2016 June 20

   Welcome to summer – at 3:34 pm PDT today.

   On June 19, Jeremy Tatum and Bill Savale tried to take part in this month’s Butterfly Count.  After three-and-a-half hours exploring the Hydro cuts around Munn Road, we saw a grand total of 1 Western Tiger Swallowtail.  Others had a little more success.  Gordon Hart writes that in his Highlands garden (not that far away from Munn Road) he had at least 5 Cabbage Whites, minimum 6 Lorquin’s Admirals, most of them around the flowering Escallonia , one or two Pale Tiger Swallowtails, a Cedar Hairstreak, and one Western Tiger Swallowtail.  Aziza Cooper walked around Swan Lake and counted  11 Western Tiger Swallowtails, 15 Lorquin’s Admirals, 6 Cabbage Whites, and 25 Essex Skippers.  She notes that all the skippers (photograph below) were near Saanich Road along the Swan Lake walking trail.  She also kept her eyes open for dragonflies and she spotted, near the south lollipop, an Eight-spotted Skimmer ovipositing, and 3 Cardinal Meadowhawks.  Val George covered Mount Douglas and the surrounding area.  Results:   39 Cabbage Whites, 8 Western Tiger Swallowtails, 3 Red Admirals, 3 Essex Skippers, 2 Lorquin’s Admirals, 1 Anise Swallowtail, 1Grey Hairstreak (photograph below).

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

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Val George