2017 October 4 morning

   Jochen Moehr writes:  This Ennomos magnaria was sitting on my wall in Metchosin all day yesterday.

Ennomos magnaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

Ennomos magnaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

   Jody Wells writes:  At first I thought this Chestnut-backed Chickadee was eating a bud on a branch…but NO a really camouflaged caterpillar type insect. Very interested in what type of insect this might be.  About 35 feet up in a Weeping Willow.

Jeremy Tatum responds:  What a gruesome photograph!  I can’t possibly identify the caterpillar, though I think it is probably a geometrid.  Willow is a sort of default foodplant for many species of caterpillar. Are there more of these caterpillars still there?  If so, I’d be interested.

Chestnut-backed Chickadee Poecile rufescens (Pas.: Paridae)

with caterpillar (Lep.: Probably Geometridae)

Jody Wells

Scott Gilmore writes from Upper Lantzville: I found this Lophocampa roseata caterpillar in the middle of the car park at work this afternoon. I moved it to the side so it had a better chance to pupate.

Lophocampa roseata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Scott Gilmore

Lophocampa roseata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Scott Gilmore

2017 October 3

  Sorry – No October 2 posting.

Jochen Moehr showed Agrochola pulchella in our last posting, October 1.  Today he has the other, equally pretty, Agrochola – Agrochola purpurea.

Agrochola purpurea (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Running this site is beginning to interfere with my physics work at UVic.  Recently I have been having to write a great deal about the geometric moment of inertia of a rigid body or a system of particles.  I find that I have frequently mistyped this as the geometrid moment of inertia.  Obviously my mind is not on physics all the time.

I shall have to make an effort to correct this, but don’t be surprised if I inadvertently start to write about geometric moths. For example, I suppose the moth Euclidia ardita (which has been on this site three times) might be described as a geometric moth.  (But not a geometrid – it is an erebid).  Also, a moth’s wing is roughly a triangle – look at the moth’s wing above.  Like any triangle, it has three sides (costa, termen and inner margin) and three angles (tornus, base and apex) so it could fairly be described as geometric.

I’m wandering.  To bring me back to reality, Jochen sends yet another moth from the wonderful biodiversity he is seeing in Metchosin.  Regular viewers will recall that in the past I’ve had difficulty in distinguishing between Triphosa haesitata and Coryphista meadii.  I think we finally decided that if the fourth tooth on the outer margin (termen) of the hindwing is shorter than the adjacent teeth, it is Coryphista meadii.  The caterpillar feeds on Berberis and Mahonia.

Coryphista meadii (Lep.:Geometridae)      Jochen Moehr

2017 October 1

   Jochen Moehr sends a photograph of a pretty little (“pulchella”) moth from Metchosin.

Agrochola pulchella (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

   Jochen also sends photographs of two parasitoidal ichneumonid wasps.  There are thousands of species of ichneumonids, and identifying them is a bit of a problem.  Beyond saying that the first of Jochen’s photographs below might be Ophion luteus (or it might not!), I think I’ll play it safe and label both of them merely Ichneumonidae.

Ichneumonid wasp (Hym.: Ichneumonidae) Jochen Moehr

Ichneumonid wasp (Hym.: Ichneumonidae) Jochen Moehr

   Looking my kale over this morning, Jochen continues. I found another P. rapae caterpillar. It was less than 1 cm in length, so I think it is at most second instar. 

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae)  Jochen Moehr

   The VNHS Monthly Butterfly Walk took place today.  Seven brave members, who I think must belong also to the Optimists’ Club, turned up expecting to find butterflies on a partly cloudy day in October – and they did so!  We went to McIntyre reservoir in Central Saanich.  For about half-an-hour it was cloudy, with never a butterfly in sight.  Then the sun came out and almost immediately Cabbage Whites started to appear.  There must have been about two dozen in all.  Alas, no sulphurs or ladies, but there were other things to see. Thus we saw several of the migratory day-flying moth Autographa californica. And on the broccoli plants in the next field we found three cocoons with living pupae inside of A. californica’s close relative, Trichoplusia ni.  Also seen was an adult Large Yellow Underwing Moth Noctua pronuba, and a Banded Woolly Bear, caterpillar of the Isabella Moth.  October is the month for Banded Woolly Bears, so we should be seeing more of them in the next few weeks.  They are often common at Panama Flats.

Cocoon and pupa of Ni Moth Trichoplusia ni (Noctuidae – Plusiinae) Val George

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

2017 September 30

   Jochen Moehr sends a photograph of  Ennomos magnaria from Metchosin.

Ennomos magnaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Moehr

2017 September 29

Reminder:  Please send images as attachments in .jpg format.

   Jochen Moehr has set us a puzzling problem with the moth below, from Metchosin.  Compare it with his similar moth on September 18.  We are dealing with two similar species (if they are indeed separate species!), Tetracis pallulata and Tetracis jubararia.  Libby Avis writes that Jochen’s September 18 moth is Tetracis pallulata, whereas today’s moth is probably Tetracis jubararia, and Jeremy Tatum agrees.

Probably Tetracis jubararia (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Moehr September 29

Jochen sends a photograph of a noctuid moth, which Libby has kindly identified for us as Fishea discors.

Fishea discors (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Val George sends photographs of upperside and underside views of a fresh American Lady at McIntyre Reservoir yesterday afternoon, Sept 28.

Notice that the largest of the white patches near the apex is pointed – it is blunt in our other two ladies.  This patch can be white or orange – which can be useful in distinguishing between individuals.  For example, it is orange in Mike McGrenere’s September 16 photograph, confirming that there is, or has been, more than one individual at McIntyre reservoir.   The freshness of Val’s specimen is also an indication that there is more than one individual – other observers have reported seeing slightly worn specimens.

John Acorn, in his book on British Columbia butterflies, implies that this species, at one time called Hunter’s Butterfly, is somehow connected with hunters and hunting.  Its scientific name at one time was Vanessa huntera.  I haven’t been able to find the origin of this name, but I suspect that it was more likely named after someone whose name was Hunter, and it has no particular connection with hunting.

American Lady Vanessa virginiensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Val George

American Lady Vanessa virginiensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Val George

   Shortly after I wrote the above, we received two photographs from Mark Wynja of an American Lady at McIntyre reservoir.  While its patch is white, like Val’s, it is clearly a more worn specimen than Val’s pristine one, and so I think we can be sure that Mike’s, Mark’s and Val’s photographs are all of distinct individuals.

American Lady Vanessa virginiensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mark Wynja

American Lady Vanessa virginiensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mark Wynja

   By the way, Jeremy writes, I have heard all sorts of (completely wrong!) names applied to these prickly flowers that are so attractive to butterflies at McIntyre reservoir.  The plant is Teasel Dipsacus fullonum.  It is not a thistle.

  Mark tells us that Guy Monty took a photo of an American Lady on Little Mountain in Errington, near Parksville, on the same day, September 27.

Mike and Barb McGrenere write:  In case you are interested [Yes, I am – always! Jeremy],  we visited Mount Washington today and saw about three Green Commas (we believe) at Paradise Meadows.

Jeremy responds:  Commas are difficult, particularly at Mount Washington, where several species may be expected, but I agree that these are Green Commas.  If anyone feels that we may be mistaken, please let us know.

Green Comma Polygonia faunus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mike McGrenere

Green Comma Polygonia faunus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mike McGrenere

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is another Ni Moth reared from a caterpillar found in the Brussels sprouts fields next to McIntyre reservoir.   This one was photographed in natural daylight, and the colour rendering is better than the one shown yesterday.

Ni Moth Trichoplusia ni (Lep.: Noctuidae – Plusiinae)  Jeremy Tatum