2020 September 26

  Three rather different invertebrates by Ian Cooper from the Galloping Goose Trail, September 24;

Honey Bee Apis mellifera (Hym.: Apidae)  Ian Cooper

Nepytia phantasmaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Ian Cooper

Banana Slug Ariolimax columbianus (Pul.: Arionidae) Ian Cooper

    And a moth by Jochen Möhr from Metchosin, September 25:

Agrochola purpurea (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

2020 September 25

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  Yesterday, September 24, I found a rather late Woodland Skipper in the flower gardens in Beacon Hill Park.  It looked very bedraggled and wet no doubt due to the rainy weather  we’ve been getting.  There were no other butterflies in the park.  Jeremy Tatum adds:  I saw a Cabbage White flying over Richmond Road yesterday shortly after some very heavy rain.

Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Eupithecia sp.

5 Ennomos magnaria 

3 Dryotype opina

1 Lithomoia germana 

2 Noctua pronuba

2 Plemyria georgii

2 Pleromelloida cinerea 

1 Sunira decipiens

Dryotype opina (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Sunira decipiens (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

   Ian Cooper photographed the weevil below along the Galloping Goose Trail on September 20.  Thanks to Scott Gilmore for identifying it as a Clover Weevil  Sitona hispidulus.

Clover Weevil Sitona hispidulus (Col.: Curculionidae)  Ian Cooper

Clover Weevil Sitona hispidulus (Col.: Curculionidae)  Ian Cooper

2020 September 24

    Ian Cooper photographed this crab spider catching an unfortunate syrphid fly (identified by Dr Jeff Skevington as probably Syrphus sp.) near the Switch Bridge on the Galloping Goose trail, September 20.

A second crab spider (in the third photograph) looks on from a nearby flower.

Misumena vatia (Ara.: Thomisidae) and Syrphus sp. (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Ian Cooper

Misumena vatia (Ara.: Thomisidae) and Syrphus sp. (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Ian Cooper

Misumena vatia (Ara.: Thomisidae) Ian Cooper

    Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin yesterday morning (September 23):

6 Ennomos magnaria 

2 Euxoa difformis

1 Fishia illocata

1 Nepytia phantasmaria

1 Tetracis jubararia 

Fishea illocata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Fishea illocata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Nepytia phantasmaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Euxoa difformis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Tetracis jubararia (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

    Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning (September 24):

1 Agonopterix nervosa

1 Drepanulatrix sp. 

7 Ennomos magnaria (alive) plus the remains of one juncoed one

1 Lithomoia germana

1 Noctua pronuba 

1 Pleromelloida cinerea

1 Sunira decipiens

1 Tetracis jubararia (same one as yesterday)

Agonopteryx nervosa (Lep.: Depressariidae)  Jochen Möhr

Sunira decipiens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Lithomoia germana (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

2020 September 23

   Ian Cooper videoed this potter wasp on September 20.   Here is a still frame.  Thanks to Claudia Copley for the identification:

Eumenes sp. (Hym.: Vespidae)  Ian Cooper

   Aziza Cooper sends a photograph of a dragonfly at Aylard Farm, East Sooke Park, September 22, identified by Dr Rob Cannings as a Paddle-tailed Darner:

Paddle-tailed Darner Aeshna palmata (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Aziza Cooper

   Here’s a photograph of one of the Anise Swallowtail caterpillars on the Oenanthe sarmentosa in Bow Park, taken by Katie Turner on September 18:

Anise Swallowtail Papilio zelicaon (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Katie Turner

2020 September 22

Welcome to Fall!

   Jochen Möhr’s photographs from Metchosin this morning (no photographs):

2 Drepanulatrix sp.

6 Ennomos magnaria 

1 Eupithecia sp.

1 Fishia illocata

1 Neoalcis californiaria 

2 Nepytia phantasmaria

2 Noctua pronuba

3 Pleromelloida cinerea

1 Xanthorhoe defensaria

Aziza Cooper photographed this moth at McIntyre reservoir (Central Saanich) on September 21.  She did not see the sulphur butterfly that was reported from there yesterday.  Butterfliers are encouraged to keep looking and to do their best, if they see it, to identify it.

Autographa californica (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Aziza Cooper

Ian Cooper writes:  Submitting a small sample of numerous photos taken yesterday (September 20).  All were photographed at various locations along the Galloping Goose trail. Thanks to Claudia Copley and Annie Pang for help with the identification of the grasshopper, and the bees, respectively.

European Paper Wasp Polistes dominula (Hym.: Vespidae)  Ian Cooper

European Paper Wasp Polistes dominula (Hym.: Vespidae)  Ian Cooper

Female Agapostemon sp. (Hym.: Halictidae)  Ian Cooper

Lasioglossum?  Halictus?  (Hym.:  Halictidae)  Ian Cooper

Melanoplus sp. (Orth.: Acrididae)  Ian Cooper

Probably young Arion rufus (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

Jeremy Tatum writes about:

Identification of Orange Sulphur Colias eurytheme and Clouded Sulphur C. philodice.

Every few years or so we see sulphur butterflies in September or even October.  Most are Orange Sulphurs, but the question always arises:  Are any of them Clouded Sulphurs?  In particular, what is the butterfly photographed by Mike McGrenere on September 20 (see September 21 morning)?

We rarely get a good opportunity to photograph the uppersides of these butterflies, so, unless we are certain from visual sighting that there is a lot of orange on the upperside, we have to rely on the nature of the spots on the underside.

On the underside of the hindwing there is a row of about five subterminal spots.  The theory is:   On the Orange Sulphur these are small, dark, well-defined, sharp and black.  On the Clouded Sulphur these are blurry, not at all well-defined, wishy-washy, brownish.  So much for the theory.

Kirsten Mills was recently in Ontario, where she saw lots of both species, and she found that the row of spots on its ventral side of the Orange Sulphur is very distinctive.  She sends a photograph of each species to illustrate this:

Clouded Sulphur Colias philodice (Lep.: Pieridae) Kirsten Mills

Orange Sulphur Colias eurytheme (Lep.: Pieridae) Kirsten Mills

   So – what is Mike and Barb’s butterfly  (September 21 morning)?   Here it is again:

Sulphur Colias sp. (Lep.: Pieridae) Mike McGrenere

Sulphur Colias sp. (Lep.: Pieridae) Mike McGrenere

   Kirsten (who has seen many of both species recently, which is a great help) says Orange Sulphur.   Does anyone agree, or disagree?   I’m leaning (writes Jeremy Tatum) towards Orange Sulphur, too.  You can just see the black border on the upperside of the wings.  I think it is not broad enough for Clouded Sulphur.

Some good news is that Ron Flower has seen what is probably Mike and Barb’s butterfly again today (September 22).  Unfortunately the weather forecast suggests that we are unlikely to see it again – we have rain forecast for a few days.

Jeff Gaskin writes:  Yesterday, September 21, Kirsten Mills and I saw a rather late Pine White at the hawk watch lookout at Beechey Head in East Sooke Park.  Today, we spent some time looking for the sulphur out at Martindale flats but had no luck.  All we found for the whole Martindale valley including Welch and Hunt Roads, were Cabbage Whites, and that was a total of 38 butterflies.