2017 May 7 morning

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of a pair of Harmonia axyridis not wasting any time.  This is a very variable species of ladybird, but the black W on the pronotum identifies it as this species.

Harmonia axyridis (Col.: Coccinellidae)   Annie Pang

Mike Yip writes:  Butterflies are still scarce around Nanoose Bay, but I did see a few Sara Orangetips, Western Spring Azures, and Western Brown Elfins. A surprise find was a Hoary (“Zephyr”) Comma at Cross Road – they are usually at higher elevations and Cross Road is probably less than 50 m.

Hoary (“Zephyr”) Comma Polygonia gracilis zephyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mike Yip

   Annie Pang sends two spider pictures, and we thank Robb Bennett for his comments and identifications.

Of the first picture, Robb comments: Young orb-weavers / garden spiders, starting to disperse.  They have overwintered in an egg case hidden away somewhere last fall by their dear departed mother.  Likely your spiders are young of Araneus diadematus – a species introduced years ago from Europe and one of the most common orb-weavers in southeastern BC.  Could also be one of our native orb weavers — I can’t tell them apart as juveniles.

Of the second, he comments:  That’s another introduced species — a female [you can clearly see her epigynum (mating apparatus) on her abdomen] giant house spider.  Now Eratigena atrica, formerly Tegenaria duellica.

Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Annie Pang

Eratigena atrica (Ara.: Agelenidae)  Annie Pang

 Ken Vaughan sends more pictures from Beaver Lake Ponds, April 6.

Leafhopper Hordnia atropunctata (Hem.: Cicadellidae)  Ken Vaughan

Midge (Dip.: Chironomidae)   Ken Vaughan

Ellychnia hatchi (Col.: Lampyridae)  Ken Vaughan

Silver-spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa argentata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)

Ken Vaughan

Jeremy Tatum comments:  Unusual foodplant.  Not sure what it is – Thimbleberry, maybe – but the caterpillar seems to be enjoying it anyway.  Usual foodplant is Douglas Fir.

Ken Found the moth below at his home this morning.

Cyclophora dataria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Ken Vaughan

  Gordon Hart writes:  On May 4 I thought I would check the Pike Lake Substation pond area past the yellow gate. There were lots of  Western Spring Azures, at least 20,  two Sara Orangetips, a Painted Lady, and a fresh Two-banded Grizzled Skipper nectaring on wild strawberry.  [Jeremy comments:  Interesting – that’s also the larval foodplant.]  A Propertius Duskywing flew off before I had a proper look I also attach a picture of a click beetle I saw at Francis/King Park.

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Gordon Hart

Two-banded Grizzled Skipper Pyrgus ruralis (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Gordon Hart

Click beetle Selatosomus suckleyi (Col.: Elateridae) Gordon Hart

2017 May 6

   Reminder:  Monthly Butterfly Walk tomorrow.  Meet at the top of Mount Tolmie, 1:00 pm. Sunday May 7.  All welcome.  For details, see the May 4 posting.

Jeremy Tatum writes:  I have been visited by very few moths at my Saanich apartment this year, and I have been feeling neglected.  This morning, however, I was at last favoured with a visit by a moth – the Common Clothes Moth Tineola bisselliella.

Common Clothes Moth Tineola bisselliella (Lep.: Tineidae)

Jeremy Tatum

   I went up Bear Hill today, the centre of the Gypsy Moth infestation, but I didn’t see any in any of its stages. And I saw only one butterfly – a lone Western Spring Azure.

   Ken Vaughan writes:  I went to the Beaver Lake Retriever Ponds today, with high hopes of finding some odes. I did. I believe the first photo is a male Pacific Forktail, and the second is a female, although I’m less sure of it than the first photo.  [Thanks to Rob Cannings, who confirms that this is indeed a teneral female Pacific Forktail.]

Pacific Forktail Ischnura cervula (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)  Ken Vaughan

 Pacific Forktail  Ischnura cervula (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)  Ken Vaughan

Val George writes:  On Thursday, May 4, I was in Tofino.  The 22 ºC weather produced for me the first significant display of butterflies I’ve seen this year:  about a dozen Western Brown Elfins (photo),  2 Western Pine Elfins (photo), a Mourning Cloak, and 3 Cabbage Whites.  On the way home I photographed a White-ribboned Carpet Moth Mesoleuca gratulata at Somenos Marsh in Duncan.

