2019 August 21

   Jochen Möhr writes from Metshosin:  Daily I see one lonely Pine White here.  On Sunday, on a trip to Cowichan Bay, then Shawnigan and back I did not see one.  But it was a very windy day – perhaps too windy for these weak flyers.  But I get the impression that their abundance is way down this year.

   Gordon  Hart writes:On August 11, Anne-Marie found a caterpillar of a Spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa maculata, in our Highlands yard. I think it was eating an alder leaf.  We kept it in a container and when I looked today, it had woven a small grey cocoon.  My other photos of this species are all from the middle to the end of September. Do you think it will emerge before next spring?

   Jeremy Tatum replies:  They usually emerge the following spring, and I expect this one will do so, too.  However, it is early, and one never knows.

Spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa maculata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Gordon Hart

  Jeremy Tatum writes:   The caterpillar found in Gordon Head by Ted Dobie (shown on July 21 and August 1 – cocoon on August 7) produced the moth shown below – a “lifer” for me!  Released yesterday in the Gordon Head area.

Douglas Fir Tussock Moth Orgyia pseudotsugata (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae)  Jeremy Tatum

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin yesterday morning:

1 Autographa corusca

1 Drepanulatrix sp.

1 Lacinipolia pensilis

1 Lacinipolia strigicollis

1 Neoalcis californiaria

Drepanulatrix sp. (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

1 Campaea perlata

1 Drepanulatrix sp.

1 Eulithis xylina

4 Lacinipolia pensilis

1 Lacinipolia strigicollis

4 Neoalcis californiaria

1 Perizoma curvilinea

Lacinipolia pensilis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

2019 August 20 afternoon

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  Today,  August 20, I found a very bright, new West Coast Lady along Atkins Road, about 800 metres from where Atkins Road meets Goldstream Avenue.  Also there were two Painted Ladies. A Lorquin’s Admiral was at the Mill Hill parking lot and another Lorquin’s Admiral was along the Galloping Goose trail near Atkins Avenue.

  At his home in Metchosin, Jochen Möhr photographed three specimens of an interesting pterophorid.  Identifying it is going to be a bit of a challenge.  So far, Libby and Jeremy both agree:  It looks like Emmelina mondactyla, but probably isn’t!   Also seen there by Jochen was the noctuid moth Autographa corusca.

As yet unknown (Lep.: Pterophoridae)   Jochen Möhr

As yet unknown (Lep.: Pterophoridae)   Jochen Möhr

2019 August 20 morning

   Invert Alert is now back and running.  Not only that, but we have traced the source of the hemipteran (bug) that caused the problem, so that we can probably prevent it from happening again.

  Now a Notice from Gordon Hart to Butterfly Counters.   And in case you are wondering who the Butterfly Counters are – you are one.  That is, anyone interested can take part.  If you haven’t done so before and would like some guidance, I’m sure Gordon would be happy to help.  

 hartgordon19 at gmail dot com

Hello Butterfly Counters,

The August count period started this past Saturday August 17 and runs to Sunday August 25. I was out of town and did not send out a timely reminder, but we have at least one count report already, so thank-you Jeff! Last August, we counted 905 butterflies of 14 species. I am not sure we will reach that number this year, but we will see.

Please use the form at https://www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?p=33 on the Victoria Natural History Society website .

The count area is the same as the Victoria Christmas Bird Count circle. For butterfly identification there are numerous internet sites, but most or all Victoria species are listed on E-Fauna. If you select by photographer, all the photos under James Miskelly’s name are of Victoria species. Here is the link: http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/efauna/photoGallery/Gallery.aspx?gr=showall&pid=175&photographer=miskelly,%20james&specrep=0

If you would like a suggestion for an area to count, please send me an email. 

In addition to the counts, a monthly butterfly walk is held on the first Sunday of each month – the final walk of the year will be on September 1. We start at the summit of Mount Tolmie at 1pm, and decide where to go from there. I will send out another reminder the week before. 

Thank-you for submitting your sightings and happy counting! 

Gordon Hart,

Butterfly Count Coordinator,

Victoria Natural History Society

2019 August 19 – Reposting of August 8

   Charlene Wood sends a picture of a spectacular Catocala aholibah from her house exterior yesterday afternoon (North Jubilee/Camosun neighbourhood).

Catocala aholibah (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae) Charlene Wood

   Here’s a moth from Jochen Möhr’s Metchosin house last night, plus photographs of the wasp that has been butchering his moths!  The wasp was kindly identified for us by Sean McCann, who writes:  They often gather carrion for their larvae.

Lacinipolia pensilis (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Vespula pensylvanica (Hym.: Vespidae)  Jochen Möhr

Vespula pensylvanica (Hym.: Vespidae)  Jochen Möhr

   The caterpillar found on Gumweed during the August 4 Butterfly Walk along Island View Beach (see posting for August 5 morning) has now grown a bit, and is found to be Heliothis phloxiphaga.

Heliothis phloxiphaga (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 August 19 – Reposting of August 11 

Cheryl Hoyle sends some photographs.   She writes:  The wasp, spider and ladybird beetle photos were taken in View Royal in my garden and the Woodland Skipper photos were taken at Gardenworks in Colwood.

Ichneumonid wasp (Hym.: Ichneumonidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Harmonia axyridis (Col.: Coccinellidae)

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin August 10:

Callizzia amorata

Campaea perlata

Cosmia praeacuta

Dichagyris variabilis

Lacinipolia pensilis

Nadata gibbosa

Nemoria darwiniata

Panthea virginarius

Perizoma costiguttata

Perizoma curvilinea

Schizura ipomoeae

Sicya macularia /crocearia

Schizura ipomoeae (Lep.: Notodontidae)  Jochen Möhr

Cosmia praeacuta (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Lacinipolia sp. Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

   Jochen has been getting some horror pictures of wasps dismembering moths and spiders at his moth location in Metchosin.  The wasp, identified by Sean McCann, is Vespula pensylvanica.  The spider was identified by Robb Bennett as a theridiid, but he feels it is not possible to further with certainty.

Vespula pensylvanica (Hym.: Vespidae)  Jochen Möhr

Theridiid spider (Ara.: Theridiidae) Jochen Möhr

Vespula pensylvanica (Hym.: Vespidae) dismembering a spider

Later, the wasp flew away with the body.

Jochen Möhr

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin August 11:

1 Amorbia cuneanum

1 Campaea perlata

2 Dichagyris variabilis

1 Drepana arcuata

1 Eulithis xylina

4 Oligia divesta

1 Perizoma costiguttata

1 Perizoma curvilinea

1 Sabulodes aegrotata

1 Schizura ipomoeae

1 Sicya macularia/crocearia

Dichagyris variabilis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Campaea perlata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Oligia divesta (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Sabulodes aegrotata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Schizura ipomoeae (Lep.: Notodontidae) Jochen Möhr

   Aziza Cooper writes:  On Thursday, August 8, Ren Ferguson and I went up to Mount Tuam where she had seen large numbers of butterflies two weeks earlier. After the hot, dry weather most of the thistles had gone to seed, and the numbers were down. We found about four Zerene Fritillaries and ten or so Common Woodnymphs, as well as several Woodland Skippers and one flyby comma.

Zerene Fritillary Speyeria zerene  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Zerene Fritillary Speyeria zerene  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper