2021 September 6

    Jeff Gaskin  writes: Today, September 6, Kirsten Mills and I went on a road trip as far as Jordan River and along the way we saw Pine Whites at a few locations.  Our first one was at the parking lot at Muir Creek, two were on the outskirts of Shirley and one was along Sooke Road near Connie Road.  The only other butterflies we saw were all Cabbage Whites and they were quite plentiful.

    Richard Rycraft photographed a latish Woodland Skipper this morning in Oak Bay:

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Richard Rycraft

   Aziza Cooper photographed a Lorquin’s Admiral at Swan Lake today.  We’ll leave viewers to decide if this is the same individual or a different one from the one that Gordon Hart photographed recently (see September 3 Alert).

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  It is the time of year to find “woolly bear” caterpillars.  Here are two.  Soon we will be finding the woolly bear caterpillar of the Spotted Tiger Moth, and in October, the Banded Woolly Bear, caterpillar of the Isabella Tiger Moth.

Fall Webworm Hyphantria cunea (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jeremy Tatum

Yellow Woolly Bear Spilosoma virginica (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jeremy Tatum

2021 September 5

    Aziza Cooper sends photographs of two insects from this morning, September 5, at Swan Lake Nature House.

Jeremy Tatum writes:  On the original version of this posting, I had grossly misidentified the moth!   Thanks to Libby Avis, who put me right and identified it as Lithomoia germana.

The fly might either be a small crane fly (Tipulidae) or a winter gnat (they occur in summer, too!) (Trichoceridae).

Lithomoia germana (Lep.: Noctuidae)    Aziza Cooper

Dip.:  Probably either a crane fly (Tipulidae) or a winter gnat (Trichoceridae)   Aziza Cooper

2021 September 4

Monthly Butterfly Walk scheduled for Sunday is cancelled.  See notice on September 2 Alert.

 Aziza Cooper sends a photograph of a moth from her stove hood on September 1, and damselflies at King’s Pond on September 2.

Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Aziza Cooper

Damselflies (Odonata – Zygoptera) Aziza Cooper

Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this  morning:

1 Alucita montana

2 Neoalcis californiaria

3 Noctua pronuba

1 Spargania magnoliata 

1 Udea profundalis

Some photographs:

Spargania magnoliata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

2021 September 3

Monthly Butterfly Walk scheduled for Sunday is cancelled.  See notice on September 2 Alert.

   Jochen Möhr sends a photograph of a Woodland Skipper in Metchosin nectaring on a — Wanted! – a Botanist to tell us what it is nectaring on!

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Jochen Möhr

  Jochen had these moths at his Metchosin home this morning

1 Neoalcis californiaria

2 Nepytia phantasmaria

3 Noctua pronuba

1 Orgyia antiqua 

1 Xanthorhoe defensaria

Here are photographs of a few of them:

Nepytia phantasmaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Orgyia antiqua (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae) Jochen Möhr

Xanthorhoe defensaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   As a welcome bonus, Jochen writes:  This morning a very docile and tolerant Mourning Cloak had taken seat on my chair to sun itself.  I am grateful.

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jochen Möhr

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jochen Möhr

Jeremy Tatum photographed some moths at the Goldstream Park Nature House this morning.

Nepytia phantasmaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

Caripeta aequaliaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum

   Jeremy also writes: Also at the Nature House was what I think is the largest caddisfly I have ever seen – out of camera range, unfortunately.  Possibly  Dicosmoecus atripes.

   Gordon Hart writes:  I dropped by Swan Lake yesterday and saw a Lorquin’s Admiral near Tuesday Pond – likely the same one Jeff saw.  There was one Woodland Skipper on Gumweed and several bee species. 

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Gordon Hart

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Gordon Hart

2021 September 2

 From Gordon Hart:  September Butterfly Walk Cancelled

   At the end of a hot, dry summer, not many butterflies are being found around Victoria, so the September Butterfly Walk (originally scheduled for September 5) is cancelled.  There are still some possible interesting sightings and these should continue late into the fall, so keep looking and enjoy the fall weather. We will plan for more walks and counts in the spring of 2022, so keep an eye on the VNHS Calendar and the Invertebrate Alert.

Gordon Hart,
Treasurer,
Victoria Natural History Society

Jochen Möhr reports no moths from Metchosin this morning, but he photographed a male Orb  Weaver Spider. 

Araneas diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Jochen Möhr

Jochen reports a single Woodland Skipper in Metchosin today, as does Jeremy Tatum from Colwood.