2018 May 8

   Libby Avis, who identifies many of our moths for us, is coming to Metchosin from Port Alberni  on Friday to give a public talk on Moths.  It will be at Metchosin Municipal Hall, 4450 Happy Valley Road, behind the fire hall. 7.00 pm., Friday May 11^th.  This should interest many viewers of this site, and I’m very much looking forward to it.  All welcome!

   Rosemary Jorna sends a picture from Sooke of a jumping spider at lunch on May 2.  Thanks to Sean McCann for identifying it for us as a female Phidippus purpuratus.  And now, May 10, we have just had a note from Scott Gilmore telling us what lunch was.  Scott writes:  What it is eating stood out to me as I have just been finding them here in Lantzville. It is a leaf beetle from the genus Syneta. 

Phidippus purpuratus (Ara.: Salticidae)  and leaf beetle Syneta sp. (Col.: Chrysomelidae)

  Rosemary Jorna

   Kirsten Mills sends a photograph of two Western Spring Azures from Mount Tolmie this afternoon.  They are on a sprig of Ocean Spray.  At the end of it is a panicle of young flower buds, not quite open yet.  The Western Spring Azure lays its eggs on the Ocean Spray buds just before the flowers open.

Western Spring Azures Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)    Kirsten Mills

2018 May 7 evening

   Devon Parker writes: On May 6 there was a single Johnson’s Hairstreak at the same location where my dad and I took you to a few years ago (in the hills past Jordan River). This one had iridescent blue on the outer wings which was interesting. “For-the-record” photos attached.  There were also many commas along the way to this area, as well as a Mourning Cloak. I also spotted one of the red-listed jumping-slugs that we have on the island near this location. Not sure which one it could be.

   Also on May 5 at Mount Maxwell on Salt Spring Island there were two Propertius Duskywings, one Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, one Western Spring Azure and one Sara Orangetip.  There was also a Hemaris thetis (bee hawk moth) nectaring on the Manzanita on Mount Maxwell.

Hoary Comma Polygonia gracilis (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Devon Parker

Johnson’s Hairstreak

Loranthomitoura johnsoni

(Lep.: Lycaenidae)

Devon Parker

Johnson’s Hairstreak

Loranthomitoura johnsoni

(Lep.: Lycaenidae)

Devon Parker

Perhaps Hemphillia dromedarius (Pul.: Arionidae)  Devon Parker

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  At 4:00 pm today there was a Propertius Duskywing just outside the entrance to the Mount Tolmie reservoir.  No nymphalids on the reservoir either then or later at 6:00 pm.

   Many of us here in Victoria are noticing how scarce butterflies are, other than Western Spring Azures mud-puddling in good numbers..  We have just received messages from Jochen Moehr in Metchosin and Rosemary Jorna in Sooke echoing similar sentiments.   Jochen writes:

In this good weather I can see blues almost all the time, up to six simultaneously, but often a couple playing together or mud-puddling on the watered lawn.  Whenever I get close enough to identify them, they are Western Spring Azures.  There is also almost always a Sara Orangetip, which flies incessantly, up and down the slope, close to the surface, almost never alighting anywhere.  Yesterday, very briefly, I saw a second one appear.  –  Beyond that I sometimes – but quite rarely – see Cabbage Whites.  Yesterday up to three simultaneously, but only once and briefly.  Rosemary writes: Here the butterflies are scarce.  I have only seen a comma on April 23  at Peden Lake,  and two blues near #2 parking lot in Sooke Potholes Regional Park the same day

2018 May 7 morning

    Eleven butterfly enthusiasts took part in the Victoria Natural History Society’s May Butterfly Walk yesterday, led by Gordon Hart.  As usual we met at Mount Tolmie to discuss where to go.  While there, Aziza Cooper managed to photograph a Western Brown Elfin.  From there we went to the area around the Pike Lake substation on Munn Road.  There were lots and lots of Western Spring Azures, many of them mud-puddling.  Also seen were several Sara Orangetips.  These were the only two butterfly species seen there, though we also noted a few dragonflies, and a day-flying geometrid moth kindly identified for us by Libby Avis as Lomographa semiclarata.  From there we were all invited to Gordon and Anne-Marie’s wonderful property in the Highlands, where Anne-Marie served us all delicious food, and we all had good views of a Green Comma.  Finally back to Mount Tolmie, where a hill-topping California Tortoiseshell awaited us on the reservoir.

