2019 June 27

Jeremy Tatum continues with his story of the extraordinary psychid moth Psyche casta (see June 26 morning).  Last night I took the female moth and her case indoors, and I kept her in an airtight plastic box.  This morning she had crawled completely out of the rear end of her case, so I took her and her case outside on to the balcony, and opened the box, to try and get a photograph of her.  Within seconds a male flew on to the balcony.  It was quite astonishing.  I did eventually manage to get some sort of a photograph of the female, and anything more unlike an adult moth is hard to imagine.

Female Psyche casta (Lep.: Psychidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   After so much excitement, here is a more conventional caterpillar – a young Painted Lady caterpillar from Royal Roads University, well protected in the spiny thistle that she eats.

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

   But I’m not the only one having an exciting time.  Ren, Kirsten, Mike and Jochen have all had exciting finds.   Ren Ferguson found a caterpillar of the Ceanothus Silk Moth wandering the forest floor on a small private island near Gabriola on June 16.

Ceanothus Silk Moth Hyalophora euryalus (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Ren Ferguson

   Kirsten Mills writes:  Jeff Gaskin and I were butterflying along Nanaimo River Road yesterday , June 25, and we saw a Sylvan Hairstreak:

Sylvan Hairstreak Satyrium sylvinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)

Kirsten Mills

  Mike Yip writes from Nanoose: I checked a Dogbane patch in Whiskey Creek yesterday and found 9 Grey Hairstreaks, 2 Painted Ladies, 4 Pale Tiger Swallowtails, 2 Western Tiger Swallowtails, and 1 Cedar Hairstreak. I saw a new garden dragonfly today –  Pacific Spiketail.

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Mike Yip

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mike Yip

Cedar Hairstreak Mitoura rosneri (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Mike Yip

Pacific Spiketail Cordulegaster dorsalis (Odo.: Cordulegastridae)  Mike Yip

   Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

In addition to the above, two Yellow Douglas Fir Borers (which have been here for about a week) and a Ten-lined June Beetle.

Enypia packardata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Homorthodes hanhami (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Perizoma curvilinea(Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Lacinipolia strigicollis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

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

Jochen Möhr

Campaea perlata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Iridopsis emasculatum (Lep.: Geometridae)

Pero mizon (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Polyphylla crinita (Col.: Scarabaeidae)  Jochen Möhr

Centrodera spurca (Col.: Cerambycidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Finally, two views of a Large Yellow Underwing moth, from Annie Pang:

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Annie Pang

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Annie Pang

2019 June 26 afternoon

   Jeremy Tatum sends pictures of a chrysalis of a Satyr Comma from Royal Roads University, and a caterpillar of Egira crucialis from Coppermine Road, Sooke:

Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Egira crucialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2019 June 26 morning

    Jeremy Tatum writes:  Yesterday I visited the nature house at Goldstream Park.   Rather slim pickings there.  There were two rather worn and unidentified geometrine moths and a fairly spectacular cranefly out of reach of my camera.  The only moth within camera reach was a worn Idaea dimidiata  – a species that can be found almost anywhere without driving to Goldstream Park!   At the Swan Lake nature house there were two Sicya croceata and one Eulithis xylina, both well out of camera reach.

Idaea dimidiata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Jeremy continues:   Today, June 26, I had one of the most interesting moth experiences I have had for a long time.  On June I found, on Reed Canary Grass at Rithet’s Bog, the creature shown on June 11 and repeated below.  Inside the case, made of grass fragments, is a caterpillar, part of which can be seen sticking out of the right hand side of the case.  This is, a believe, what is called a bagworm, and I believe the species is Psyche casta.  The male of the species is a small moth with bipectinate antennae and black wings.  The female is wingless and stays inside her case.

Psyche casta (Lep.: Psychidae)  Jeremy Tatum

      Shortly after the above photograph was taken, the caterpillar disappeared inside the case, and remained motionless for several days, after which some part of a moth (I couldn’t see it very well) appeared at the rear end of the case.  It evidently was a female.  I kept her in a sealed plastic box, not being quite sure what to do.

    This morning, June 26, I just happened to open the box for a few minutes.   Within minutes two small black moths, of a sort I had never seen before, appeared  fluttering outside my apartment window.  The window was open for about two inches, and one of the moths flew though this into my apartment, and went straight for the plastic box and started to copulate with the female.  I managed to get a couple of not-very-good photographs.  In the photographs, he is sitting at the rear end of the case.  This is the most exciting moth thing I have seen for a long time.

Psyche casta (Lep.: Psychidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Psyche casta (Lep.: Psychidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2019 June 25

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I saw a Western Spring Azure at Millstream Road on June 22.  I report this only in case it happens to be the last sighting of the season.  It is always easier to record the first sighting of something than the last sighting.  Viewers are encouraged, therefore, to report any late, lingering species at the end of their season.

   Jane Cameron sends a picture of a White-faced (or Bald-faced) Hornet Dolicovespula maculata from  the road (Livingstone Avenue North) south of Mount Douglas Park around 6:30pm Sunday June 23.

Dolichovespula maculata (Hym.: Vespidae) Jane Cameron

   Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

Lacinipolia cuneata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Drepanulatrix secundaria/monicaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Neoalcis californiaria  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Hydriomena californiata/marinata (Lep,: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli (Lep.: Geometirdae)  Jochen Möhr

Myelopsis subtetricella (Lep.: Pyralidae – Phycitinae)  Jochen Möhr

2019 June 24 afternoon

   Kem Luther found an interesting caterpillar alongside the Hillman Trail in Metchosin yesterday:

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  It appears to be constructing its cocoon prior to pupation, and is incorporating fragments of bark into the cocoon.  There are several caterpillars that do this, for example Behrensia, Furcula, Archiearis.  I know it’s neither of the first two, so I was wondering if it might be Archiearis, though the caterpillar looks more like a noctuid.  Does any viewer have any suggestions?

  I visited the nature house at Swan Lake today, and there were several insects around the front entrance:  2 Zotheca tranquilla, 1 Leucoma salicis, a final instar caterpillar of Lophocampa argentata, and the two splendid beasts shown below, kindly photographed by Kalene Lillico.

Yellow Douglas Fir Borer Centrodera spurca (Col.: Cerambycidae)

 Kalene Lillico

Eulithis xylina (Lep.: Geometridae)  Kalene Lillico