2020 June 19 afternoon

Message from Gordon Hart:

Hello Butterfly Watchers,
The June count period starts Saturday June 20 until Sunday June 28. 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 

   Jeremy Tatum found two Painted Lady caterpillars on thistle along Martindale Road.  Here’s one of them.   He also notes that there is a huge Teasel crop at McIntyre reservoir – not in flower yet, but getting there. That patch of Teasels often attracts a lot of nectaring  butterflies.  Last year the Teasels were cut down just at a critical date.

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Jeremy Tatum

2020 June 19 morning

   There do seem to be at least a few swallowtails in our area, but they, and other butterflies, are evidently very scarce this year.  There are probably many combinations of causes for this.  We often blame the spraying of Btk for the mythical Gypsy Moth for this.  This is doubtless part of the problem, for the Btk is not specific to Gypsy Moth but is fatal to any leaf-eating caterpillar.  But this is not the only cause.  We have  had a succession of wet springs, especially this year’s, when it has been cold and wet at the very time that many butterfly species would lay eggs.  And there is the constant and growing problem of habitat loss.  Doubtless viewers can think of many other reasons for the decline in butterfly numbers. 

   Here are some thoughts from Jochen Möhr.  He is referring to the sparse sightings he described in yesterday’s posting:

   I am intrigued by the extent to which these sightings confirm the observations of Josef Reichholf: The disappearance of butterflies is most dramatic in meadows and agricultural areas.  In Germany the abundance is now down to 4 % of what it was in the seventies (and I remember very well that in the seventies it was only a shadow of what it had been in the forties and fifties).  

  Reichholf blames agricultural overfertilization for this decline, because it creates dense tall vegetation, which causes a hostile microclimate and inhospitable habitat in the meadows, which close to the ground are too wet and too cool for the support of insects.   

  I am also excited about what he recommends as a remedy: One hectare of “Butterfly meadow” (“Schmetterlingswiese”) per thousand inhabitants in rural communities.  I have not found out all the detail of what he recommends as “Schmetterlingswiese” but I get the impression that it is along the lines of what Chris and I are doing here at our place.  And the regular presence of a variety of day flying and night active lepidoptera, as well as the presence of scores of bumble bees, honey bees, etc., on our flowering shrubs seem to suggest that we are on the right way.  

   Jody Wells sends photographs of a White Satin Moth from  Cattle Point.  The caterpillars feed on various Populus and Salix, but the species is typically often associated with Aspen, as in one of Jody’s photographs.

White Satin Moth Leucoma salicis (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae)  Jody Wells

White Satin Moth Leucoma salicis (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae)  Jody Wells

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Hesperumia latipennis 

1 Lophocampa maculata

1 Perizoma costiguttata

4 Tyria jacobaeae

Perizoma costiguttata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Hesperumia latipennis (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

2020 June 18 afternoon

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin on the morning of June 17:

1 Agrotis vancouverensis

1 Callizzia amorata 

1 Enypia packardata

1 Trichordestra liquida

2 Lophocampa maculata

2 Nadata gibbosa

1 Protitame subalbaria

2 Stenoporpia excelsaria

1 Xanthorhoe defensaria

Agrotis vancouverensis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Trichordestra liquida (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Xanthorhoe defensaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr  

Protitame subalbaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Nadata gibbosa (Lep.: Notodontidae) Jochen Möhr

   Jochen also reports a late Western Spring Azure from Metchosin.

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchison on the morning of June 18:

1 Callizzia amorata

1 Tyria jacobaeae

1 Plagodis pulveraria

   Rosemary Jorna sends photographs of a bug and a beetle from the Kemp Lake area:

Spittle Bug Philaenus spumarius (Hem.: Cercopidae) Rosemary Jorna

Checkered beetle  Enoclerus eximius (Col.: Cleridae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Jochen Möhr writes:  Today, Chris and I drove for four hours from 11 am to 3 pm around the Greater Victoria area.  First from Metchosin through Colwood and View Royal into the Shelbourne area, then around Hillside, and then on to North Saanich beyond Sidney and back.  

  On this round trip, I counted 13 Whites, which I record as Cabbage Whites, two Anise Swallowtails, and one Lorquin’s Admiral.  One of the Anise Swallowtails and the Lorquin’s Admiral were at the Cridge Centre on Hillside Avenue, where we stayed less than five minutes.  The other Anise Swallowtail was in Metchosin, coming back.  

  Despite driving along miles of huge Blackberry hedges in bloom and meadows full of Ox Eye Daisies, we saw no butterflies north of the Elk Lake area along the Highway and later off the highway in North Saanich and at Russell Nursery.  Most of the Cabbage White sightings were in suburbia, around Mattick’s farm, In the Strawberry Vale area, in Colwood and Metchosin.  

  Back at home, I immediately raised what I think is another Trichordestra liquida , and a Pale Tiger Swallowtail which stopped several times at Salal blossoms, but never long enough to get a picture.  

2020 June 18 morning

   Gordon Hart writes:  I  went to Panama Flats around noon yesterday . I saw my first of the year Lorquin’s Admiral by Roy Road, several Cabbage Whites, perhaps six; one Western Tiger Swallowtail, and about four Essex Skippers on the north-east side. [Jeremy Tatum writes:  You beat me there by a couple of hours to the Essex Skippers, Gordon!]

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Gordon Hart

   Val George writes: This Large Yellow Underwing moth was in our carport in Oak Bay yesterday, June 17:

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae) Val George

2020 June 17 evening

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  At Panama Flats this afternoon I saw five Cabbage Whites and three Essex Skippers.  There was a massive and extensive display of blackberry bushes in full flower, but not a swallowtail in sight.  However, at 6:15 pm this evening I saw a Western Tiger Swallowtail fly over the reservoir – the first swallowtail of any species that I have seen this year.  That was the only butterfly I saw at the top of Mount Tolmie.

  Kim Beardmore photographed this Sheep Moth caterpillar along the Munn Road power lines today.  These caterpillars can give you a rash if handled.

Sheep Moth Hemileuca eglanterina (Lep.: Saturniidae) Kim Beardmore

   Wendy Ansell writes:  Today (Wednesday) we saw 1, possibly 2, Lorquin’s Admirals and 1 Western Tiger Swallowtail at Playfair Park.  By the way, we frequently see 1 or 2 Western Tiger Swallowtails in our yard on Cordova Ridge, 1 so far today.

   Jeff Gaskin  writes:  Kirsten Mills and I  had some good butterflies in Nanaimo and Duncan today, June 17.  Along the trail near the Duncan sewage lagoons we saw from between 6 – 8 Western Tiger Swallowtails, and 1 Pale Tiger Swallowtail.

 On Nanaimo River Road:  For 15 kilometres from the Trans Canada Highway we saw 15 Pale Tiger Swallowtails,  4 Western Tiger Swallowtails,  5 Western Spring Azures,  1 Lorquin’s Admiral, and 13 Clodius Parnassians.  The Clodius Parnassians were found between the 8.5 km point to the 15 km point.

  More tomorrow – couldn’t get everything up today! – Jeremy T.