2018 May 18 evening

 

   Gordon Hart writes:

Hello Butterfly Counters,

I have been away from Victoria, so I am sorry for the late announcement, but we will go ahead with a May Butterfly Count, starting today, May 18, and running until next Sunday, May 25. You can submit a count anytime over this period, and you can do more than one count, just use a separate form for each count. In the case of repeat counts, or more than one person counting an area, I will take the highest count for each species.

Please use the form at https://www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?p=33 on the Victoria Natural History Society website .

The count area is the same as the Christmas Bird Count circle (attached). For butterfly identification there are numerous internet sites, but most or all Victoria species are listed on E-Fauna. If you select by photographer, all the photos under James Miskelly’s name are of Victoria species. Here is the link: http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/efauna/photoGallery/Gallery.aspx?gr=showall&pid=175&photographer=miskelly,%20james&specrep=0

 

If you would like a suggestion for an area to count, please send me an email. 

In addition to the counts, a monthly butterfly walk is held on the first Sunday of each month – the next walk will be on June 2. We start at the summit of Mount Tolmie at 1pm, and decide where to go from there. I will send out another reminder the week before. 

Thank-you for submitting your sightings and happy counting! 

Gordon Hart,

Butterfly Count Coordinator,

Victoria Natural History Society

 

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Bill Savale and I went to the railway line around Malahat Station and the surrounding hills today, and we saw a Mourning Cloak and a Two-banded Grizzled Skipper.

 

   Jochen Möhr writes:  I went up Single Hill behind our home with Kem Luther today.  We came across many Western Spring Azures, but because of a boisterous breeze, taking pictures was even more problematic than usual with these little lively beasties.  Coming down to our house, there were many Western Spring Azures fluttering about – at least four seen simultaneously.  I got a picture of a female on budding blossoms of Ocean Spray.  It might have been ovipositing, but even using a magnifying glass and scrutinizing the branch after it had left, I could not find an egg.  The male was mud puddling in a flower bed  that we had watered thoroughly last afternoon.  [Jeremy Tatum writes:  You have to search on the outside of the calyces of flower buds that are just about to open.  From what you describe (“budding blossoms”) I suspect your butterfly was indeed ovipositing.]

 

 

Male Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Jochen Möhr

 

   Ron Flower writes:  Today Saturday May 18 we went to Eddy’s storage 1064 Stelly’s Cross Road at 1:30 pm and found the Field Crescents very active. We saw about 10 but could have been more.

 

Field Crescent Phyciodes pratensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Ron Flower