2016 June 22
Marie O’Shaughnessy writes: Here are a couple of butterflies I found at Government House yesterday, June 21st – a Painted Lady and a Lorquin’s Admiral. Also there, 9 Cabbage Whites and 4 Western Tiger Swallowtails.


Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy

Jeremy Tatum writes: Today, June 22, I found a first or, probably, second instar caterpillar of Lorquin’s Admiral at Swan Lake. This is unusual at this time of year. In this stage of development, it should be just about ready to construct its little hibernaculum in which it spends the winter. I don’t know how it will enjoy spending the hottest months of the year, July and August, in a hibernaculum hoping that spring is just ahead. The other slightly unusual thing is that it was feeding on Black Hawthorn Crataegus douglasii. I have never seen it on this plant before, the usual foods being Ocean Spray, willow, or crabapple. However, hawthorn is listed by Guppy and Shepard as a recorded foodplant.