2018 April 9 evening

   Wendy Ansell writes:  This afternoon Gerry and I saw a beautiful fresh Sara Orangetip on the west slope of Mount Douglas, just below where the observation tower used to be.

   More moths from Jochen Moehr in Metchosin, identified by Libby Avis.

Pleromelloida conserta (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Acerra normalis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Orthosia transparens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Feralia deceptiva (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

   Jeremy Gatten, too, has been seeing lots of moths.  He writes:  I was out to Hans Helgesen today and had one Egira simplex.  Other year firsts today included: Orthosia transparens, Egira perlubens, Behrensia conchiformis, Eupithecia gilvipennata, and Hypena decorata.  I also had a cooperative Bee Fly to photograph – presumably Greater Bee Fly.  There was also a cooperative Mesoleuca gratulata on the wall of the school.

2018 April 9 morning

   Jochen Moehr has had some excellent moth nights in Metchosin recently.  Here are a few of his recent moths.  Thanks to Libby Avis for identifications.  More in this evening’s posting!

Hydriomena manzanita (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

Hydriomena manzanita (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

Egira simplex/crucialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Orthosia hibisci (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Cissusa indiscreta (Lep.: Erebidae)  Jochen Moehr

Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

Scott Gilmore sends pictures of a “micro” moth from Upper Lantzville:

Telphusa sedulitella (Lep.: Gelechiidae)  Scott Gilmore

Telphusa sedulitella (Lep.: Gelechiidae)  Scott Gilmore

2018 April 7

   Rosemary Jorna photographed two tiny invertebrates in the Kemp Lake area.  First a springtail, and we are indebted to Dr Frans Jannsens for identifying it to subfamilial level:

Springtail (Entomobryomorpha: Tomoceridae – Tomocerinae)  Rosemary Jorna

Second, a flat-backed millipede.  Thomas Barbin recalled having photographed (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/8607841) a similar one some time ago, which was identified as probably Scytonotus sp.

Probably Scytonotus sp. (Polydesmida: Polydesmidae)

Josemary Jorna

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Since I am an astronomer, I have to insist absolutely that Spring began at precisely 2018 March 20d 14h 59m PDT, though a prolonged cold period since, followed by a prolonged grey and rainy period makes this hard for some to accept.  Some insist that Spring doesn’t really begin until the first Orangetips appear.  Well I am glad to report that Nathan Fisk wrote yesterday from Fort Rodd Hill Learning Meadow: One or two Sara Orangetips flitting about the buttercups and sipping from the dew. What a wonderful sight!

Jochen Moehr reports a bounty of moths from Metchosin.  I’ll post some of them today; some will have to wait until tomorrow or the day after!   Thanks to Libby Avis for the identifications.

Cerastis enigmatica (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Spodolepis danbyi (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Moehr

Egira perlubens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Scott Gilmore sends photographs of a jumping spider.  Jeremy Tatum writes: I had originally tentatively labelled this as a Bronze Jumper Eris militaris.  We are grateful to Robb Bennett for pointing out that it is really Phanias, most likely P. albeolus.  I asked Robb if the things that look like eyes on the top of he cephalothorax really are eyes – and he said yes!  He says that salticids are famous for having 360 degree vision.

Phanias  (probably albeolus) (Ara.: Salticidae) Scott Gilmore

Phanias  (probably albeolus) (Ara.: Salticidae) Scott Gilmore

Phanias  (probably albeolus) (Ara.: Salticidae) Scott Gilmore

   Scott also sends photographs of a small dark-winged fungus gnat that he found indoors.  Genus possibly Bradysia.

Dark-winged fungus gnat, possibly Bradysia sp. (Dip.: Sciaridae) Scott Gilmore

Dark-winged fungus gnat, possibly Bradysia sp. (Dip.: Sciaridae) Scott Gilmore

2018 April 6

   Carl Hughes writes: I was uncrating a shipment of natural stone today and a moth flew out. Shipments are fumigated so you would think there is no way anything can survive but I saw it fly out.

American Tissue Moth Triphosa haesitata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Carl Hughes

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Alas! The swallowtail chrysalis shown on March 8 was filled with a dozen tachinid maggots.  The maggots came out of the chrysalis case today and promptly pupated.  We show the puparia below.  Perhaps not one of the most attractive of insects.

Tachinid puparium (Dip.: Tachinidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Tachinid puparia (Dip.: Tachinidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Libby Avis sends a photograph of a “beautiful little” (pulchella) moth from Port Alberni this morning.  A “lifer” for Libby – which can’t happen very often!

Orthosia pulchella (Lep.: Noctuidae) Libby Avis

2018 April 3

   Hans Roemer found and photographed a cocoon of Antheraea polyphemus in his Saanich garden:

Polyphemus Moth Antheraea polyphemus (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Hans Roemer

   Jeremy Tatum found one caterpillar on Indian Plum Oemleria cerasiformis at Lochside Drive near Blenkinsop Lake:

Aseptis adnixa (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

…and another one on Snowberry at Mount Douglas Beach Park:

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

   The only adult moth at my apartment this morning was the little micro shown below:

Agonopterix sp. (Lep.: Depressariidae) Jeremy Tatum