2019 April 29 afternoon

 

     Mike Yip writes from Nanoose:  Great day for golf at Fairwinds (April 25), and it was even more enjoyable to find a Western Pine Elfin basking on the 3rd green and a Grey Hairstreak on the 18th green. After golf I checked Cross Road and found an obliging Western Spring Azure.

 

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Mike Yip

 

   And here’s an upperside (from the broad grey outer margin, a female) from Ken Vaughan:

 

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Ken Vaughan

 

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes that there was a California Tortoiseshell on the Mount Tolmie reservoir at 3:45 on the afternoon of April 25.

 

   Jochen Möhr’s moth counts in Metchosin on the mornings of April 25, 26 and 27 were

                     25                                                 26                                                    27

6 Hydriomena manzanita       4 Melanolophia imitata            2 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli

5 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli  4 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli  and one each of:

2 Behrensia conchiformis         and one each of:                        Behrensia conchiformis

and one each of:                        Anticlea vasiliata                       Cladara limitaria

Cladara limitaria                       Behrensia conchiformis            Drepanuilatrix monicaria

Melanolophia imitata              Cladara limitaria                       Egira crucialis

Egira simplex/crucialis             Eupithecia ravocostaliata/nevadata

Feralia comstocki/deceptiva   Eupithecia sp.                           Feralia comstocki.deceptiva

Phyllodesma americana                                                               Perizoma curvilinea

                                                                                                           Anticlea vasiliata

 

   Photographs of a few of them:

 

Behrensia conchiformis (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

 

Feralia (probably comstocki) (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

 

Cladara limitaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 

Phyllodesma americana (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)  Jochen Möhr

 

Perizoma curvilinea (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 

Egira crucialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

 

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I photographed a weevil, on Rumex crispus at Rithet’s Bog on April 24.  Identification proved a bit of a problem and it needed a combined effort from three beetle enthusiasts.  Charlene Woods identified it as a species of Lixus, but she pointed out that there were only two species of Lixus on the British Columbia list, and Scott Gilmore didn’t think it was either of these.  Finally Bob Anderson identified it as Lixus concavus – a widespread species in North America, but which somehow had managed to avoid being on the British Columbia list.  An exciting experience, and thanks to the three people who went to a lot of trouble to identify it.

Lixus concavus  (Col.: Curculionidae)   Jeremy Tatum

 

 

   Here’s a photograph of a bee fly Bombyliu major from Ken Vaughan in the Highlands:

 

Bee fly Bombylius major (Dip.: Bombyliidae)  Ken Vaughan

 

   Syrphine flies and chrysomelid beetles are notoriously difficult to identify from photographs, and Ken has a photograph of one of each from the Highlands.  We are very grateful to Jeff Skevington (flies) and Scott Gilmore (beetles) for giving it their best shot.

 

    First, the fly.  Dr Skevington writes:   It looks like Eupeodes but I hesitate to put even generic identifications on syrphines with only one view.

 

Possibly Eupeodes  (Dip.: Syrphidae – Syrphinae)  Ken Vaughan

 

   Now the beetle.  Scott Gilmore writes:  Leaf beetles are hard even with a specimen in hand. This appears to be from the tribe Alticini and I think (guess?) genus Altica.

 

Possibly Altica (Col.: Chrysomelidae – Alticini)  Ken Vaughan

 

Jochen Möhr’s line-up in Metchosin for the morning of April 30:

 

This morning’s lineup:

 

5 Eupitheciae

4 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli

1 Coryphista meadii

1 Cladara limitaria

1 Drepanulatrix monicaria

1 Egira crucialis

1 Egira curialis

1 Egira simplex

1 Egira rubrica

1 Perizoma curvilinea

1 Orthosia transparens

1 Xanthorhoe defensaria

 

Photographs of a few of them:

 

Egira curialis (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

 

 

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

 

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

 

Perizoma curvilinea (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 

Triphosa haesitata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr