2019 July 29 afternoon

   We start this posting with two difficult ones.  First, a rather plain brown butterfly somewhat past its Best Before date, photographed by Gordon Hart in his Highlands garden.  We believe it is is a very late Western Brown Elfin  Incisalia (or Callophrys if we want this year’s label!) iroides.

Western Brown Elfin Incisalia iroides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Gordon Hart

   Next, a beetle on the outside of a window of a double-decker bus, photographed from the inside by Samantha Hatfield. I didn’t think we’d be able to identify it, but thanks to Dave Holden who spotted it a a Banded Alder Borer.

Banded Alder Borer Rosario funebris (Col.: Cerambycidae)  Samantha Hatfield

   I’d like to say: Now for some easier ones – but I don’t know what we’d do without the invaluable help of Libby Avis to identify many of the moths appearing on this site.  Here is Jochen Möhr’s list for this morning, followed by a couple of photographs:

1 Amorbia cuneanum

1 Biston betularia

1 Callizzia amorata

1 Dichagyris variabilis

1 Drepanulatrix sp.

1 Eulithis xylina

2 Hesperumia latipennis

2 Hesperumia sulphuraria

1 Iridopsis emasculatum

1 Lacinipolia strigicollis

11 Lophocampa argentata

3 Nemoria darwiniata

3 Panthea virginarius

8 Perizoma curvilinea

1 Pero mizon

1 Pyrausta perrubralis

1 Schizura ipomoeae

1 Sicya crocearia

1 Ypsolopha canariella

Lacinipolia pensilis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Dichagyris variabilis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Here’s another moth photographed recently by Jochen in Metchosin.  It is a beautiful moth, with text-book illustration of what are meant by the reniform, orbicular and claviform stigmata! In spite of that, it has not proved easy to identify!   We are grateful to Dr Lars Crabro for these comments:  It’s a slightly odd one. I suspect that it’s Euxoa rockburnei with reduced black scaling in the cell. Compare: http://pnwmoths.biol.wwu.edu/browse/family-noctuidae/subfamily-noctuinae/tribe-noctuini/euxoa/euxoa-rockburnei/

Euxoa (maybe rockburnei) (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

2019 July 29 morning

  Here’s a recent photograph from Jochen Möhr in Metchosin.  It is Iridopsis, of which there are two similar species, I. larvaria and I. emasculatum.  I think it depends a bit on how “wiggly” the cross lines are. On the whole I believe Jochen’s is more likely Iridopsis emasculatum.

Iridopsis (probably emasculatum) (Lep,: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Two soldier beetles photographed by Cheryl Hoyle, July 27th on Colquitz River Trail:

Rhagonycha fulva (Col.: Cantharidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

   Samantha Hatfield sends a nice miscellany from her mint garden.  When she mentioned her “mint” garden I correctly guessed, before looking at the photograph, that one of them would be the colourful little moth Pyrausta californicalis, whose caterpillar feeds on mint.

Pyrausta californicalis (Lep.: Crambidae)  Samantha Hatfield

  I believe the eggs shown below are those of a pentatomid bug.

Bug eggs (Hem.:  Pentatomidae)  Samantha Hatfield

European Paper Wasp Polistes dominula (Hym.: Vespidae)  Samantha Hatfield

Jochen Möhr has been seeing a lot of Silver-spotted Tiger Moths Lophocampa argentata in Metchosin recently.  He obtained a series of interesting photographs illustrating the range of variation.

2019 July 28 evening

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

1 Clemensia umbrata

2 Dichagyris variabilis

3 Eulithis xylina

5 Hesperumia latipennis 

1 Hesperumia sulphuraria

2 Homorthodes hanhami

2 Lacinipolia pensilis

10 Lophocampa argentata

1 Nemoria darwiniata

2 Perizoma curvilinea

1 Pero mizon

2 Panthea virginarius

1 Pyrausta perrubralis

2 Schizura ipomoeae

1 Stenoporpia excelsaria

Dichagyris variabilis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Dichagyris variabilis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Hesperumia sulphuraria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Nemoria darwiniata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Pero mizon (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Schizura ipomoeae (Lep.: Notodontidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  This afternoon, July 28, I saw a Grey Hairstreak nectaring on Pearly Everlasting along Goldstream Heights Road.  That was the only butterfly I saw in that area.  Later, Bill Savale pointed out to me a Mylitta Crescent along the railway line just north of Malahat Station.  This evening, at 6:30 pm, there was a West Coast Lady and a Painted Lady on the Mount Tolmie reservoir, and three more Painted Ladies near the Jeffery Pine.

   More tomorrow morning…

2019 July 28 morning

   Peter Boon writes:  I was hiking in Strathcona Park this past week and on the 24^th July on the trail between Little Jim Lake and Cream Lake I observed the following butterflies.

Green Comma -2

Anna’s Blue – 30+, (mostly at Cream Lake)

Persius Duskywing -2 – photo attatched

Mariposa Copper – 1

I also had 2 Painted Ladies nectaring on my Buddleia in Nanaimo on 22nd July.

Persius Duskywing Erynnis persius (Lep.; Hesperiidae)  Peter Boon

   Natasha writes: I thought you might be interested in seeing these photos I took today illustrating an unusual scenario I watched unfold over a minimum of a five minute period.

While sitting outside in my garden in Gold River I happened to spot a butterfly on my butterfly plant. I rushed into my house and all the way downstairs to retrieve my camera hoping against hope it would still be in the same location once I returned.  And it was!  I’d noticed this species before but as it rarely stayed still for more than a brief moment I’d been unable to photograph it. Today was different, however.  I managed to take multiple shots with the creature seemingly oblivious to my presence. As I was considering how unusual this was. I took a closer look and realized that the poor thing was actually in distress. The tip of its tongue was caught inside the tight chamber at the centre of a flower.  In an attempt to free itself, the butterfly braced two legs against its tongue and pulled backwards. It tried this manouevre again and again in various positions but to no avail, it was well and truly hooked to that flower.

“Time to intervene,” I thought to myself so very carefully I used my fingernail to snip off the little flower head. I realized how dangerous this was because if it didn’t work the butterfly would then be carrying the heavy flower by the tip of its tongue and in addition because of the proximity of the flower to the butterfly I risked causing bodily harm to it. Unfortunately, my first ‘snip’ didn’t free the tongue, so, very quickly, I severed the flower even shorter.  Success!  Phew, what a relief – that was certainly a close call.

I’ve never seen such an occurrence before, have you Jeremy? I wonder how common/rare such a situation is….

 Jeremy replies:  If my memory serves me, there is an account in Lewis Clark’s Wild Flowers of British Columbia of a Milbert’s Tortoiseshell  being similarly caught in a Dogbane flower.

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Natasha

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Natasha

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Natasha

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Natasha

   Cheryl Hoyle sends a miscellany of insect photographs, July 27th on Colquitz River Trail.

Lucilia sp. (Dip.; Calliphoridae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Lorquin’s Admiral Limentis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

   Here are two bumblebees multitasking – nectaring and copulating at the same time:

Bombus vosnesenskii  (Hym.: Apidae) Cheryl Hoyle

Bombus vosnesenskii  (Hym.: Apidae) Cheryl Hoyle

Unknown hymenopteran   Cheryl Hoyle

Suggestions, anyone?

   Annie Pang writes:  Here are some pics I got of Halictus rubicundus.  All of them are males.  Note the white bands are restricted to the apical portion of each tergal segment, with the area between the white bands mostly devoid of any hair.  The males have longer antennae as well.

Halictus rubicundus (Hym.: Halictidae)  Annie Pang

Halictus rubicundus (Hym.: Halictidae)  Annie Pang

Halictus rubicundus (Hym.: Halictidae)  Annie Pang

More this afternoon or evening…

2019 July 27 evening

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

1 Lacinipolia pensilis

1 Drepanulatrix 

2 Hesperumia latipennis

2 Homorthodes hanhami

6 Lophocampa argentata

2 Panthea virginarius

1 Pyrausta perrubralis

2 Schizura ipomoeae

1 Schizura unicornis

More of Jochen’s recent moth photographs from Metchosin:

Lacinipolia pensilis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Soothsayer Graphiphora augur (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Idaea dimidiata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Oligocentria pallida (Lep.: Notodontidae)  Jochen Möhr

Schizura ipomoeae (Lep.: Notodontidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Aziza Cooper writes:  This Woodland Skipper was at the Two Waters development at the west end of Esquimalt Lagoon today, July 27. One Cabbage White was the only other butterfly I saw.

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

  Jeremy Tatum writes that there was a West Coast Lady on the Mount Tolmie reservoir at 6:30 pm, July 27