2016 June 24

   Aziza Cooper writes:  Yesterday, June 23, about 4 pm, I went to Government House on Rockland Street. The usual hotspot is a lawn in an opening in the Douglas firs due east of the big main house.  I was enthralled to see a constant flurry of Western Tiger Swallowtails chasing around the clearing with up to six dancing together up to the treetops. I estimated 15 individuals circulating around the area. I watched them for 20 minutes or more admiring their constant motion and numbers.

   Also there were one each of Pale Tiger Swallowtail, Cabbage White, Red Admiral and Lorquin’s Admiral.  At the herb garden west of the big house, there was an Anise Swallowtail and a Lorquin’s Admiral, and six other Cabbage White butterflies around the grounds.

   The swallowtail show is really worth a visit!

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  The tiger swallowtails were putting on a good show, too, on Mount Tolmie last night.  I’m sure the scientists will differ, but I got the strong impression that they were cavorting around and chasing each other for the pure joy of it.

Swallowtails Papilio (Lep.: Papilionidae) Aziza Cooper

Anise Swallowtail Papilio zelicaon (Lep.: Papilionidae) Aziza Cooper

   Jeremy Tatum writes: The moth below emerged today from a cocoon formed by a caterpillar found last year on Douglas Fir in East Sooke Park.

 Panthea virginarius (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2017 June 23

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I just discovered that the June 18 – 22 postings all had the wrong dates; they were all advanced by one day.  I have now corrected these.

   Jochen Moehr writes from Metchosin:  My confidence in our new place being blessed with biodiversity continues to increase.  This morning, driving up there around 8:30 a.m., I encountered four different Papilio individuals while driving along Lindholm Road.  I always see at least one or two.  We also always have mud puddling Papilios on the newly seeded slope, which we are irrigating.  Today, finally, I was able to get a picture of one of them, which I attach. 

Pale Tiger Swallowtail Papilio eurymedon (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Jochen Moehr

   Rosemary Jorna writes:  Things come in pairs at Jordan River. We were on the beach there last night (June 21) watching the sun go down and saluting it with friends and wine. When I went to wash the glasses this morning I found two young slugs had come home with us, each sleeping it off in a separate wine glass. They now reside on our property as I did not realize we would be back in Jordan River today.   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I am fairly ignorant about slugs, but to me this one looks rather like the introduced European Lehmannia valentiana.   Hint for slug and snail photographers:  It is best if you can do exactly what Rosemary has done – i.e. photograph the animal from the right hand side so that we can see the pneumostome, which I think is always on the right.  The exact position of the pneumostome on the mantle helps enormously with the identification.  If you are not sure what the pneumostome is, have a guess, and you’ll almost certainly be right!

Lehmannia valentina (Pul.: Limacidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Aziza Cooper sends a photograph of a bee on a daisy at Goldstream Park, June 21. Trouble is, we have so many insects here that it is not always possible to identify every one accurately even from a good photograph. This one is probably either a halictid or an andrenid, and it may be safest to leave it at that.

Bee – not sure which one!  (Hymenoptera)  Aziza Cooper

   Peter Boon writes:  I took a stroll around the Nanaimo River estuary today.  It was quite windy but I found my first-of-year Purplish Copper. I then went out to the roadside verges of Nanaimo River Road. The Dogbane was in flower but butterflies were few and far between. In a couple of hours there I found at least 3 Pale Tiger Swallowtails, 2 Western Tiger Swallowtails, 1 Cedar Hairstreak, 1 first-of-year Lorquin’s Admiral, 1 White (probably Margined) and 1 first-of-year Clodius Parnassian.

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I saw my first-of-year Lorquin’s Admirals today – about three of them near the Mount Tolmie Reservoir at 4:30 pm.

   More pics in the queue – awaiting identification.

2017 June 22

   Val George sends a photograph of a Purplish Copper from Island View Beach, June 22.

Purplish Copper Lycaena helloides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Val George

   Nathan Fisk reports 5 Lorquin’s Admirals and 4 swallowtails at the first parking lot at Saxe Point Park.  He sends a photograph of one of the admirals.

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Nathan Fisk

   Louis Beaudoin photographed the spectacular caterpillar below at Lantzville a few days ago.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  At first I had no idea what it was, but I am now fully convinced that it is an unusual colour variety of Hyles lineata, the White-lined Hawkmoth.  More typical colours are seen on the postings for 2014 August 29 and September 1, though Barb McGrenere photographed one more like this on the 2015 June 24 posting.   Thanks to Louis, and to Scott Gilmore for passing the photograph on to us.

White-lined Hawkmoth Hyles lineata (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Louis Beaudoin

2017 June 21

   Aziza Cooper sends photographs of an Essex Skipper from Panama Flats, and a worn but still recognizable Cedar Hairstreak and an Eight-spotted Skimmer from Goldstream, June 21.  Also present there, she writes, were 3 Pale Tiger and 2 Western Tiger Swallowtails, and a Lorquin’s Admiral.   It’s good to see the underside of the antennae of an Essex Skipper.  The undersides of the antennae of an Essex Skipper are black, as in Aziza’s photograph.  They are yellow in the otherwise similar Small Skipper, which has not yet been recorded in North America.  But if the Essex can make it here, why not also the Small?

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Aziza Cooper

Cedar Hairstreak Mitoura rosneri (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae) Aziza Cooper

2017 June 20

Welcome to Summer

[Actually the solstice was at 9:24 pm PDT last night – but today is the first full day of summer.]

Cheryl Hoyle sends a photograph of a grasshopper.  Grasshoppers are usually most evident later on in the year; this one is a young nymph (see its underdeveloped wings) and is not readily identifiable.  With that proviso in mind, Claudia Copley’s best guess is maybe a species of Melanoplus

Young grasshopper (Orth.: Acrididae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Aziza Cooper writes: Today, June 20, there were 10 Field Crescents at Eddy’s Self Storage and the field north of the restaurant at the corner of West Saanich and Stelly’s Cross Road. I took pictures of seven, and was interested to see some with the wide orange band on the submarginal band of the hind-wing.

Jeremy Tatum writes:  I believe these are all females, with the possible exception of the one on the left in the third photograph, which may be a male suitor, though we can’t see the wing pattern well enough to be sure.

Field Crescent Phyciodes pratensis (Lep.:Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Field Crescent Phyciodes pratensis (Lep.:Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Field Crescents Phyciodes pratensis (Lep.:Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Aziza also photographed the long-horned beetle Cosmosalia chrysocoma  (“golden hair”) at the same location.

Cosmosalia chrysocoma (Col.: Cerambycidae)  Aziza Cooper