2018 June 14

Message from Gordon Hart

Hello Butterfly Counters,

The June count runs nine days from the third Saturday, June 16, to the fourth Sunday, June 24. You can submit a count anytime over this period, and you can do more than one count, just use a separate form for each count. In the case of repeat counts, or more than one person counting an area, I will take the highest count for each species.

Please use the form at https://www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?p=33 on the Victoria Natural History Society website .

The count area is the same as the Christmas Bird Count circle (attached). For butterfly identification there are numerous internet sites, but most or all Victoria species are listed on E-Fauna. If you select by photographer, all the photos under James Miskelly’s name are of Victoria species. Here is the link: http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/efauna/photoGallery/Gallery.aspx?gr=showall&pid=175&photographer=miskelly,%20james&specrep=0

If you would like a suggestion for an area to count, please send me an email.

The May count had 818 butterflies of 16 species. In June, some spring species may be missing, but the number of individuals should be similar.

In addition to the counts, a monthly butterfly walk is held on the first Sunday of each month – the next walk will be on July 1. We start at the summit of Mount Tolmie at 1pm, and decide where to go from there. I will send out another reminder near the month-end.

Thank-you for submitting your sightings and happy counting!

Gordon Hart

Butterfly Count Coordinator

Victoria Natural History Society

Count circle map link:

http://christmasbirdcount.ca/bcvi/CBCMaps.html#VictoriaMap

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Yesterday’s Garden Tiger caterpillar decided to stretch out today for another photograph:

Garden Tiger Arctia caja  (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)   Jeremy Tatum

   Jochen Möhr had a big haul at Metchosin yesterday.  Thanks to Libby Avis for the identifications.

Hydriomena marinata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Eupithecia probably miserulata or misturata) (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Iridopsis larvaria/masculata  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Perizoma curvilinea (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   The next one is a “micro” from the Family Crambidae, Subfamily Scopariinae.  Libby writes:  Best guess Eudonia commortalis or Scoparia basalis but they’re a difficult group. Someone told me work needs to be done on them. See what Jeremy thinks.  Jeremy thinks:  I heartily agree!

Eudonia commortalis or Scoparia basalis (Lep.: Crambidae)  Jochen Möhr

Schizura ipomoea (Lep.: Notodontidae)  Jochen Möhr

Acronicta dactylina (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Drepana arcuata (Lep.:  Drepanidae –Drepaninae) Jochen Möhr

Spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa maculata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)

Jochen Möhr

Lorquin’s Admiral  Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jochen Möhr

2018 June 13

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a caterpillar of Euthyatira pudens found on dogwood at UVic yesterday.

Euthyatira pudens (Lep.: Drepanidae – Thyatirinae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Jody Wells found this little moth at Saanichton (Cordova) Spit yesterday, June 12.

Acleris albicomana (Lep.: Tortricidae)  Jody Wells

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is the pug moth that came from the caterpillar shown on dogwood on May 29.   Thanks to Libby Avis for helping with the identification as Eupithecia misturata.

Eupithecia misturata (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jeremy Tatum

  Jeremy Tatum writes:  I had two tortricid moths emerge from their pupae recently.  They looked quite different, not only in their markings, but in their size, the female being much larger.  However, Justin Dombrowskie kindly identified them for us as a male and female Archips rosana.  The caterpillars had been found on Cornus stolonifera (the female) and on Rubus discolor (the male).

Female Archips rosana (Lep.: Tortricidae)    Jeremy Tatum

Male Archips rosana (Lep.: Tortricidae)    Jeremy Tatum

   Jeremy continues:  David Harris and I went to Island View Beach today, where David was treated to a sight of several pristine fresh Lorquin’s Admirals.  Then we went to the fields inland from Island View Beach, hoping to find Ringlets  (also known as Large Heaths).   I am embarrassed to say I got hopelessly and utterly lost!  It is a much larger area back there than I had ever realized.  After wandering randomly for a long time, we eventually met someone and we had to ask the way.   Anyway, it was worth it, because we saw several Ringlets and a Purplish Copper.  We also found caterpillars of an Essex (European) Skipper and a Garden Tiger Moth (both of which David could have found in Sussex!).  The caterpillar of the Garden Tiger is the original Woolly Bear, the latter feeding upon Yellow Honeysuckle.  I haven’t seen one here for a few years, and it permitted only a not-very-good photograph, shown below:

Garden Tiger Arctia caja (Lep.:  Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jeremy Tatum

Lots more waiting in the queue…..

2018 June 12

  Invert Alert received three photographs of beetles yesterday.  We are grateful to Scott Gilmore for identifying them for us at genus level.

Serica sp. (Col.: Scarabaeidae)  Nathan  Fisk

Dichelonyx sp. (Col.: Scarabaeidae)   Liam Singh

Curculio sp. (Col.:  Curculionidae)  Liam Singh

   Val George writes:  Yesterday afternoon, June 11, there was a bonanza of butterflies on and in the immediate vicinity of the Mount Tolmie reservoir: at least 5 Western Tiger Swallowtails, 3 Pale Swallowtails, 2 Anise Swallowtails, at least 3 Painted Ladies, 4 Lorquin’s Admirals, and one Propertius Duskywing.

