2017 April 1

Jeremy Gatten writes: I had a bunch of moths last night – I love that there is something new every night at this time of year. [Jeremy Tatum interjects:  Alas, I am getting nothing here at my Saanich apartment!]  New moths for my place in Saanichton this year were: Orthosia pacifica (3!), Cerastis enigmatica, Melanolophia imitata, and Cladara limitaria.  The latter are really impressive when they’re fresh and have mint green accents.

Cladara limitaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Gatten

   Rosemary Jorna writes:   I found this perfect empty cocoon while working in our yard in the Kemp Lake area.  It is about 1.4 cm  long.  Jeremy Tatum responds:  This is the cocoon of one of our giant sawflies (Cimbicidae).  We have two common large species, Cimbex americana and Trichiosoma triangulatum.  My guess is that the cocoons of the two species are distinguishable, but I don’t know how.  One would have to rear the larvae – which are fairly commonly encountered.

Giant sawfly cocoon (Hym.: Cimbicidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Rosemary also found the moth below on one of the maple trees near Kemp Lake. It is a pterophorid, and probably a native species, and certainly not the usual European Emmelina monodactyla. Because of their unusually narrow wings, they are not easy to identify – but maybe not impossible. We are working on it!

 Unknown pterophorid (Lep.: Pterophoridae)  Rosemary Jorna

2017 March 31

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  In the December 29 posting, we mentioned the plans of the Ministry of Forests etc. to spray the Elk Lake area with Btk for Gypsy Moths.  Because of the late spring this year and the prolonged cool weather, this has been put off until mid-May.  In spite of the annual devastating infestations of the hordes of this abundant moth, I do not know of any naturalists who have ever found the moth or its conspicuous caterpillar on southern Vancouver Island, in spite of dedicated searches in the areas of the most concentrated infestations.  If anyone finds this moth or its caterpillar, I would be very interested.  According to the article on page A2 of the March 31 Saanich News, the pesticide in question – Foray 48Bm, which contains Btk – does not harm other insects. This is patent nonsense and the constant repetition of this misinformation appears to be deliberate deception.  Of course it is fatal to any leaf-feeding caterpillars.  Apparently there have also been recent public concerns about the effects of Btk on Monarch butterflies. It is sometimes difficult to comprehend the depth of ignorance that one hears in discussions of this topic. 

  We may not have Gypsy Moths here, but Jeremy Gatten is seeing lots of other interesting things. He writes from Saanichton:  I seem to be having an interesting run this spring – this is my third non-micromoth lifer this spring.  Last night I had over a dozen moths around my light, which included: Orthosia praeses, Orthosia hibisci, Egira crucialis, Lithophane innominata, Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli, Hydriomena manzanita, and a handful of pugs.  The star, however, was Egira cognata, which is not a species I have seen previously. [It’s also a new one for this site – Jeremy Tatum.] This is a western species that utilizes Garry Oak as its larval host plant.

Egira cognata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Gatten

2017 March 30

   Gordon Hart writes:

 Hi, Butterfly watchers,

The first Butterfly Walk of 2017 will be this Sunday, April 2. The weather looks as though it may be nice, so perhaps we will even see some butterflies! The only species reported to date have been some individual Cabbage Whites [but see posting from Mike McGrenere below!], but the temperatures are warming up.   We meet at the top of Mount Tolmie in the parking lot north of the summit at 1 p.m. After a quick look around the summit, we will decide on a destination at that time. As always, the walk is weather-dependent, so if the weather forecast is wrong and it is cold or rainy, the walk will be cancelled.

    The April count will run from April 15 to the 23rd. I will send out a further reminder for that.

  Mike McGrenere writes:  I went up Mt Douglas from Blenkinsop Road this morning (about 8:35 am) and I saw a male Sara Orangetip on the lower slope of the first hill that you come to from Blenkinsop Road, about 150 metres along the trail. It was sunny at that time. It was cloudy on my way down so I did not see any butterflies on my way back.

   Annie Pang sends photographs of a fly nectaring on Arabis alpina in the Gorge Park Community Gardens, March 29.  I believe it is a male Phaonia atriceps – a new species for Invert Alert.

Phaonia atriceps (Dip.: Muscidae)  Annie Pang

Phaonia atriceps (Dip.: Muscidae)  Annie Pang

 Phaonia atriceps (Dip.: Muscidae)  Annie Pang

2017 March 29

   Nathan Fisk writes:  We’re seeing hundreds of these small dark spiders running through the leaves and grasses in the learning meadow of Fort Rodd Hill over the last few weeks. Finally managed to catch one standing still.

  Robb Bennett writes:  Pardosa vancouveri.   Common and abundant in meadows around here at this time of year – they have overwintered as sub-adults and are now running amok maturing, courting and mating.  Soon the females will be carrying pale egg cases, one each, attached to the spinnerets on the back end of their abdomens.  In our area, the appearance of P. vancouveri is a sure sign of spring.

 Wolf spider Pardosa vancouveri (Ara.: Lycosidae)  Nathan Fisk

 Here are photographs of some of Jeremy Gatten’s moth sightings from Metchosin mentioned in yesterday’s posting, plus one of Hydriomena albifasciata, which turned up at his Saanichton home today – a lifer for him and a lifer for Invert Alert.

Pleromelloida conserta (Lep.:  Noctuidae)  Jeremy Gatten

Feralia deceptiva (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jeremy Gatten

Left:  Orthosia praeses (Lep.: Noctuidae)

Right:  Hydriomena manzanita ( Lep.: Geometridae)

Jeremy Gatten

 Hydriomena albifasciata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Gatten

   And now for the first butterfly photograph to appear in Invert Alert this year.  (For earlier sightings see yesterday’s posting.)  Morgan Davies photographed this Cabbage White in the Cook Street Village neighbourhood on March 24^th.

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae)  Morgan Davies

2017 March 28

  Butterflies!   None have yet been reported direct to Invert Alert, but Gordon Hart tells me that three Cabbage Whites have been reported to the BC Butterfly Group:  James Miskelly on March 15 in Saanich;  Michael Bentley on March 20 in Central Saanich; and Peter Boon on the Lochside trail on March 22.

  Rebecca Reader-Lee sends a photograph of a spider that has been hanging around on the ceiling of her house in the North Highlands for a while.  The picture below was taken on March 11, but she sees the spider pretty much daily.   Thanks to Robb Bennett for identifying it as a species of Philodromus of the family Philodromidae.  These are known as “running crab spiders”, or simply as “philodromid crab spiders”, and are only distantly related to “the” crab spiders (Thomisidae).

“Running crab spider”   Philodromus sp. (Ara.: Philodromidae) 

Rebecca Reader-Lee

   Jeremy Gatten has successfully identified Bill Katz’s micro moth shown on March 24.  I’ll let viewers scroll down to see what it was!   He also writes:  “I was shocked at how many moths were around lights at a couple of places in Metchosin (Metchosin Community Hall and Hans Helgesen Elementary School).  I haven’t seen that much at the community hall in the past, but it was happening there on Saturday!  I had: Egira hiemalis, Egira crucialis, Lithophane pertorrida, Lithophane innominata, Orthosia praeses, Orthosia pacifica, Acerra normalis, Pleromelloida conserta, Eupithecia ravocostaliata, Eupithecia annulata, Hydriomena nubilofasciata, Hydriomena manzanita, Phigalia plumogeraria, Venusia obsoleta (or pearsalli, but they might be synonyms apparently), and Acleris sp.  At the elementary school, I had: Egira hiemalis, Egira crucialis, Orthosia praeses, Orthosia hibisci, Acerra normalis, Feralia deceptiva, Eupithecia ravocostaliata, Eupithecia annulata, possibly 1 or 2 more Eupithecia spp. (olivacea might be one), Hydriomena nubilofasciata, Hydriomena manzanita, Venusia obsoleta (same disclaimer as above), Xanthorhoe defensaria.  So, as you can see, there is a lot around right now!”