2019 June 3 morning

 

    Aziza Cooper writes:

   On June 2, the monthly VNHS Butterfly Walk met as usual at the top of Mount Tolmie. About ten people participated. We had nine species there:

 

Propertius Duskywing – 1

Western Tiger Swallowtail – 2 

Pale Tiger Swallowtail – 3

Anise Swallowtail – 1

Lorquin’s Admiral – 2

Western Spring Azure – 1

Cedar Hairstreak – 1

Painted Lady – 1

Cabbage White – 3

 

We then went to Stelly’s Cross Road to see Field Crescents. There we saw:

Field Crescent – 6

Western Tiger Swallowtail – 1

Cabbage White – 1

 

We went on to Gore Park and saw many dragonflies and a few butterflies:

Lorquin’s Admiral – 1

Pale Tiger Swallowtail – 1

Western Spring Azure – 1

Cabbage White – 1

 

We saw a total of ten butterfly species for the day.

 

  The dragonflies at Gore Park were quite spectacular – huge numbers of them in the sky, looking almost like swarms of gnats.  While we don’t know what all of them were, at least two species – Common Whitetail Plathemis lydia and Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis  –  were identified.

 

Anise Swallowtail Papilio zelicaon (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Aziza Cooper

 

Cedar Hairstreak Mitoura rosneri (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

   Jeremy Tatum remarks:  I think most of us were guilty of calling this a Brown Elfin.  The camera cannot lie, however, and it shows that the butterfly was in fact a Cedar Hairstreak.

 

Field Crescent Phyciodes pratensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

 

Field Crescent Phyciodes pratensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Aziza Cooper

 

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Aziza Cooper

 

Common Whitetail Plathemis lydia (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Aziza Cooper

 

Ladybird Beetle (Col.: Coccinellidae)  Aziza Cooper

(Possibly Harmonia axyridis)