Western Brown Elfin Incisalia iroides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

Western Spring Azures Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

Green Comma Polygonia faunus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Four-spotted Skimmer Libellula quadrimaculata (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Aziza Cooper

Four-spotted Skimmer Libellula quadrimaculata (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Gordon Hart

   Thanks to Rob Cannings for identifying the next one as an immature Dot-tailed Whiteface.  A  hint of the white face can be seen on Aziza’s photograph.

Immature female Dot-tailed Whiteface Leucorrhinia intacta (Odo.: Libellulidae)      Aziza Cooper

Immature female Dot-tailed Whiteface Leucorrhinia intacta (Odo.: Libellulidae)    Gordon Hart

Lomographa semiclarata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Aziza Cooper

Lomographa semiclarata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Gordon Hart

        From up-Island we have a photograph of a Sara  Orangetip from Little Mountain, Errington, photographed by Sheryl Falls.

Sara Orangetip Anthocharis sara (Lep.: Pi eridae)  Sheryl Falls

2018 May 6

   Kirsten Mills writes that there were two California Tortoiseshells and a Propertius Duskywing on the summit of Mount Douglas yesterday evening.

California Tortoiseshell Nymphalis californica (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Kirsten Mills

   Kirsten also writes that this afternoon, between 2:00 and 2:30 pm, there were two Anise Swallowtails on Mount Douglas between the top parking lot and the summit. Also two Propertius Duskywings and three Sara Orangetips.

   Aziza Cooper writes: Yesterday, May 5, I saw three Silvery Blues at the lupins along the Galloping Goose trail near the beginning of Sooke Road at Island Highway.

   Annie Pang writes:  I finally sighted a White Ribbon Carpet Moth Mesoleuca gratulata at Gorge Park, Victoria, BC, yesterday, May 5, 2018.  Had to run all over the park to get the moth to land, and even then it didn’t stay still for long before it was off again.  It took several tries and this was the best I could get.  [Pretty good, I’d say – Jeremy Tatum]

Mesoleuca gratulata (Lep.: Geometridae)   Annie Pang

  Jody Wells sends a picture of a “fly with a long drinking straw” from near the summit at Oak Haven Park,Brentwood Bay.  Jeremy Tatum says that as long as it isn’t a plastic drinking straw, that’s OK.

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

  Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a moth reared from a caterpillar from Blenkinsop Lake and released there this morning:

Aseptis adnixa ( Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

    Jeremy Tatum writes that during a walk along the Panhandler Tail off Munn Road this morning, he saw several Western Spring Azures and Sara Orangetips, a Propertius Duskywing, a Western Tiger Swallowtail and a Green Comma which kept landing on his jacket.  Also several of the usual spring day-flying geometrid moths: Mesoleuca gratulata, Epirrhoe plebeculata, one Rheumaptera hastata, and two Leptostales rubromarginaria.

   The VNHS had its monthly Butterfly Walk for May this afternoon.  We hope to give a report tomorrow morning.

2018 May 5 evening

MAY BUTTERFLY WALK

 Jeremy Tatum writes:  My sincere apologies to all who were inconvenienced by the mistakes in this morning’s posting.  First, it gave the date as May 6, and then it said that the May Butterfly Walk was today.  I do apologize for this.  I was having computer problems and I got everything mixed up while I was struggling.

 Anyway the May Butterfly Walk is on Sunday May 6.  Meet at top of Mount Tolmie, 1:00 pm.

   Today, Jeff  Gaskin saw two Western Brown Elfins on Gorge Road, and this evening at about 6:30 pm Jeff  Gaskin and Kirsten Mills saw two California Tortoiseshells and a Propertius Duskywing on or near the Mount Tolmie reservoir.

  Jeremy Tatum reports many Western Spring Azures , a few Sara Orangetips, and a Western Brown Elfin on the Panhandler Trail off Munn Road. 

   Gordon Hart writes:  Today we had 20+ Western Spring Azures, a few Cabbage Whites, a couple of Green Commas, and the first Western Brown Elfin of the year for our yard in the Highlands.

  Val George saw three Anise Swallowtails on Mount Douglas today.  Here is a photograph of one:

Anise Swallowtail Papilio zelicaon (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Val George