western Tiger Swallowtail, an Anise Swallowtail and a Western Spring Azure (also known as Echo Blue) on his Metchosin property.  He sends a photograph of the Azure nectaring on Ceanothus

.

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Jochen Möhr