2019 September 9 afternoon

    Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Eupithecia sp.  

2 Euxoa difformis

4 Lacinipolia pensilis

1 Neoalcis californiaria

1 Tetracis pallulata

1 Xestia finatimis complex

…and photographs of a few of his moths from recent days.   Some photographs of some moths from the large genera Euxoa and Xestia probably cannot be identified safely to species.   We are grateful to Libby Avis for identifying these moths as far as probably can be done for these difficult groups.

Idia americalis  (Lep.: Erebidae – Herminiinae)  Jochen Möhr

Tetracis pallulata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Euxoa (probably difformis) (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Euxoa (probably difformis) (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Euxoa (probably difformis) (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Xestia finatimis/infimatis/verniloides complex

(Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jochen Möhr

Xestia finatimis/infimatis/verniloides complex

(Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jochen Möhr

    Jeremy Tatum writes:  I visited Panama Flats this afternoon, and the only butterflies I saw were 2 Cabbage Whites and 2 Woodland Skippers.  The butterfly season is coming to an end, so keep reporting any sightings.  September is the month for Yellow Woolly Bear caterpillars, and October is the month for Banded Woolly Bears, so keep an eye out for these.  Panama Flats is a good place for Banded Woolly Bears.

2019 September 8 morning

   Jochen Möhr writes:  As some of you know already, I lately had fun with not only watching a butterfly (Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui) emerging from its chrysalis, but also recording the event. 

As the emergence became imminent, during the last 22 hours, I watched continuously for 13 hours – with the exception of from 10 pm on Sunday evening to 6 am on Monday morning.  

The event is documented in a five minute 32 second video.  Hope you’ll enjoy watching it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_Cn4RcrAeY  

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  The Orgyia antiqua caterpillar (Vapourer or Rusty Tussock moth) shown yesterday today made the cocoon shown below.  I am hopeful that the moth will emerge this Fall, though I doubt whether I shall have the patience to see and record its emergence as Jochen recorded the emergence of the Painted Lady in the above remarkable video.

Orgyia antiqua (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Barb McGrenere sends a photograph of a caterpillar of the moth Nadata gibbosa from Observatory Hill this morning.  The caterpillar feeds on Garry Oak, although this individual has finished feeding and is on its way to find somewhere to pupate.  I am not certain about the small black dot on the first thoracic segment.  Let us hope that it is just a speck of dirt, though I have a slight fear that it might be a spot where a hymenopterous parasitoid had inserted its eggs. 

Nadata gibbosa (Lep.: Notodontidae)  Barb McGrenere

2019 September 7

   Jeremy Tatum writes that there was a fresh Painted Lady on the Teasels at McIntyre Reservoir today.  There were still a lot of Cabbage Whites on the kale fields there.  Apart from the Cabbage Whites, we must be coming close to the last butterfly of the year.  Please keep reporting any that you see.

   Jochen’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Eupithecia sp. 

2 Euxoa difformis

3 Lacinipolia pensilis

1 Tetracis pallulata

2 Xestia finatimis

Mike McGrenere writes:  Barb and I were at Elk/Beaver Lake Park yesterday morning  (September 6) and we came across a rather tattered Lorquin’s Admiral, the first one that we have seen in quite a while (photo attached).  I was at Swan Lakeon September 5 and I saw a Tiger Swallowtail near the parking lot.

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mike McGrenere

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of a Mud-dauber Wasp, June 29 of this year – rather late to make its way into Invert “Alert”, but I couldn’t resist it.

Mud-dauber Wasp Sceliphron caementarium (Hym.: Sphecidae) Annie Pang

Jeremy Tatum writes:

Sonia Voicescu has been away for most of the summer, but on her return she undertook and completed the enormous task of transferring all our Invert Alert butterfly records for this year to eButterfly.  We must all be very grateful to Sonia for doing this huge amount of work.

Sonia tells us that this year eButterfly has so far recorded, mostly from Invert Alert, 52 species of butterfly from Vancouver Island.  Here they are:

First observed

There is room for some minor tweaking.  For example, it is perhaps a little stretch to include Cortes Island (Silver-spotted Skipper) as part of Vancouver Island.  And it is difficult to know to which species the name “Grizzled Skipper” (50) refers to, because this name, without any additional adjective, can be applied to several species, including the only one known to occur regularly on Vancouver Island, namely the Two-banded Checkered or Grizzled Skipper. On the other hand, the “splitters” might like to add an additional species to the list by splitting the Branded Skipper into Common and Western Branded Skippers, both forms (whether they be species or subspecies) occur on Vancouver Island. In any case, 52 species, plus or minus one or two, is a very exciting total, and much more that I would have guessed.

Are there any more that might be added?  Well, no one reported the recently re-discovered Johnson’s Hairstreak this year, nor the Phoebus (aka Rocky Mountain) Parnassian, nor the Arctic Blue, which was found a couple of years ago on a VNHS trip to Mount Washington.   So more than 52 is a year is in principle possible – but not very easy!

Sonia notes that there are some differences in the English names used in Invertebrate Alert and eButterfly, the most obvious of which are as follows:

Western spring azure ——Echo azure on eButterfly

Sara orangetip———Pacific orangetip on eButterfly

Western brown elfin——Brown elfin on eButterfly

Cedar hairstreak——Juniper hairstreak on eButterfly

Essex skipper——European skipper on eButterfly

Western meadow fritillary—–Pacific fritillary on eButterfly

Pale tiger swallowtail——Pale swallowtail on eButterfly

I’m not quite sure what to do about this, though I expect I shall continue to use the names we have been using.  Bear in mind that every book uses a different set of names, so that the eButterfly names are no more standard than any others.

Jeremy Tatum continues –  Here are a couple of caterpillars and a moth:

Euplexia benesimilis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Orgyia antiqua (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae)  Jeremy Tatum

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

2019 September 6

     Jochen Möhr reports 3 Pine Whites yesterday and today from his Metchosin property.

     Jochen’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

 1 Eupithecia sp.

1 Drepanulatrix sp. 

3 Euxoa difformis (?)

1 Feltia jaculifera

8 Lacinipolia pensilis

5 Neoalcis californiaria

3 Tetracis pallulata

1 Xestia finatimis (?)

   Rosemary Jorna, who contributed a photograph of a Four-spotted Skimmer on September 4, today contributes a photograph of an Eight-spotted Skimmer (from Cougar Ridge yesterday), and she speculates whether her next photograph might be that of a Twelve-spotted Skimmer.  (Yes, there is such a one!)

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Rosemary Jorna

2019 September 5

   Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

Fishea illocata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Autographa californica (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Tetracis pallulata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr