2020 May 17 afternoon

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Agrotis vancouverensis

1 Eupithecia cretaceata

3 Eupithecia spp.

4 Melanolophia imitata

1 Nola minna

1 Perizoma curvilinea

1 Pero sp.

2 Tyria jacobaeae

2 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli

The Pero is giving us problems.  Jeremy thinks not mizon;  Libby thinks not behrensia or morrisonaria.  There are still a few to go, but our most honest guess is probably Pero honestaria.

Pero (probably honestaria) (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Pero (probably honestaria) (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Here are four spiders or spiderlings photographed by Mr E.  ‘Fraid we can go down only to Family level with these!

Jumping spider (Ara.: Salticidae)  Mr E

Crab spider (Ara.: Thomisidae)   Mr E

Tiny spiderling!  (Ara.: Theridiidae)  Mr E

Jumping spider (Ara.: Salticidae)  Mr E

   Robb Bennett sends a photograph of a Western Tiger Swallowtail chrysalis from a tree in southeast Saanich.  The butterfly emerged and is shown on May 27.

Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Robb Bennett

   Now here is a beetle photographed by Mr E.  If you compare it with his cantharid beetle shown on May 5, you may be tempted, at first glance, to think that they are the same species.  However, look more critically, and you’ll agree that they don’t have quite the same shape, and Scott Gilmore identifies it for us as Grammoptera molybdica from a quite different Family – Cerambycidae (Long-horned Beetles), and he says he has never actually seen this species himself!

Grammoptera molybdica (Col.: Cerambycidae)  Mr E

   Here’s an Adela moth photographed by Mr E.  Is it A.septentrionella  or is it A.trigrapha?  The white bars are broader in trigrapha than in septentrionella.  But are these bars broad enough?  Libby Avis settles it:  the white dot on the hindwing shows that it is Adela trigrapha.

Adela trigrapha (Lep.: Adelidae)

   The beetle Family Cerambycidae are called Long-horned Beetles, and the moth family Adelidae are called (at least in Britain) Long-horned Moths.  I have also seen in Saanich some Texas Longhorn Cattle – but they are not allowed on this site.

One more moth from Jochen, identified by Libby Avis as Plagodis pulveraria:

Plagodis pulveraria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

2020 May 17 morning

   Kirsten Mills writes:  On Friday May 15, at 5pm I went up Mount Tolmie. I saw the following butterflies:
4 Painted Ladies
1 Red Admiral
1 Grey Hairstreak
1 California Tortoiseshell
1 Propertius Duskywing
2 Western Spring Azure
The Red Admiral was on the concrete of the reservoir. The Grey Hairstreak was in the Oregon Grape at the summit. This was probably the best day for butterflies I’ve had this year.

Mr E sends a bunch of interesting photographs of all sorts of tiny creatures.  Here are three that we have managed to identify so far:

Probably a non-biting midge (Dip.: Chironomidae) Mr E

Lacewing egg (Neuroptera)  Mr E

Silver-spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa argentata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Mr E

2020 May 16 afternoon

   Gordon Hart writes that Anne-Marie found a hawk moth in their Highlands garden yesterday.  Also in their garden yesterday was a Painted Lady and a Cedar Hairstreak, whilethey saw a Western Tiger Swallowtail flying by the Francis/King Park entrance.

  Their hawk moth is the rather uncommon Paonias excaecata.  The moth has lost some scales on an area of its right forewing – which is why the patterns on the two forewings look apparently slightly different

Paonias excaecata (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Gordon Hart

2020 May 16 morning

   From Gordon Hart:

Hello Butterfly Watchers,
The May count period starts Saturday May 16 until Sunday May 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

   Rosemary Jorna sends photographs of a selection of insects from her garden near Kemp Lake:

Boreal or Northern Bluet Enallagma boreale/annexum (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)

Rosemary Jorna

Mayfly Callibaetis ferrugineus (Eph.: Baetidae) Rosemary Jorna

   The aphids were all over one of Rosemary’s hellebores, every leaf coated like that.  We don’t know the species, though as a wild guess it might possibly in the genus Acyrthosiphon.  We would welcome help from anyone who might be familiar with aphidids.

Possibly Acyrthosiphon? (Hem.: Aphididae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Peter Boon’s moths from Nanaimo yesterday morning:

Tetracis cervinaria- two forms –3

Smerinthus cerisyi – 1

Autographa californica – 1

Feralia comstocki – 1

Agrotis vancouverensis – 3

Xanthorhoe? – 1

plus a Mourning Cloak seen at Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo yesterday afternoon.

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Peter Boon

Agrotis vancouverensis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Peter Boon

Autographa californica (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Peter Boon

Feralia comstocki (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Peter Boon

Smerinthus ophthalmica (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Peter Boon

Smerinthus ophthalmica (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Peter Boon

Tetracis cervinaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Peter Boon

Tetracis cervinaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Peter Boon

Xanthorhoe defensaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Peter Boon

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Egira rubrica

1 Eupithecia cretaceata

3 Eupithecia spp.

5 Melanolophia imitata

1 Perizoma curvilinea

12 Tyria jacobaeae

5 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli  

Egira rubrica (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

2020 May 15 evening

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I visited the railway line north of Cowichan Station this afternoon, where I saw several  Western Spring Azures, a Sara Orangetip, a Satyr Comma, three Margined Whites, and…  wait for it!… an Arctic Skipper.  I think that’s maybe only the third or perhaps fourth time I’ve ever seen one.  The whites and the skipper were nectaring on Herb  Robert.  I went up there to test my theory that spring brood Margined Whites are more heavily marked (spotted and “veined”) than the summer brood.  Alas, the only one that I had a good look at (presumably a male) was pure white as the driven snow.  I’d be interested to see any photographs that viewers get of the species this year.  Also, while there, I saw a Northern Alligator Lizard, but, since it has lots of vertebrae, I’d better say no more about it.

   Ron Flower writes:  My son said he had a weird bird’s nest in his yard so I went for a look. I know it’s not a bird’s nest so I am guessing a type of moth. Any ideas? [Yes, it’s a cocoon of the Polyphemus Moth, from which the moth has earlier emerged.] We also saw our first Pale Tiger Swallowtail today at the Goldstream River May 15th.

Cocoon of Polyphemus Moth Antheraea polyphemus (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Ron Flower

   Val George writes:  This afternoon, May 15, there were at least three, maybe four, Painted Ladies at the summit of Mount Tolmie.

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Val George

    Jochen Möhr writes from Metchosin:  Two days ago (May 13) my first sighting of an Anise Swallowtail¸ Also then my last sighting of a Sara Orangetip.  There is a continuing abundance of Western Spring Azures.  Today (May 15) my first sighting of a Pale Tiger Swallowtail, and a Grey Hairstreak.

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

   Rosemary Jorna writes from Kemp Lake:  This Mourning Cloak just rested on our roses.   Yesterday Sid saw a Western Tiger Swallowtail in the yard but it has not shown again yet.

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Rosemary Jorna