2017 June 22

   Val George sends a photograph of a Purplish Copper from Island View Beach, June 22.

Purplish Copper Lycaena helloides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Val George

   Nathan Fisk reports 5 Lorquin’s Admirals and 4 swallowtails at the first parking lot at Saxe Point Park.  He sends a photograph of one of the admirals.

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Nathan Fisk

   Louis Beaudoin photographed the spectacular caterpillar below at Lantzville a few days ago.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  At first I had no idea what it was, but I am now fully convinced that it is an unusual colour variety of Hyles lineata, the White-lined Hawkmoth.  More typical colours are seen on the postings for 2014 August 29 and September 1, though Barb McGrenere photographed one more like this on the 2015 June 24 posting.   Thanks to Louis, and to Scott Gilmore for passing the photograph on to us.

White-lined Hawkmoth Hyles lineata (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Louis Beaudoin

2017 June 21

   Aziza Cooper sends photographs of an Essex Skipper from Panama Flats, and a worn but still recognizable Cedar Hairstreak and an Eight-spotted Skimmer from Goldstream, June 21.  Also present there, she writes, were 3 Pale Tiger and 2 Western Tiger Swallowtails, and a Lorquin’s Admiral.   It’s good to see the underside of the antennae of an Essex Skipper.  The undersides of the antennae of an Essex Skipper are black, as in Aziza’s photograph.  They are yellow in the otherwise similar Small Skipper, which has not yet been recorded in North America.  But if the Essex can make it here, why not also the Small?

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Aziza Cooper

Cedar Hairstreak Mitoura rosneri (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae) Aziza Cooper

2017 June 20

Welcome to Summer

[Actually the solstice was at 9:24 pm PDT last night – but today is the first full day of summer.]

Cheryl Hoyle sends a photograph of a grasshopper.  Grasshoppers are usually most evident later on in the year; this one is a young nymph (see its underdeveloped wings) and is not readily identifiable.  With that proviso in mind, Claudia Copley’s best guess is maybe a species of Melanoplus

Young grasshopper (Orth.: Acrididae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Aziza Cooper writes: Today, June 20, there were 10 Field Crescents at Eddy’s Self Storage and the field north of the restaurant at the corner of West Saanich and Stelly’s Cross Road. I took pictures of seven, and was interested to see some with the wide orange band on the submarginal band of the hind-wing.

Jeremy Tatum writes:  I believe these are all females, with the possible exception of the one on the left in the third photograph, which may be a male suitor, though we can’t see the wing pattern well enough to be sure.

Field Crescent Phyciodes pratensis (Lep.:Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Field Crescent Phyciodes pratensis (Lep.:Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Field Crescents Phyciodes pratensis (Lep.:Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Aziza also photographed the long-horned beetle Cosmosalia chrysocoma  (“golden hair”) at the same location.

Cosmosalia chrysocoma (Col.: Cerambycidae)  Aziza Cooper

2017 June 19

   Kirsten Mills sends a photograph of a pair of chequered beetles in copula from Clawthorpe Park, near Hillside Mall on June 19.  Thanks to Charlene Wood and Scott Gilmore for the identification.

Enoclerus eximius (Col.: Cleridae)  Kirsten Mills

Orthosia hibisci (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Orthosia hibisci (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Val George writes:  This Satin Moth, Leucoma salicis, was at Blenkinsop Lake today, June 20.

The elaborate bipectinate antennae show that it is a male.

2017 June 18

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a caterpillar of Egira curialis from the garden of my Saanich apartment.  It was feeding on the flowers of Welsh Poppy Meconopsis cambrica.

 Egira curialis (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jeremy Tatum

Egira curialis (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jeremy Tatum