2020 July 13 morning

    We are grateful to Dr Rob Cannings for identifying these flies, photographed by Rosemary Jorna.  The first two photographs are of a tabanid biting fly, and Rosemary was rather daring in allowing it to settle on her hand.  Tabanids can produce very nasty bites.  The next two are an asilid robber fly.  They are dangerous to other flies, but I don’t think (but wouldn’t like to test it) that they bite humans.

Chrysops (probably proclivus) (Dip.: Tabanidae) Rosemary Jorna

Chrysops (probably proclivus) (Dip.: Tabanidae) Rosemary Jorna

Eudioctria sackeni  (Dip.: Asilidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Eudioctria sackeni  (Dip.: Asilidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Kirsten Mills writes:   Ryan and I went on the logging roads to Rhododendron Lake yesterday. We saw numerous butterflies including the Roadside Skipper. It was seen just before the 5 km marker on the road. Here is the list:

17 Hydaspe Fritillary

7 Clodius Parnassian

3 Western Tiger Swallowtail

1 Pale Tiger Swallowtail 

1 Lorquin’s Admiral

1 Milbert’s Tortoiseshell

1 Roadside Skipper

2 European Skipper

2 Cabbage White

Hydaspe Fritillary Speyeria hydaspe (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Kirsten Mills

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here’s another photograph of the Red Admiral chrysalis shown on July 4. Now the butterfly is just about to emerge;  you can see the colour through the chrysalis skin.   My camera is mounted just in front of the chrysalis.  The butterfly is probably emerging right now as I type these words, and will be fully out when I return to the camera.  You only have to turn your back for a brief moment – then they will emerge.

Red Admiral  Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   More this afternoon…

2020 July 12

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

2 Callizzia amorata 

1 Clemensia umbrata

2 Drepanulatrix secundaria

1 Gabriola dyari

1 Hesperumia latipennis

3 Lacinipolia strigicollis

1 Lophocampa maculata 

1 Panthea virginarius

Drepanulatrix secundaria  (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr

Panthea virginarius (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Clemensia umbrata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae – Lithosiini)

Jochen Möhr

   As mentioned on July 8, Tracy Hueppelsheuser of the BC Ministry of Agriculture in Abbotsford is interested in records of crane flies of all species.  Here are two photographed by Jochen in Metchosin.  We may not immediately be able to supply identifications, but, if we ever do so, the images on this site will be accordingly labelled.

Crane fly (Dip.: Tipulidae)  Jochen Möhr

Crane fly (Dip.: Tipulidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Rosemary Jorna photographed the moth below on Babbington Hilll, July 11.  Some of these crambid moths are very similar and difficult to identify.

Probably Eudonia sp. (Lep.: Crambidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Unidentified moth (Lep.: Crambidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Earlier this year Jochen Möhr found a caterpillar on the wall of his house – photograph below:

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Jochen gave the caterpillar to me, and it pupated almost immediately.  The adult moth emerged today and it proved to be a colour variety of Neoalcis californiaria quite unlike any I had seen before:

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jeremy Tatum

   Jeremy Tatum shows two photographs of a Sheep Moth that emerged from its pupa today.  It was released in Uplands Park, where the species is common.  The caterpillar feeds on Ocean Spray, Snowberry or Nootka Rose.

Sheep Moth Hemileuca eglanterina (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Sheep Moth Hemileuca eglanterina (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Jeremy Tatum

More tomorrow…

2020 July 11 afternoon

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Cabera erythemaria

3 Callizzia amorata

2 Hesperumia latipennis

1 Lophocampa argentata 

1 Nemora darwiniata

1 Perizoma costiguttata

1 Pyrausta perrubralis

Pyrausta perrubralis (Lep.: Crambidae) Jochen Möhr

2020 July 11 morning

   Jeremy Tatum reports one Painted Lady on the road underneath the Mount Tolmie Jeffery Pine at 6:00 pm, July  10.   It was very fresh – I’d like to think it was the one that I released near there recently, reared from caterpillar.  Also, on the railing at the entrance to the Mount Tolmie reservoir, a Red Admiral.

On July 10, Jochen Möhr saw several Essex Skippers on his Metchosin property.  Here are pictures of four of them.   But Jochen also remarks that on a 1.5 km walk along the Galloping Goose Trail he saw no butterflies at all, mirroring the experience that many of us are having this year when all butterflies are scarce.

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)   Jochen Möhr

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)   Jochen Möhr

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)   Jochen Möhr

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)   Jochen Möhr

2020 July 10 morning

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Callizzia amorata

1 Drepana arcuata

1 Hesperumia latipennis

1 Tyria jacobaeae

1  Cabera erythemaria

Hesperumia latipennis (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Cabera erythemaria (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr

   Also, a Pale Tiger Swallowtail:

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