2017 August 28

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

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Recently I have repeatedly photographed (August 18, 20 and 24) a woolly bear caterpillar, in the belief that it was a “lifer” for me.  However, it has now reached its final instar, and I realize that it is a Yellow Woolly Bear, or Virginia Ermine, by no means a lifer. Assuming the final instar is number five, the August 18 photograph (third instar) showed a red dorsal stripe, and the August 20 photograph showed blackish hairs on the thoracic segments, both features that were unfamiliar to me.  However, the final instar, shown below, shows that it is the familiar Yellow Woolly Bear.  As soon as I realized this I offered it some Plantago to eat, which it obviously relished.

Yellow Woolly Bear Spilosoma virginica (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jeremy Tatum

The apparent geometrid-like caterpillar shown on August 24 is now a little larger, and is now obviously not a geometrid.  It looks as though it may be on its way to being something quite exciting.  Maybe Erebidae.   [Added later – Yes, Zale, Erebidae]

Zale sp. (Lep.: Erebidae)   Jeremy Tatum

Jeremy continues:  There were two adult Neoalcis californiaria outside my back door in Saanich this morning – remarkable for their difference in size.  One was 43 mm wingtip to wingtip, and other was just 35 mm.

Jochen Moehr photographed a grasshopper in Metchosin on August 26.  Claudia Copley’s “best guess”   (probably a good one!) is Camnula pellucida.   (It has obviously hopped up here from the centre of the Earth.  ERB enthusiasts will know what I’m referring to.)

Camnula pellucida (Orth.: Acrididae)  Jochen Moehr

   Ren Ferguson writes:  I just returned from Saturna Island where I was camping at Narvaez Bay from August 24-27th. The Red Alders that overhung our site had large numbers of sawfly larvae busily feeding on the leaves. Some branches were denuded completely. When I pulled a branch down to photograph them they all went into a defensive pasture in unison — raising their curled rear ends. It was interesting to watch. I woke in the night and thought it might be raining but seeing stars through the tent window, I realized that it was the frass from the larvae that was raining down! I have never seen this species before and would be interested to learn more about them. (Photograph and identification below.)

Ren continues:  This is a late piece of information but when I was doing a bird survey on Mount Tuam on Salt Spring on August 1st, I witnessed the largest number of Common Woodnymphs on the wing in any one area that I have ever seen. There were over thirty in a 100 metre radius from the summit.

Hemichroa crocea (Hym.: Tenthredinidae)  Ren Ferguson

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here are 596 eggs of a Large Yellow Underwing moth from an Aspen leaf at Bow Park (Saanich) this morning.  You will notice that a few of them are darker than the others.  These darker ones are probably hatching even as I type.

596 ova of Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Mark Wynja writes: At 11:30 am on August 27th I went to Paradise Meadows. I saw 1 Hoary/Zephyr Comma and 1 Green Comma. Also present there were at least 6 Mariposa Coppers, and several Hydaspe Fritillaries. Nearby, along Alpine Road (NW of the parking lot for Paradise Meadows) were 2 Hoary/Zephyr Commas and 1 Green Comma, 1 Lorquin’s Admiral, and 3 Mariposa Coppers. At the parking lot at the base of the Sunrise Quad Chairlift was a fresh Painted Lady, at least 5 Anna Blues, 2 Mariposa Coppers and 1 Branded Skipper. About 20 Cabbage Whites were seen throughout the area.

Green Comma Polygonia faunus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mark Wynja

Hoary Comma Polygonia gracilis (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Mark Wynja

Green Comma Polygonia faunus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mark Wynja

Hoary Comma Polygonia gracilis (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Mark Wynja

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mark Wynja

Branded Skipper Hesperia comma (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Mark Wynja

   More photographs and observations in the queue – for tomorrow!   Jeremy

2017 August 27

   Jochen Moehr sends some photographs from around his Metchosin house, August 26.   The first is a jumping spider Salticus scenicus with a moth, which I think may be a bit too far gone to identify, although I think it is a geometrid.

Salticus scenicus (Ara.: Salticidae)  Jochen Moehr

The second is a handsome geometrid moth Ennomos magnaria.

Ennomos magnaria (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Moehr

The third one – a noctuid moth – is more difficult.  The best that Libby Avis and Jeremy Tatum can come up with is probably Euxoa sp.  That is one of the largest noctuid genera, so that doesn’t narrow it down a great deal.  As Libby points out, this genus is one where several species are similar, and there can be quite a variation among individuals of the same species.

Probably Euxoa sp. (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Jochen writes:  One thing I find worth mentioning is that I always see Pine Whites, but
always only single ones.  In the years after the total devastation of
the insect world because of the aerial bombing with BTK in 1999 –
perhaps around 2005 – I often saw many, just driving by the Royal Roads
property along Metchosin Road.  Once I counted 28 in one pass.

What is the reason for the current scarcity?

Good question!  Who knows?  They vary greatly in numbers from year to year, and I think most watchers would agree that Pine White numbers have been rather low this year. The species overwinters in the egg stage, and the young caterpillars hatch in the spring. This year we had a prolonged wet spring at a time when the young caterpillars will have been active.  Maybe this had something to do with it.   Has anyone seen a Pine White recently?

Jeff Gaskin writes:  Yesterday, August 26,  Kirsten Mills tells me she saw 2 Orange Sulphurs along Martindale Road about half way down the road.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  I thought I’d follow up on this, so I went out to Martindale today (August 27), to see if I could find a sulphur.  There were lots of Cabbage Whites, and one or two Woodland Skippers, but I didn’t see any sulphurs.  However, I did see two unexpected nice surprises – an Anise Swallowtail and a Grey Hairstreak.  The fresh hairstreak was nectaring on Wild Carrot along the east edge of the cabbage field on Martindale.  The slightly worn swallowtail was flying around erratically, occasionally nectaring on a wild species of Brassica.