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  And at 6:30 p.m. I took David Harris, straight off the flight from England, to Mount Tolmie, and we saw nothing there!   Well, almost nothing.  Just when we were about to give up in total disappointment David spotted a rather worn Painted Lady (same species as he sees in England) near the Jeffery Pine.  David cheerfully remarked that it was exciting because it was the first one he had seen this year.  Then we caught a brief glimpse of a Lorquin’s Admiral disappearing over a bush.  We visited the reservoir again this morning – and saw nothing!  Later on today, we had more success – a Cabbage White at UVic, and a brief glimpse from the car of a distant Western Tiger Swallowtail.  We found three caterpillars – a Western Spring Azure on Ocean Spray on Mount Douglas, a lost Silver-spotted Tiger Moth at UVic (we put it on a nearby Grand Fir), and a Euthyatira pudens on Cornus stolonifera at UVic.

   Sonia Voicescu writes:  I was doing my bi-monthly count for my RNS project at Rithet’s Bog and I saw quite a few butterflies yesterday! Specifically:  12 Lorquin’s Admirals, 19 Ringlets (Large Heath), 1 Mourning Cloak, 7 Western Tiger Swallowtails, 4 Cabbage Whites.  Attached are some pictures of the Lorquin’s Admiral and the Ringlet (which has had a rough time judging by its mangled wings).

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Sonia Voicescu

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Sonia Voicescu

Ringlet (Large Heath)  Coenonympha tullia (Lep.: Nymphalidae – Satyrinae)

  Sonia Voicescu

2018 June 11

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  The Lorquin’s Admiral shown below came from the caterpillar and chrysalis shown in various stages on May 30, 31, June 1.  I released it this morning on the Philadelphus at the entrance to the Mount Tolmie reservoir.  There were at least another four Lorquin’s Admirals on the same bush, all in pristine fresh condition.

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Jeremy Tatum

   Nathan Fisk writes (June 10):  Wonderful day to be a naturalist! A good break in the clouds and wind for all the inverts to emerge. Many Lorquin’s Admirals, Tiger and Anise swallowtails, Propertius Duskywing (attached), Eight-spotted Skimmer, blue damselflies, a “dusty” blue dragonfly that I’ve not seen before,  ‎ and abundant Bombus vosnesenskii, melanopygus and bifarius feeding on Snowberry and Himalayan Blackberry.

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Nathan Fisk

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Nathan Fisk

   Liam Singh sends photographs of two caterpillars from Mount Tolmie.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  I believe the first is Tetracis sp.   It may be T. jubararia, though I have never seen one that colour, so there is a possibility that it is a different species.

Tetracis sp.? (Lep.: Geometridae)  Liam Singh

    Liam’s next photograph is the same species of noctuid caterpillar that Nathan Fisk showed on June 1.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  I have seen this caterpillar several times in previous years, but I have never found out what it is.  I am very anxious to find out.  If any viewer finds one like this, please retain it for me.

Unidentified noctuid caterpillar  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Liam Singh

   Also from Moun Tolmie, writes Liam Singh:  One highlight was being able to see 11 adult Oak Treehoppers! They were along the North side in a small Garry Oak.

Oak Treehopper Platycotis vittatus (Hem.: Membracidae)  Liam Singh

Oak Treehoppers Platycotis vittatus (Hem.: Membracidae)  Liam Singh

    More in the queue.  Postings may be slow this week.  Keep the photographs and observations coming – but expect some delays.   Jeremy Tatum

2018 June 10

    (In case you are wondering where June 9 is, there were no reports yesterday, so no June 9 posting.)

    Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a caterpillar of Egira crucialis.  The adult moths E. crucialis and E. simplex look so similar that it is often difficult to tell them apart.  So – are they really different species?  I have a theory that if two very similar moths are really different species, their caterpillars will be quite different.  Here is a case in point.  The final instar caterpillars of crucialis and simplex are so different that they are obviously quite distinct species.  On the other hand the adults and the caterpillars and chrysalides of  Pieris napi and P. marginalis are as indistinguishable as the adults.

   Why is the caterpillar of Egira crucialis white?  Doesn’t this make it very visible and vulnerable?  The answer is no – the white caterpillar hides inside the equally white panicles of Ocean Spray flowers.  This one is on its way there now.

Egira crucialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jeremy Tatum

   Aziza Cooper writes:   Yesterday, June 9, at Jordan River, dozens of Rufous Hummingbirds were competing with many bees at an array of nine feeders near the former town.  I’m not sure this shows much detail of the bees, but the pile-up of bees on the feeder is impressive.

Rufous Hummingbirds and bees    Aziza Cooper

   Jochen Möhr sends photographs of flies from Metchosin.

Drone fly Eristalis sp.  (Dip.: Syrphidae)   Jochen Möhr 

Drone fly Eristalis sp.  (Dip.: Syrphidae)   Jochen Möhr 

  We don’t know the exact species of the next fly, but anyone who rears caterpillars will recognize the bristly abdomen and will know that this is a dreaded tachinid fly.

Parasitoidal fly  (Dip.: Tachinidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jochen also sends a photograph of the Broom Seed Beetle Bruchidius villosus – we thank Scott Gilmore for the identification.

Broom Seed Beetle Bruchidius villosus (Col.: Chrysomelidae)  Jochen Möhr