019 May 16 evening

   Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning.  As ever, thanks to Libby Avis for her huge help in identifying moths.

Venusia obsoleta (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Eupithecia cretaceata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

The caterpillar of E. cretaceata feeds on the flowers of the (to us) very poisonous  Veratrum viride.

Eupithecia cretaceata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

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

   The caterpillars of at least one of these Drepanulatrix species (whichever it is!) feed on Ceanothus thyrsiflora.

Udea profundalis (Lep.: Crambidae)  Jochen Möhr

The caterpillars probably feed on a variety of plants.  They can be a pest of Celery, although here they often feed on Stinging Nettle.

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

Perizoma costiguttata (Lep,: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Phyllodesma americana (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Rosemary Jorna photographed two bumblebees in her Kemp Lake yard on May 15.  Thank you to Annie Pang and Lincoln Best for the identifications.

Male Bombus sitkensis (Hym.: Apidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Male Bombus melanopygus (Hym.: Apidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Male Bombus melanopygus (Hym.: Apidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   This click beetle was in Rosemary’s garden today:

Selatosomus suckleyi (Col.: Elateridae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Val George writes:  This afternoon, May 16, there were five Painted Ladies at the summit of Mount Tolmie.  Maybe the invasion of this species has started.

2019 May 16 morning

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  The moth below, Hedya nubiferana, came from a caterpillar shown on May 2.  The caterpillar was originally mislabelled on May 2;  I have now corrected it.

Hedya nubiferana (Lep.: Tortricidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Jeremy continues:     Thanks to Scott Gilmore for identifying the beetle below as a a scarab beetle from the genus Dichelonyx.   I found it yesterday along the Panhandle trail off Munn Road.

Dichelonyx sp. (Col.: Scarabaeidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Rosemary Jorna sends photographs of a spider from her yard in the Kemp Lake area, May 15.

Thanks to Robb Bennett for identifying the spider as a philodromid crab spider, possibly an immature Philodromus dispar.

Possibly immature Philodromus dispar (Ara.: Philodromidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Rosemary also sends photographs of two difficult ones, not yet identified.  The first is a snail, and I am thinking maybe Family Polygyridae.  The second is a millipede, and I am thinking maybe Order Julida.  If we get any further with the identifications, we’ll post them.  And of course, if any viewer can help, please do let us know (jtatum at uvic dot ca).

Snail. Perhaps Family Polygyridae.  Rosemary Jorna

Millipede. Perhaps Order Julida.  Rosemary Jorna

More this afternoon or evening…

2019 May 15 evening

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of Spilosoma virginica, reared from a Yellow Woolly Bear caterpillar found last year in the Blenkinsop valley, where the moth was released today.

Spilosoma virginica (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jeremy Tatum

   He writes:  Today I spent about 45 minutes on the Panhandle Trail off Munn Road, and I saw 16 Western Spring Azures, one Cedar Hairstreak, and one Sara Orangetip.

   Rosemary Jorna sends, from the Kemp Lake area, a photograph of a Narcissus Bulb Fly.

Narcissus Bulb Fly  Merodon equestris (Dip.: Syrphidae) Rosemary Jorna

More tomorrow…

2019 May 15 morning

   Jeremy Tatum writes:   It won’t be long now before we start to see Lorquin’s Admiral butterflies.  Here is a caterpillar of one from near Blenkinsop Lake this morning.  I usually find them on Ocean Spray, Willow or Crabapple.  This one is on Black Hawthorn.

Lorquin’s Admiral  Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   And another familiar caterpillar from the same location, on Willow, the White Satin Moth:

White Satin Moth Leucoma salicis (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae) Jeremy Tatum

2019 May 14

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning.  As ever, thanks to Libby Avis for her huge help in identifying moths.

Hydriomena marinata                                                       1

Hydriomena marinata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr