2020 May 15 evening

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I visited the railway line north of Cowichan Station this afternoon, where I saw several  Western Spring Azures, a Sara Orangetip, a Satyr Comma, three Margined Whites, and…  wait for it!… an Arctic Skipper.  I think that’s maybe only the third or perhaps fourth time I’ve ever seen one.  The whites and the skipper were nectaring on Herb  Robert.  I went up there to test my theory that spring brood Margined Whites are more heavily marked (spotted and “veined”) than the summer brood.  Alas, the only one that I had a good look at (presumably a male) was pure white as the driven snow.  I’d be interested to see any photographs that viewers get of the species this year.  Also, while there, I saw a Northern Alligator Lizard, but, since it has lots of vertebrae, I’d better say no more about it.

   Ron Flower writes:  My son said he had a weird bird’s nest in his yard so I went for a look. I know it’s not a bird’s nest so I am guessing a type of moth. Any ideas? [Yes, it’s a cocoon of the Polyphemus Moth, from which the moth has earlier emerged.] We also saw our first Pale Tiger Swallowtail today at the Goldstream River May 15th.

Cocoon of Polyphemus Moth Antheraea polyphemus (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Ron Flower

   Val George writes:  This afternoon, May 15, there were at least three, maybe four, Painted Ladies at the summit of Mount Tolmie.

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Val George

    Jochen Möhr writes from Metchosin:  Two days ago (May 13) my first sighting of an Anise Swallowtail¸ Also then my last sighting of a Sara Orangetip.  There is a continuing abundance of Western Spring Azures.  Today (May 15) my first sighting of a Pale Tiger Swallowtail, and a Grey Hairstreak.

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Rosemary Jorna writes from Kemp Lake:  This Mourning Cloak just rested on our roses.   Yesterday Sid saw a Western Tiger Swallowtail in the yard but it has not shown again yet.

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Rosemary Jorna

2020 May 15 morning

   Rosemary Jorna sends photographs of two bees, kindly identified for us by Lincoln Best.

Bombus mixtus (Hym.: Apidae) Rosemary Jorna

Andrenus sp.  (Hym.: Andrenidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Agrotis vancouverensis

1 Leucania dia

3 Melanolophia imitata

1 Orthosia transparens 

1 Perizoma curvilinea

1 Selenia alciphearia 

1 Triphosa haesitata

1 Tyria jacobaeae

5 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli

1 Xanthorhoe defensaria

Agrotis vancouverensis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Agrotis vancouverensis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Coryphista meadei (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Leucania dia (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

2020 May 14

   Jody Wells sends pictures of a bee fly  from Mount Tolmie, April 30, a Western Spring Azure from Saanichton (Cordova) Spit, May 12, and a hymenopteran, also from Saanichton Spit May 12.  The first two are relatively easy.  The hymenopteran is more of a challenge.  My suggestions (writes Jeremy Tatum), in order of preference, would be Pompilidae,  Sphecidae, or neither of the above!

Bee fly Bombylius major (Dip.: Bombiliidae)  Jody Wells

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Jody Wells

Unidentified hymenopteran (Pompilidae?   Sphecidae?)  Jody Wells

Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

2 Eupithecia cretaceata

3 Eupithecia spp.

2 Melanolophia imitata

1 Orthosia transparens

1 Selenia alciphearia

4 Tyria jacobaeae

6 Venusia obsoleta /pearsalli

1 Xanthorhoe defensaria

Orthosia transparens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Selenia alciphearia (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Eupithecia cretaceata (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Gatten reports a Melanchra picta  from his house in Saanichton this morning, May 14:

Melanchra picta (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Gatten

   Jeremy Tatum reports his first Satyr Comma of the year today, in Livesay Road, Central Saanich.  Also, at 6:45 this evening there was one Painted Lady on the MountTolmie reservoir, and two more near the Jeffery Pine.

2020 May 13 morning

   Bug identified!   Jeremy Tatum writes:  We have shown several  bugs (Hemiptera) recently, which I haven’t been able to identify.  So I am very happy that Libby Avis (who identifies most of our moths for us) has identified one of Rosemary Jorna’s bugs shown on May 10 afternoon (quod vide).

   Jeremy Tatum  writes:   At 6:00 pm last evening, May 12, there were two Painted Ladies on the summit of Mount Tolmie.  But I am seeing very few butterflies at all anywhere this year.  Are other butterfliers finding this, too?

  Mr E sends a picture of a young juvenile spider.   It is a bit hard to identify juvenile spiders, but Dr Robb Bennett has a good stab at it!  Dr Bennett writes:  Definitely a juvenile, but Linyphiidae rather than Theridiidae. Could be a young Pityohyphantes – that genus is characterized by a dark “tuning fork” pattern on the carapace, as in this specimen.  Though Pityos usually have a distinctive dark dorsal pattern on the abdomen, lacking here but that could just be because it’s a juvie…

Possibly Pityohyphantes (Ara.:  Linyphiidae) Mr E

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Apamea cinefacta

1 Egira rubrica

3 Eupithecias

3 Melanolophia imitata

1 Nola minna

2 Perizoma curvilinea

18 Tyria jacobaeae

5 Venusia obsoleta /pearsalli

1 Xanthorhoe defensaria 

Egira rubrica (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Apamea cinefacta (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

2020 May 12

    We are looking for someone who would be willing to enter our butterfly records from Invert Alert into eButterfly.  Sonia Voicescu did this last year and she would be very happy to help her successor to get started.

   We are also looking for photographs of the spring brood (i.e. now!) of the Margined White, either sex, upper- or underside.  We are interested to see how this butterfly fits into the “napi complex”.

    Rosemary Jorna sends photographs of a Western Spring Azure, and a tiny hempiteran nymph, from the Sooke area.

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Unidentified bug nymph (Hemiptera)  Rosemary Jorna

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Hyalophora euryalus

1 Hydriomena manzanita

1 Lacinipolia cuneata

3 Melanolophia imitata

1 Nola minna 

1 Perizoma curvilinea

11 (!) Tyria jacobaeae

2 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli

Lacinipolia cuneata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Hydriomena manzanita (Lep.: Geometrdae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum show a Firebrat.  It was a bit of a brat, too, for it waved its long antennae just as I pressed the button.

Firebrat Thermobia domestica (Thysanura:  Lepismatidae)  Jeremy Tatum