2020 June 27

   It’s a day for giant sawflies (Cimbicidae)   – two photos of cimbicids came within minutes.  First from Gordon Hart from the Highlands area:

Giant Birch Sawfly  Trichiosoma triangulum (Hym.: Cimbicidae)  Gordon Hart

   Second is a sawfly larva, photographed by Bonnie Blackwood in the Gorge area, and identified by Libby Avis.  The larva is particularly fond of Honeysuckle, which is where it was found.

Abia americana (Hym.: Cimbicidae)  Bonnie Blackwood

   Gordon also sends a picture of a fearsome robber fly.  We are not sure which of two similar species it is – it is possible that the two species may one day be “lumped”.

Robber fly Laphria fernaldi/asturina (Dip.: Asilidae)  Gordon Hart

   Much less fearsome is this bumblebee.  I dare say it has a sting and could use it if it wanted to, but it is a much gentler animal, and I have never heard of someone being stung by one.   Thanks to Annie Pang for the identification.

Bumblebee Bombus mixtus (Hym.: Apidae)  Gordon Hart

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here are photographs of a caterpillar and adult of a pug.  The caterpillar fed on Mahonia.  Some of these pugs are just too difficult to identify, and this is one of them!  Could be Eupithecia maestosa.  But equally could be something else!

Eupithecia sp. (Lep,: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

Eupithecia sp. (Lep,: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  Today, June 27, I found another California Tortoiseshell in essentially the same spot where I saw one last year and also about the same time of year too.  I found it in Summit Park even though the day was very cloudy and breezy.  Not much else though except for a Lorquin’s Admiral, a Cabbage White and a Western Tiger Swallowtail.

2020 June 26

   Jochen Möhr reports only one moth – the geometrid Protitame subalbaria – from Metchosin this morning.

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is the young Red Admiral caterpillar that I reported in yesterday’s posting:

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

   The little moth below was reared from a caterpillar feeding on Sambucus at King’s Pond, Saanich.  The moth emerged on June 20.

Pandemis limitata (Lep.: Tortricidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2020 June 25

Val George writes:  Here’s my two cents’ worth on Ron’s Parnassian photos posted May 27.  The major distinguishing feature between clodius and smintheus is I think the banded antennae on smintheus;  clodius has plain black antennae.  Ron’s photos clearly show this feature, suggesting smintheus.  However, another difference between the two species is supposed to be the second black bar from the thorax on the forewing in the cell closest to the front edge of wing.  For smintheus it shouldn’t reach completely across the cell;  for clodius it does reach fully across.  All the photos I’ve seen of the two species show this difference, e.g., all 27 photos for smintheus on e-Fauna showing the forewing do not have the bar reaching across whereas all 23 similar photos for clodius do have the bar reaching across.  Ron’s photos show this bar reaching fully across the cell suggesting clodius.  It was previously noted that Ron’s butterfly doesn’t have any red spots on its forewing, again suggesting clodius, but this isn’t a definitive identification feature.  My conclusion:  a very definite maybe for smintheus.

Thank you, Val, for this quite considerable bit of research.

   Jochen Möhr sends photographs of two moths – identified by Libby Avis – from Metchosin this morning:

Apamea antennata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Metanema inatomaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Jeremy Tatum writes:  I found a young Red Admiral caterpillar today along Lochside Trail near Lohbrunner’s.

And along the same trail today, Jeff Gaskin reports a Satyr Comma, 10 Lorquin’s Admirals,  a few Cabbage Whites and 3 Western Tiger Swallowtails.

Kirsten Mills sends a photograph of another caterpillar found near the same place some time in May.  I am supposed to be calling it Erannis vancouverensis, but I have yet to be convinced that it isn’t the European Erannis defoliaria.

Erannis vancouverensis/defoliaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Kirsten Mills

   Also in May, Richard Rycraft sends a picture from Oak Bay of a pair of Narcissus Bulb Flies in copula.

Narcissus Bulb Flies Merodon equestris (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Richard Rycraft.

   Rosemary Jorna sends a photograph of a Pale Tiger Swallowtail from Muir Creek:

Pale Tiger Swallowtail (Lep.: Papilionidae)   Rosemary Jorna

She also saw three Western Tiger Swallowtails, though she comments on the scarcity of these butterflies.

2020 June 24 evening

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from this morning:

1 Callizzia amorata

1 Perizoma costiguttata

1 Pero sp.

2 Tyria jacobaeae

   No photographs of these.  Jochen says that a Dark-eyed Junco has discovered and taken an interest in the moths that gather at his light, and the junco’s interest in them is not photography.

   Jochen  also photographed one of the Pholcus  spiders that has reappeared (see the June 8 movie of Don Giovanni seducing Zerlina), as well as a young offspring saying its first hello to the world.

Pholcus phalangioides (Ara.: Pholcidae)  Jochen Möhr

Young Pholcus phalangioides (Ara.: Pholcidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeff Gaskin writes:

   I found a California Tortoiseshell today and it was in spectacular condition.  This was in the Colquitz River Park near Lindsay Street.  Also found on the Colquitz River trail from Roy Road to Lindsay Street were 6 Cabbage Whites, 1 European (Essex) Skipper, 10 Lorquin’s Admirals,  and 2 Western Tiger Swallowtails.

    At Panama Hill Park were a further 46 European Skippers,  and 4 Lorquin’s Admirals.

   At Layritz Park I saw 11 European  Skippers,  and 12 Ringlets (Coenonympha tullia).  Another Ringlet was by Markham Road.

2020 June 24 morning

   Because of a computer glitch, only just discovered, the June 23 entry was not posted yesterday.   I have just posted it now, so you’ll find it beneath this June 24 morning posting.  Not to be missed!

   Rosemary Jorna photographed this fly in the Kemp Lake area, June.   Dr Rob Cannings writes:  It is an asilid,…. a common western species (even in city gardens) called Eudioctria sackeni. Males and females are coloured somewhat differently and, in addition, it comes in a couple of colour morphs, so its appearance can be confusing.

Robber fly Eudioctria sackeni (Dip.: Asilidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Mr E sends photographs of two beetles, kindly identified for us by Scott Gilmore:

Long-horned beetle Phymatodes sp. (Col.: Cerambycidae)  Mr E

Darkling beetle Eleodes sp. (Col.: Tenebrionidae)  Mr E

   Mr E also photographed – something!  So far, we are fairly sure that it is Kingdom Animalia, but beyond that we are a little less certain.  However, we think it is probably a beetle grub, Order Coleoptera.  Any advance on that, anyone?

Beetle grub?   Mr E

   Richard Rycraft sends a picture of a moth from Oak Bay.  Libby Avis and Jeremy Tatum agree that it is an unusually dark specimen of Noctua pronuba – clinched when Richard recalled that he saw a flash of orange when the moth flew.  This is almost as dark a specimen as Val George’s of June 18, also from Oak Bay. Two specimens from Victoria, May 25 and May 31, were unusually pale.  In this a difference between municipalities?!

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae) Richard Rycraft

   Jeremy Tatum shows a chrysalis (Greek Chrysos = gold) of a Painted Lady:

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  This morning I found a California Tortoiseshell having a sleep behind my living-room curtain – which is where traditionally one is supposed to find hibernating nymphalids during the winer months.  I managed to persuade it to walk sleepily on to a stick, where I photographed its underside.  It looked so peacefully asleep that I didn’t disturb it to attempt an upperside. I took it out to Playfair Park, Cumberland Road, Saanich, where we hope it will wake up when the Sun comes out and it should find some nectar sources there.

California Tortoiseshell Nymphalis californica (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Jeremy Tatum