2022 July 15

 July Butterfly Count

Message from Gordon Hart

 Hello Butterfly Counters,

The July count period starts Saturday July 16 until Sunday July 24. This is an informal census of butterfly numbers and species in Greater Victoria. The area is defined by the Christmas Bird Count circle, extending from Victoria to Brentwood Bay and Island View Road in Central Saanich, and west to Happy Valley and Triangle Mountain, and Langford Lake and Goldstream areas.

You can submit a count any time over the count period, just use a separate form for each count and location. In the case of repeat or duplicate counts, I will use the higher numbers. To submit counts, please use the form from the VNHS website at

https://www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?p=33

If you have difficulty with the form, just send me an email with the information.

Thank-you for submitting your sightings and good luck with your count.

Gordon

Gordon Hart,

Butterfly Count Coordinator,

Victoria Natural History Society

  Kirsten Grove-White sends a photograph of one of our native emerald moths, Nemoria unitaria from the Swan Lake Nature House today:

Nemoria unitaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Kirsten Grove-White

   [Jeremy Tatum writes:  I had initially mislabelled the above moth as N. darwiniata, and I am grateful to Libby Avis for the correction.  Libby writes:  No red markings on the body and the lower line on the hindwing starts to curve upward just before it reaches the body, whereas in darwiniata the line goes straight across to the body.]

Jochen Möhr writes from his property in Metchosin:  It looks as though the tent caterpillars – of which I counted at one time 19 colonies in the vegetation around this house – are finally ecloding.  This morning, there were five of them on the floor of the deck under the black light.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  I believe that all three of the moths below are females.

Malacosoma californicum (Lep.:  Lasiocampidae)  Jochen Möhr

Malacosoma californicum (Lep.:  Lasiocampidae)  Jochen Möhr

Jeremy Tatum sends photographs of two very young caterpillars.  The first one is from Mahonia at Swan Lake; the second from Urtica at Blenkinsop Lake.

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

  Jeremy Tatum

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2022 July 14 afternoon

    Aziza Cooper captured a photograph of a Blue-eyed Darner in flight at Beaver Lake today:

Blue-eyed Darner Rhionaeschna multicolor (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Aziza Cooper

2022 July 14 morning

    Jeremy Tatum sends pictures of two moths and a caterpillar:

Silver-spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa argentata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)

  Jeremy Tatum

Ypsolopha canariella (Lep.: Ypsolophidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Ypsolopha canariella (Lep.: Ypsolophidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   The Y. canariella was reared from a caterpillar found on Snowberry.  The moth was formerly classified within the Family Plutellidae (and it certainly looks like a plutellid to me!), but a new family, Ypsolophidae, has more recently been erected to include it.

   Val George writes:  This moth, Idaea dimidiata, was on the wall of my Oak Bay house this morning July 14. On July 12 I walked the railway track at Cowichan Station. As well as the more common butterflies, there were two Margined Whites; neither was prepared to pose for a photo. The male Common Whitetail dragonfly was more cooperative.

Idaea dimidiata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Val George

Common Whitetail Plathemis lydia (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Val George

2022 July 13 afternoon

    Rosemary Jorna’s Ceanothus Silk Moth caterpillars, reared from eggs found near Kemp Lake, are now spinning their intricate double-walled teardrop-shaped cocoons:

Ceanothus Silk Moth Hyalophora euryalus (Lep.: Saturniidae)

Rosemary Jorna

Ceanothus Silk Moth Hyalophora euryalus (Lep.: Saturniidae)

Rosemary Jorna

Ceanothus Silk Moth Hyalophora euryalus (Lep.: Saturniidae)

Rosemary Jorna

Ceanothus Silk Moth Hyalophora euryalus (Lep.: Saturniidae)

Rosemary Jorna

   Meanwhile Jochen Möhr writes from Metchosin:  We have quite a few Essex Skippers.  They seem to be wandering through in an easterly direction, about one every two to three minutes, once three of them at the same time.  For good measure here are two damselfly pictures, taken while trying to get pictures of Essex Skippers.   Jeremy Tatum responds: It can be difficult to distinguish between Boreal and Northern Bluets from photographs, so let’s leave these as either/or:

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Jochen Möhr

Boreal/Northern Bluet Enallagma boreale/annexum (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)  Jochen Möhr

Boreal/Northern Bluet Enallagma boreale/annexum (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)  Jochen Möhr

2022 July 13 morning

    Jeremy Tatum writes:  Two nice moths were at the Swan Lake nature house yesterday when I was there sans camera.  Fortunately Scott Hall came by avec camera, and although the moths were awkwardly high up on the wall he managed to get pictures of both – thank you, Scott!

Gabriola dyari (Lep.: Geometridae)  Scott Hall

Campaea perlata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Scott Hall

Azzia Cooper writes:  On July 12, this Eight-spotted Skimmer was at Witty’s Lagoon. We also saw four Lorquin’s Admirals and two Western Tiger Swallowtails along the hiking trail, and eight or more Essex Skippers in the grass near the beach.

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