2021 August 27

   More Colias News:  Mark Wynja went back to the location where he photographed a Clouded Sulphur

 (see August 22 Alert) and he found three ova – two of which have already hatched into tiny caterpillars.   

Mark adds that Steve Ansell mentioned that Clouded Sulphurs have recently shown up in the Lower Mainland and on the Sunshine Coast. 

   Mr E sends photographs of a geometrid caterpillar from Tahsis.  With a head like a pussycat, the caterpillar might be Biston or Pero.  Caterpillars of Biston are usually found in late summer;  those of Pero in the spring.  In spite of that, Jeremy Tatum writes, I’m inclined to agree with Mr E and I think this caterpillar looks more like Pero. 

Pero sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)  Mr E

Pero sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)  Mr E

Pero sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)  Mr E

Pero sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)  Mr E

Pero sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)  Mr E

Pero sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)  Mr E

2021 August 26 afternoon

    Jochen Möhr sends photographs of two moths from his home in Metchosin this morning.

Dioryctria sp. (possibly delectella ?) (Lep.: Pyralidae)  Jochen Möhr

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

2021 August 26 morning

    Rarity Alert!

   Val George found this butterfly on the top of Mount Douglas, yesterday August 25.   I’m sure you all know what it is!

American Lady Vanessa virginiensis  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Val George

 American Lady Vanessa virginiensis  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Val George

   In case anyone is wondering, there was no Invert Alert yesterday. 

2021 August 24

    Jeff Gaskin writes:  I found a rather worn Satyr Comma along the Lochside Trail about half way along south of the bridge at Blenkinsop Lake , yesterday August 23.

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  This is a good place to find the species – earlier in the year caterpillars are to be found in the nettles at the side of the trail.  Unfortunately,  it has been very dry this year, with heavy bicycle traffic (including electric motorbikes – that’s what they are and should be called), and all the vegetation at the sides of the trail are heavily covered in dust and grit.  The commas spend the winter in the adult state, and reappear in spring, when, with luck, they may find a good crop of clean, fresh nettles to lay their eggs on.

2021 August 23

   Colias alert continued.   Jeremy Tatum writes: Because I have difficulty in distinguishing Colias species (I suspect I’m not the only one!) I asked Mark Wynja whether his suphur  (see yesterday’s posting) might possibly be a Western Sulphur (a non-migratory species that we get in the higher elevations on Vancouver Island) rather than the Clouded Sulphur (a migratory species, which is very rare here).  Mark replies:  Of the three likely Sulphurs the field marks match that of a female Clouded. I also sent the photos to both Mike Yip and Joachim Bertrands. They agree that it is a Clouded and not a Western. Joachim is very familiar with them as he has seen quite a number of Clouded this year in the BC interior. The silver center spot on underside hind wing of a Western is cleanly bordered by a single thin red circle and no little red satellite circle. The upperwings of the females are also different .

   Mark also reports:   After my sighting on August 20th Mike Yip saw a Sulphur at beach along Deep Bay Drive on Aug 21, and I saw a female Clouded Sulphur on Aug 22 on Deep Bay Drive. This is almost 5 km away from where the initial photograph was taken on Aug 20th.

  Jeff Gaskin reports:  A Lorquin’s Admiral was in the Cecilia Ravine Park,  and 14 Ringlets were  seen from Markham Road Camosun College lands and the Horticultural Centre lands yesterday, August 22.

  Richard Rycraft sends pictures of a Mint Moth Pyrausta californicalis from his garden.  There is indeed Mint in his garden although these moths were seen flying around Thyme.  Thyme and Mint are in the same botanical Family;  it would be interesting to know which plant these moths spent their caterpillar lives on.

Mint Moth Pyrausta californicalis (Lep.: Crambidae)  Richard Rycraft

   Ben Buszka spotted this blue horned caterpillar in a backyard in Sooke.  It is Smerinthus ophthalmica. This was at one time called Cerisy’s Eyed Hawk Moth S. cerisyi – but that species has now been split into C. cerisyi and C. ophthalmica, and our  population is supposed to be ophthalmica. As far as I know, writes Jeremy Tatum, it has not yet acquired an English name.  Suggestions, anyone?   Unfortunately this caterpillar will not survive – the several white spots on or near its head are eggs of a tachinid fly.

Smerinthus ophthalmica (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Ben Buszka