2106 May 12 evening

   Marie O’Shaugnessy sends a photograph of a Cardinal Meadowhawk.

Cardinal Meadowhawk Sympetrum illotum  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I saw several Western Tiger Swallowtails at Cuthbert Holmes Park this afternoon, so I imagine they are starting to become general.  In the evening, at 6:30, I visited the Mount Tolmie reservoir, and there were two ladies (I mean the butterfly sort) there.  One was a perfectly normal West Coast Lady, and may well be the same butterfly that Marie and Val photographed recently.  The other didn’t look exactly like any of our three ladies – West Coast, Painted or American (the latter very rare here).  It really looked quite strange. My best guess is that it is an aberrational form of the West Coast Lady, but I really don’t know.  My guess is that there’s a good chance that it will be there for a few evenings yet, and it would be great if an enterprising photographer managed to get a photograph of it, and we could try to figure out what it is.

2016 May 12 morning

    Jeremy Tatum writes:  I made a bad mistake in mis-labelling a butterfly in yesterday’s (May 11) posting.  My fault – not the photographer’s – and I have corrected the label.  Devon Parker’s photograph was not of a Cedar Hairstreak, but a Johnson’s Hairstreak.  Devon knew what he had, but caution deterred him from saying so out loud.  The identification was confirmed by Cris Guppy, James Miskelly and Jeremy Gatten – and of course I now concur. That, and Devon’s discovery of the egg of the Two-banded Grizzled Skipper on Rubus, are two sensational butterfly discoveries by Devon on the same day!  Devon took a second photograph of the Johnson’s Hairstreak, which I didn’t post yesterday, but I do so now:

Johnson’s Hairstreak Loranthomitoura johnsoni (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Devon Parker

   Annie sends us another bee.  Can anyone out there identify it for us?

 Bumblebee Bombus sp. (Hym.: Apidae)  Annie Pang

Marie O’Shaughnessy sends pictures of a Red Admiral and a West Coast Lady from the Mount Tolmie reservoir, May 11.

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

West Coast Lady  Vanessa annabella (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

2016 May 11

   Annie Pang asks if anyone can identify this bee, please?   Me, too – Jeremy

Bee for identification  (Hymenoptera)   Annie Pang

Bee for identification  (Hymenoptera)   Annie Pang

Devon Parker sends some recent observations and photographs.

May 7

Mount Brenton, Chemainus

1 Spring Azure

2 Mourning Cloaks (one high elevation and one low elevation.)

1 Western Pine Elfin

3 Silvery Blue

May 10

West Coast Rd (Sooke to French Creek)

1 Western Tiger Swallowtail

5 Pale Tiger Swallowtail

Upper Jordan River (Eastside)

1 Two-banded Grizzled Skipper (Deposited eggs on underside of Trailing Blackberry)

[This is a very interesting observation!   Jeremy Tatum]

7 Western Brown Elfin

1 Cedar Hairstreak

1 Grey Hairstreak

San Juan Ridge, Jordan River

1 Field Crescent (Huge Specimen. 2-inch wingspan.)

3 Western Pine Elfin

1 Western Brown Elfin

2 Silvery Blue

1 Two-banded Grizzled Skipper

Two-banded Grizzled Skipper Pyrgus ruralis (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Devon Parker

Female Mylitta Crescent Phyciodes mylitta ( Lep.: Nymphalidae) Devon Parker

Johnson’s  Hairstreak Loranthomitoura johnsoni (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Devon Parker

Western Brown Elfin Incisalia iroides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Devon Parker

Western Pine Elfin Incisalia eryphon (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Devon Parker

2016 May 10

   Val George writes:  Late afternoon May 9 at the summit of Mount Douglas the following butterflies were present:  2 Painted Ladies, 2 Red Admirals, 1 Milbert’s Tortoiseshell (photo attached).

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  Today, May 10, the Tuesday Birding Group went to Layritz Park and Broadcast Hill and saw the following butterflies: From Layritz Park we saw some Western Spring Azures, one “Ringlet”  (a.k.a. Large Heath), one Propertius Duskywing, two Western Tiger Swallowtails and some Cabbage Whites. One Pale Tiger Swallowtail was near the top of Broadcast Hill and I saw a Western Brown Elfin  at a private residence at the corner of Glyn Road and Layritz Avenue.

   To which Aziza Cooper adds:  I went to Layritz Park and Broadcast Hill with the VNHS birding group. I also found a Grey Hairstreak. 

   Aziza adds: During my visit to Cameron Main on April 30, I found some ants with a silvery band around their abdomen. They were at the same spot as the Western Tailed Blues, about a half a mile up the road from the junction with the Connector to Highway 14.

“Ringlet” (Large Heath) Coenonympha tullia (Lep.: Nymphalidae – Satyrinae)

 Aziza Cooper

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

Ants (Hym.: Formicidae)  Aziza Cooper

  Rosemary Jorna writes:  There were a dozen or so of these Western Spring Azures spaced along the walk at Sooke Potholes, May 9.  I also saw three Pale Tiger Swallowtails, and a Western Pine Efin.

Western Spring Azure Celestrina echo  Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Western Pine Elfin Incisalia eryphon (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Rosemary continues:  There were many species of butterflies but in the hot afternoon sunshine they were zipping along but I did get this moth.

Adela septentrionella (Lep.: Incurvariidae)   Rosemary Jorna

2016 May 9

   Apparently you don’t have to go out into wilderness areas to find the Western Brown Elfin.  Annie Pang has found them as close to town as Gorge Park.  Here is one of them, which she photographed there yesterday.

 Western Brown Elfin Incisalia iroides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Annie Pang

   Jeremy Tatum visited Goldstream Park briefly today, and he saw a few Western Spring Azures and a Red Admiral.  He also checked the Mount Tolmie reservoir at 6:00 pm this evening.  There was one Red Admiral there.