2019 October 11

 

   Mr E sends photographs of a larva of the Asian Many-named Ladybird Harmonia axyridis from Butchart Gardens, September 22.

 

Harmonia axyridis (Col.: Coccinellidae)  Mr E

 

Harmonia axyridis (Col.: Coccinellidae)  Mr E

 

   Rosemary Jorna writes from Kemp Lake: Yesterday afternoon, October 10, I got to photograph what turned out to be a small brown moth. It came flying toward the trunk of the ornamental  cherry in our yard, then its wings started beating at an incredible speed, occasionally pausing briefly.  It was not driven away by the very close proximity of my camera – it just kept working its way from spot to spot in the bottom 60 cm of the trunk and the litter around it.  I did spook it, but it circled back to the cherry and continued flitting up and down with the very rapid wing beats  Then it disappeared under a flap of lichen where I could not see it, but I pointed the camera up under the flap.  Is that a flightless female that I have photographed with a male? [Yes – Jeremy.] The moth flew out and I was able to get a better shot before it started the search behaviour again.

 

Male Vapourer or Rusty Tussock Orgyia antiqua (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae)

Rosemary Jorna

 

Male (left) and Female (right)

Vapourer or Rusty Tussock Orgyia antiqua (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae)

Rosemary Jorna

 

   Jochen Möhr writes from Metchosin: 

 

October 9

1 Drepanulatrix sp. and 

1 Ceranemota fasciata

both left over from the day before.

October 10, after a frosty night, NOTHING at all, not even a micro, a wasp or anything.

 

   Libby Avis concurs, from Port Alberni:  Nothing showing here either. We’ve had three or four nights of quite heavy frost. Three Ceranemotas stayed around for a few days and I got one Epirrita autumnata two nights ago, but that was it for the week.