2018 June 1

   Message from Gordon Hart:

Hello Butterfly Watchers,
Although the weather forecast does not look great, the June Butterfly Walk is still on for Sunday, June 3, 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, weather permitting.
See you on Sunday,
Gordon

   Jeremy Tatum writes that the Lorquin’s Admiral whose caterpillar was shown on May 30 and 31 has now pupated.

   He adds that he saw an adult Lorquin’s Admiral at Panama Flats yesterday.

   Here are caterpillars of our common Malacosoma  lackey moths.

Malacosoma disstria  (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Malacosoma californicum  (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Nathan Fisk sends a photograph of a caterpillar that fell from an oak tree at Fort Rodd Hill Nursery.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  I don’t know what it is, but I have seen this one several times in the past and I have been trying for years to find out what it is.  If anyone finds one, please let me know!

Unknown caterpillar  (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Nathan Fisk

   Libby Avis writes:  A rare sighting in our yard in Port Alberni on May 31st – the Yellow-banded Day Sphinx, Proserpinus flavofasciata. It was flying very fast in among bees and hard to distinguish from them. Our only previous sighting was also in our garden two years ago (see 2016 May 16).

  Jeremy Tatum writes – a rare sighting indeed!  I only once found the caterpillar – at Cowichan Station many years ago.  Unfortunately a tachinid fly had beaten me to it and found it first.

Proserpinus flavofasciata (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Libby Avis

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of a Western Tiger Swallowtail at Gorge Park, May 30.  She also reports that she saw her first Lorquin’s Admiral of the year there.

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Annie Pang

   Ren Ferguson writes:  Attached is a photo of a Propertius Duskywing nectaring on Woolly Sunflower. Taken May 31, 2018 at Andreas Vogt Nature Reserve on Salt Spring Island. The sunflowers were planted by Salt Spring Island Conservancy. Nice to see a native butterfly on a native plant.  [Jeremy Tatum comments:  But I just hope the butterfly doesn’t move on to the flower just  above it.]

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Ren Ferguson

2018 May 31

   Annie Pang sends a picture of a young male Spiny Baskettail from Gorge Road, Victoria.  Thanks to Rob Cannings for the identification.

Spiny Baskettail  Epitheca spinigera (Odo.: Corduliidae)  Annie Pang

   Norma Smith sends a picture of a Large Yellow Underwing.

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Norma Smith

Jeremy Tatum writes that the Lorquin’s Admiral caterpillar shown yesterday is preparing to pupate:

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

Jeremy Tatum

2018 May 30

   Ondrea Clarkson sends a picture of a Pale Tiger Swallowtail from just outside the Elliott Building, UVic, yesterday afternoon.

Pale Tiger Swallowtail Papilio eurymedon (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Ondrea Clarkson

   Jochen Möhr sends a picture of a highflyer (Hydriomena sp.) from Metchosin.  It is difficult to decide between two similar species,  H. californiata or H. marinata.

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

   Annie Pang sends a picture of a bee, kindly identified by Cory Sheffield and Lincoln Best as Bombus fervidus.

Bombus fervidus (Hym.: Apidae)  Annie Pang

    Nathan Fisk sends photographs of two bees from Fort Rodd Hill yesterday.   We are not sure exactly which species they are – but they are hard at work pollinating.

Unidentified bee (Hym.: Apidae)   Nathan Fisk

Unidentified bee (Hym.: Apidae)   Nathan Fisk

Jeremy Tatum sends a picture of a caterpillar found at Rithet’s Bog on May 29.

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

   Annie Pang sends pictures of a Spotted Tiger Moth, which emerged yesterday from a cocoon made by a caterpillar last fall that Annie successfully reared.  (See her caterpillar 2017 September 7 and 16, and the cocoon, September 27.)

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

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

2018 May 29

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Most pug caterpillars feed on fltowers.  Here is one in the flower head of the dogwood Cornus stolonifera.  The adult moth ecloded (emerged) on June 13 (see posting of that date) and enabled Libby Avis to identify it as Eupithecia misturata.

Pug caterpillar Eupithecia misturata (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jeremy Tatum

   Marie O’Shaughnessy writes:  This beautiful Western Tiger Swallowtail was photographed at Loon Bay, May 28th, while the tide was out. It appeared to be ingesting the salt water between the rocks on the mud-flats.

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  Yesterday, May 28, around 6:15 p.m. in the wind there was a West Coast Lady alongside the road on Mount Tolmie.  It was not too far from the concrete reservoir.

2018 May 28

   A plea from the Moderator.   We are getting lots of exciting contributions at this time of year, which is a wonderful situation to be in – but of course the volume of contributions does make for a little bit of work.  This plea is not aimed at anyone in particular and it may sound like the Pontifications of a Pompous Professor to first-year students.  All the same it would be an immense help to the Moderator if contributors could spend just a minute or so proofreading the text of their contributions for spelling, capitalization of proper names, no abbreviations please, and little details like that.  I know that it takes a little extra to do it, but after all,  if you don’t do it, the Moderator has to – for all entries!   When a contribution comes in with all the text perfected, all I have to do is a quick copy-n-paste, and it is done in a second.  Otherwise it takes a few minutes per entry, and when there are half-a-dozen contributions, that begins to mount up.  But believe me – I very much appreciate all contributions, whether perfectly composed or not!

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  Today, May 28, I saw my first of the year Lorquin’s Admirals.  One was in Gorge Park, and the other flew through my Mom’s backyard on Wascana Street.  Kirsten Mills told me she saw a Lorquin’s Admiral on Saturday May 26, behind the Swan Lake nature house, so there seem to be a few of them around already.

  Bryan Gates writes:  I found this caterpillar today, May 28, 2018, in my yard at Saratoga Beach, Black Creek, B.C.  (near the Oyster River).

Silver-spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa argentata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Bryan Gates