2019 May 26 evening

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

1 Eupithecia

1 Agrotis vancouverensis

1 Apamea sordens

1 Lacinipolia patalis

3 Nadata gibbosa (same as yesterday)

1 Panthea virginarius (from day before)

1 Drepanulatrix secundaria

Apamea sordens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Agrotis vancouverensis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Lacinipolia patalis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Drepanulatrix secundaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  If you drive north up the Trans-Canada Highway from Victoria, and turn left at Koksilah Road (after Dougan Lake and before Duncan), at the corner of the TCH and Koksilah Road is a large stand of lupins on the side.  Bill Savale and I spent a very few minutes today at a small corner of the lupins, and we saw three Silvery Blues (1 male, 2 females), and we found two ova (one already hatched, one not yet hatched) on the lupins.  I think if someone were to spend ten or fifteen minutes there s/he might find quite a few of these butterflies.  It may also be worth looking at other roadside lupin patches elsewhere.

   We saw about eight Margined Whites along the railway line north of Cowichan Station

2019 May 26 morning

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  The Essex Skipper caterpillar shown on May 24 has now pupated.   The pupa is shown below.  The caterpillar and the chrysalis look much alike!

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Jeremy Tatum

   Here is a cocoon of Lophocampa argentata:

Lophocampa argentata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jeremy Tatum

2019 May25

   Hauke Blanken sends a picture of a Silver-spotted Tiger Moth caterpillar from Galiano Island:

Silver-spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa argentata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Hauke Blanken

   Morgan Davies sends a picture of a stink bug from Sidney:

Chlorochroa sp.  (uhleri maybe?) (Hem.: Pentatomidae)  Morgan Davies

    Jeremy Tatum sends a picture of a caterpillar from Swan Lake:

Sicya crocearia (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

1 Eupithecia sp.

3 Nadata gibbosa (2 same as yesterday)

2 Panthea virginarius (same as yesterday)

3 Tyria jacobaeae

1 Venusia obsoleta

1 Apamea sordens

Apamea sordens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

  Libby Avis writes from Port Alberni:  We are starting to get a few more things here now – three Melipotis jucunda two nights ago, Metarranthis duaria and Sphinx perelegans were the highlights. Also got our first Lacinipolia cuneata and Smerinthus last night.

2019 May 24

   Jeremy Tatum shows three caterpillars and a moth found today, all in Saanich.  Alas, only the first is native to the area.  The others are all from Europe.

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

Common Emerald Moth Hemithea aestivaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Jeremy Tatim

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Here is a pair of weevils photographed by Jochen Möhr on thistles in Metchosin recently.  Thanks  to Charlene Wood for identifying them as the Canada Thistle Bud Weevil  Larinus planus.  Charlene writes:  They were introduced to control invasive thistle in the 1960s, but they infect native thistles also.

Larinus planus (Col.: Curculionidae)  Jochen Möhr

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning (no pctures taken):

Melanolophia imitata 1

Nadata gibbosa 3 (two from previous day)

Panthea virginarius 2

Tyria jacobaeae 1

Venusia obsoleta 1

2019 May 23 evening

   Jochen Möhr writes:  We are fairly inundated by lepidoptera.  Four caterpillars of Lophocampa argentata make their way up the walls of our place – probably ready to pupate.   There are Adela septentrionella everywhere.  I went down the driveway to some freshly opened daisy flowers to get some shots, and did indeed get some, which I think are pretty nice.   And I also got pictures of a Cedar Hairstreak, Callophrys gryneus.

  Jeremy Tatum writes:  Jochen correctly uses the current (this year’s) scientific name for the Cedar Hairstreak.  For the purposes of Invert Alert, I have to maintain some consistency of nomenclature, and it is impractical (and not very desirable) to try to keep up with all the latest name-changes.  This species has perhaps had more name-changes than any other in the last decade or so. Until very recently, it has been Incisalia rosneri , which is the name used on this site. Who knows what its name will be next year?  I am sure that Shakespeare’s Juliet would have something to say about this.

Cedar Hairstreak Incisalia rosneri  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Jochen Möhr

Cedar Hairstreak Incisalia rosneri  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Jochen Möhr

Adela septentrionella (Lep.: Incurvariidae)  Jochen Möhr

Adela septentrionella (Lep.: Incurvariidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Today I saw a Grey Hairstreak and a Painted Lady along Munn Road, another Painted Lady at Prospect Lake, and at least four at the top of Mount Tolmie, as well as a Western Tiger Swallowtail and an Anise Swallowtail there.  Although there have been a number of sightings of Painted Ladies this year, the number isn’t abnormally large, and I don’t think we can link them – yet – to the vast swarms of the species reported in California in May.  In the words of President Trump:  We’ll see what happens.