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of Alucita montana from her kitchen window sill.

Alucita montana (Lep.: Alucitidae)  Annie Pang

Time to go home.  More photos tomorrow!   Jeremy

2017 August 26

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I have had exactly the same experience as Annie Pang (see August 25 posting) – for weeks I have had no moths at my back door in Saanich, when suddenly, in the space of a few days, Annie and I both get a Neoalcis californiaria!

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

   And no sooner had I written the above, when Dar Churcher sent in a photograph of yet another one in Colwood:

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Dar Churcher

   Dar also sends a photograph of a “small brown job” from Colwood, August 18.  This is a tough one, and I often give up on pugs, but I think I’ll stick my neck out and call it Eupithecia unicolor (a misnomer if ever there was one –  it’s one of the few pugs with obviously two colours!)

Eupithecia unicolor (Lep.: Geometridae)  Dar Churcher

   Dar also sends a photograph of a moth from her fir hedge on July 3.  I can’t identify it for sure, but I believe it may be Choristoneura freemani.   There are probably some forestry experts on this species around somewhere – we’d be glad to hear from one.

Possibly Choristoneura freemani (Lep.: Tortricidae)  Dar Churcher

   Dar Churcher sends a photograph of a small caterpillar found on an amaryllis plant.  It is a “micro”, and I don’t think I can identify it.  Funnily enough it looks not unlike the caterpillar of Choristoneura freemani – though amaryllis is quite the wrong foodplant!       Dar asks: Is that a parasitic worm visible inside the lower half of the body?  Jeremy writes:  It is not a tachinid or hymenopterous parasitoid.  I am not expert on the insides of caterpillars, but I think the wiggly thing (not a very technical term!) is probably part of the caterpillar’s digestive tract.

Unidentified “micro” moth caterpillar (Lepidoptera)  Dar Churcher

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  At McIntyre reservoir today, there were still uncountable numbers of Cabbage Whites there and in the adjacent cabbage fields.  The only other butterflies I saw there were a single Woodland Skipper and a single fresh-looking Painted Lady.  A few days ago I saw a recently-vacated nest of a Painted Lady caterpillar on a thistle in that area.   This evening at 6:00 pm I saw three Painted Ladies at the top of Christmas Hill.  Although very worn, they were still flying strongly.

 There are a few more photographs in the queue.  Shall try to post tomorrow.

2017 August 25

   Annie Pang sends a picture of a male Neoalcis californiaria from her back porch, August 23.

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Annie Pang

    Val George photographed an adult and some nymphal stink bugs in his Oak Bay garden on August 15.  We are grateful to Charlene Wood for making a careful study of these photographs, and for confirming their identification as Chlorochroa sp.  Charlene went to the trouble of examining museum specimens, and found that not all specimens matched their formal descriptions. This makes determination of Val’s bugs risky! While C. ligata is a possibility (apparently the species varies in colour from dark in the south to bright green in the north), we shall opt for caution on this site and label them just Chlorochroa sp.

Adult Chlorochroa sp. (Hem.: Pentatomidae) Val George

Chlorochroa sp. nymphs (Hem.: Pentatomidae)  Val George

   As August comes to a close, every last butterfly counts!   Mike McGrenere reports a couple of late sightings of Lorquin’s Admiral – one at his Cordova Bay home on August 22, and one along the south end of the Blenkinsop Lake boardwalk today.  Jeremy Tatum reports one Red Admiral and one Painted Lady on the Mount Tolmie reservoir at 6:00 pm this evening.  It would be worth looking in the evenings for hill-topping nymphalids on the tops of other local hills, such as Mount Douglas, Christmas Hill, and Highrock Cairn.

   Gordon Hart reports one of our most spectacular dragonflies.  He writes:  Today, August 25, I noticed a large dragonfly land and perch vertically on a lawn chair. I wish it had chosen a more natural backdrop, but I was able to get some photographs of a Pacific Spiketail Cordulegaster dorsalis. This is the second one I have seen since we moved to the Highlands 14 years ago, although I am sure they occur regularly in the area.

Pacific Spiketail Cordulegaster dorsalis (Odo.: Cordulegastridae)   Gordon Hart

2017 August 24

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a chrysalis of a Western Tiger Swallowtail.  These swallowtails are quite clever.  The pupae can vary in colour from green to brown, depending on the background upon which they are formed.  If they pupate in a well-lit area among green leaves, they will be green; but if they pupate in a darker area they are brown.  This one chose a particularly dark area, and it is one of the darkest swallowtail pupae that I have seen.  By the way, in case you are wondering, it is facing toward the left.

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus Jeremy Tatum

   Below is the third photograph that I have taken of this caterpillar because at first I thought it was a lifer for me.  By the time that it reached its final instar, however, I realized that it was a Yellow Woolly Bear, or Virginia Ermine.

Spilosoma virginica (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae) Jeremy Tatum

   The  caterpillar below, found on willow at King’s Pond, is quite small, and I am hoping it will grow. It is long and slender and it walks in full looper fashion just like a geometrid.  However, the number of midabdominal prolegs isn’t right for a geometrid.  It has two functional pairs and two vestigial pairs, and it may belong to another family.  [Added later:  As the caterpillar grew, it became obvious that it wasn’t a geometrid.  It is a Zale.]

Zale sp. (Lep.: Erebidae)    Jeremy Tatum