Western Brown Elfin Incisalia iroides (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Val George

 Western Pine Elfin (Lep.: Incisalia eryphon) Val George

Mesoleuca gratulata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Val George

2017 May 5

   Mike Yip writes from Nanoose Bay:  I would like to compile a list of butterfly friendly garden flowers so I’m hoping you will post a note asking the invert folks to send me a list of their garden flowers and the butterflies that like nectaring on them. If you like I can send you the list to publish later in the summer. My email is mikyip AT hotmail DOT com.  Mike also sends a photograph of a moth, Behrensia conchiformis, that he found when he was cutting some alder firewood.  B. conchiformis is remarkable in that a freshly emerged specimen shines, when illuminated in  sunlight at the right angle, with brilliant, sparkling bright green areas.  The caterpillar, too is quite distinctive.  It feeds on the leaves of Snowberry, and it rests by stretching itself fully elongated and closely appressed to a twig, so that it is very difficult to detect.

Behrensia conchiformis (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Mike Yip

2017 May 4

May 4^th be with you.

May Butterfly Walk

Gordon Hart

Hello Butterfly Enthusiasts,
The second walk of 2017 will take place this Sunday, May 7, starting from the top of Mount Tolmie. We meet by the reservoir opposite the summit parking lot at 1:00 p.m. You can park there or in the big parking lot on the north side of the summit. After a look around the summit, we will decide on a destination at that time. We will car-pool from there and likely be back by 3.30.
As always, the walk is weather-dependent, although the forecast at this point looks good.
See you on Sunday,
Gordon

  Jochen Moehr sends a photograph of a caterpillar of the Large Yellow Underwing moth, feeding on Curled Dock in Metchosin, May 3.

  Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

       Gordon Hart writes: The sun today brought out a few butterflies in our Highlands yard: Sara Orangetip – 1, Cabbage White-1, Satyr Comma – 1, Painted Lady -1, and Western Spring Azure – several, at least three.   The comma and Painted Lady were quite faded, so have been around for a while- I saw the comma earlier this week briefly.

       Jeremy Tatum writes:  Aerial spraying for Gypsy Moth Lymantria dispar (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae)  is scheduled for Elk Lake/Bear Hill Regional Park, Monday May 15, 5:00 am to 7:30 pm.

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I saw a Propertius Duskywing at the top of Mount Tolmie this afternoon.  After that, I went to Beaver Lake and to Beaver Lake Ponds, the heart of the Gypsy Moth infestation, but I didn’t find any dispar in any of its stages.  The only butterfly I saw there in 1.5 hours was a single Western Spring Azure.

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of a bee, kindly identified by Cory Sheffield as a female Andrena sp. (probably sola).

Andrena sp. (probably sola) (Hym.: Andrenidae)  Annie Pang

   Mike McGrenere writes: I was on Mount Douglas this morning and, while birding, I noticed many butterflies. I saw about 7 Sara Orangetips, two Propertius Duskywings, one Cabbage White and one Western Spring Azure. I also saw a Sara Orangetip along Lohbrunner Road, between Blenkinsop Road and Lochside Drive. This is the first time that I have seen one in that area that was not on Mount Douglas.  [Jeremy Tatum comments:  The preferred larval foodplant of sara is Tower Mustard Arabis glabra, which grows on Mount Douglas, but not, I think, in the Blenkinsop Valley.]

2017 May 3

    Jeremy Tatum writes: On April 26 Ian Cruickshank sent some photographs of various flies at Green Point, Pacific Rim National Park.  One of them was a species of Sericomyia (Dip.: Syrphidae)  (See April 27 evening posting), but we haven’t yet managed to identify the others.  We post them here in the hope that some learned viewer out there might be able to identify them for us at least to Family.  Email us at:      jtatum at uvic dot ca    

   We occasionally appeal to knowledgeable viewers to identify animals for us, though we don’t often get any response.  Perhaps I should take the advice of the moderator of the Sussex (England) butterfly site   www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk/sightings/    who suggests that if we were to declare an insect as something it is not, this is certain to provoke a rapid response!   I don’t think I’ll resort to this cunning strategy just yet, but it sounds like a good idea.  In the meantime, if anyone out there can identify any of Ian’s flies, we really, really would like to hear from you.

Fly 1 (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Ian Cruickshank

Fly 4 (Diptera)   Ian Cruickshank

 Fly 5 (Diptera)   Ian Cruickshank

Fly 6 (Diptera)   Ian Cruickshank

Fly 7 (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Ian Cruickshank

Fly 8  (Diptera)  Ian Cruickshank

   We have received the following notice that may interest viewers. 

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of a Western Spring Azure from April 24.

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Annie Pang