2019 June 2 morning

   Mistakes.   Jeremy Tatum.  At this time of year, there is a large amount of Invert Alert traffic, and I am bound to make mistakes of one sort or another from time to time.    I would be immensely grateful if viewers who spot any mistakes would let me know as soon as possible.  I’m not thinking of identification mistakes so much (though of course please do let me know if you suspect any), but I occasionally make mistakes in the dates, or spelling mistakes, and so on. Please do let me know about any of these.

 See you all this afternoon for the June Butterfly Walk, Mount Tolmie, 1:00 pm.

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  A caterpillar from Cowichan Station and a moth from Mount Tolmie:

Zotheca tranquilla (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jeremy Tatum

Sicya crocearia (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

2019 June 1 evening

    Jeremy Tatum writes:  I visited the railway line north of Cowichan Station today.  Only one Margined White.   I believe the species is double-brooded, and that we are now between the spring and the summer broods.  There will be more later on.  Also seen there:  a Painted Lady,  a Cedar Hairstreak, five Western Tiger Swallowtails, and evidence of recent feeding on Stinging Nettles by caterpillars of the Satyr Comma.  And, very exciting, a bee hawk moth Hemaris thetis nectaring on Dame’s Rocket Hesperis matronalis.  It looked very like a bumblebee indeed.

   At 6:30 this evening at least six Painted Ladies around the Jeffery Pine at the top of Mount Tolmie, and one West Coast Lady basking on the concrete reservoir.

   Jeff Gaskin  writes:  Today, June 1st, I found at least five Field Crescents in their usual spot along Stelly’s Cross Road behind Eddy’s Storage.

2019 June 1 morning

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

Furcula scolopendrina 1

Lophocampa maculata 1

Nadata gibbosa 1

Panthea virginarius 4

Pero behrensaria 1

Pheosia californica1

Trichordestra liquida1

Xanthorhoe defensaria 1

Xanthorhoe defensaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a Codlin Moth, which emerged yesterday, reared from a caterpillar found in a pear last fall.  A codlin is a variety of cooking apple. The “worm” sometimes found in apples or pears is usually the caterpillar of this moth. “Codling” is a frequent misspelling.  The outermost third of the forewing is a beautiful shining, scintillating bronze colour, but is difficult to photograph because it requires exactly the right sun-moth-camera angle, which I obviously didn’t have here.

Codlin Moth Cydia pomonella (Lep.: Tortricidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2019 May 31 morning

June Butterfly Walk  

Gordon Hart writes:

   This is a reminder about the June Butterfly Walk on for Sunday, June 2, at 1 p.m . We meet near the Mount Tolmie summit by the reservoir parking lot. After a look around the summit area, we will decide on a destination from there.  All welcome!

  Gordon continues:  I have also noticed many more Pale Tiger Swallowtails this year, although in the last few days, we have been seeing a few Western Tiger Swallowtails here at home. Today, I dropped by the top of Mount Tolmie around 3 p.m. and saw one Mourning Cloak, two Anise Swallowtails, at least one each Western Tiger Swallowtail and Pale Tiger Swallowtail, and a Propertius Duskywing.  Just below the reservoir were two fresh Lorquin’s Admirals, my first of the year, and a Cabbage White.

   Annie Pang and Jeremy Tatum have been trying to figure out how to tell the difference between a male and a female Propertius Duskywing.  The photographs by Annie below are of a female.  We welcome more photographs of this species for more practice.

Female Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Annie Pang

Female Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Annie Pang

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

Pero behrensaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Pero morrisonaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Hydriomena californiata/marinata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Furcula scolopendrina (Lep.: Notodontidae)  Jochen Möhr

Udea profundalis (Lep.: Crambidae)  Jochen Möhr

For the May 29 posting (inadvertently omitted) see June 9 morning.

2019 May 30

    Libby Avis sends a photograph of a caterpillar of a Common Emerald Moth Hemithea aestivaria, which was was hanging on the underside of a well-chewed Thimbleberry leaf in Port Alberni, May 28.

Common Emerald Hemithea aestivaria (Lep.: Geometridae)

Libby Avis

   Rosemary Jorna writes:  This Johnson’s Jumping Spider  was in my fruit bowl just now. It lacks the bit of white I have seen on others in and around our house, Kemp Lake area, May 29.

Johnson’s Jumping Spider Phidippus johnsoni (Ara.: Salticidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Rosemary continues:  I have been away in Williams Lake (lots of butterflies in the Williams Lake River Valley) for a while.  When I got back I fear my narcissus have had it. The Narcissus Bulb Fly Merodon equestris is back in action in our yard. Kemp Lake area, May 29.

Narcissus Bulb Fly Merodon equestris (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Ron Flower writes:  Yesterday May 29 we also went looking for more Field Crescents around 3 pm. We went to the small daisy field beside the native graveyard a kilometer north of Eddy’s on West Saanich  Road, where we found more Field Crescents than we could count.  A very rough guess would be 20 and probably more.  Lots of butterfly sex going on. I think 20 is a light estimate .

Field Crescent Phyciodes pratensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Ron Flower

Field Crescents Phyciodes pratensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Ron Flower

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

Trichordestra liquida (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Pheosia californica (Lep.: Notodontidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  At the top of Mount Douglas early in the afternoon I saw four Pale Tiger Swallowtails and two Anise Swallowtails.  At the top of Mount Tolmie at 6:00 pm today I saw three Painted Ladies, one Mourning Cloak (on the reservoir) and one Pale Tiger Swallowtail.  I seem to be seeing many more Pale Tiger Swallowtails this year than Western Tiger Swallowtails. I wonder if others are finding this.