2017 October 26

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Today at McIntyre reservoir:  One Cabbage White, one Autographa californica, and one Banded Woolly Bear.

2017 October 25

   Ron Flower writes:  In our travels yesterday we  saw four Cabbage Whites at McIntyre reservoir, two in Royal Oak and one at Albert Head lagoon. So I guess with the good weather coming this week there is a  chance of finding other varieties.

2017 October 24

   Rosemary Jorna writes:  This fly joined us for a  picnic lunch on Seagirt Road in East Sooke yesterday October 23

Dryomyza anilis (Dip.: Dryomyzidae)   Rosemary Jorna

Dryomyza anilis (Dip.: Dryomyzidae)   Rosemary Jorna

2017 October 22

   Here is Gordon Hart’s report of the September VNHS Butterfly Count.

There were 19 reports from 21 locations by 11 observers for the last 2017 butterfly count from September 16-23. Those numbers were similar to 2016, but the number of butterflies counted was exactly double 2016: 246 this year vs 123 last year. Last year only two species were found. This year, there were seven species, including 28 Painted Ladies. Cabbage Whites were also more common with 205 counted this year, 83 more than last year. I plan to submit a summary of all the 2017 counts in the January issue of The Victoria Naturalist while we wait for the next butterfly season. Thanks again to all the participants!

Gordon Hart,

Butterfly count coordinator.

————————————————-Sep ’17            Sep ’16            Diff

————————————————–7 sp.                 2 sp.

AniseSwallowtail                                                                                        0

Western Brown Elfin                                                                                0

CabbageButterfly                                       205                  122                 83

CaliforniaTortoiseshell                                                                            0

CedarHairstreak                                                                                         0

Ringlet (Coenonympha tullia)                   2                                           2

European (Essex) Skipper                                                                       0

GreenComma                                                                            1                   0

Grey Hairstreak                                                                       1                  -1

Lorquin’s Admiral                                                                                      0

Milbert’s Tortoiseshell                                                                              0

Moss Elfin                                                                                                      0

Mourning Cloak                                                                                           0

Painted Lady                                                   28                                         28

Pale Swallowtail                                                                                          0

Pine White                                                                                                     0

Propertius Duskywing                                                                              0

Purplish Copper                                               1                                            1

Red Admiral                                                      1                                             1

Sara OrangeTip                                                                                            0

Satyr Comma                                                                                                0

Silvery Blue                                                                                                   0

SpringAzure                                                                                                  0

Two-Banded Grizzled (Checkered) Skipper                                     0                    

West Coast Lady                                                                                          0

Western Pine Elfin                                                                                     0

Western Sulphur                                                                                         0

Orange Sulphur                                                 4                                           4

Western Tiger Swallowtail                                                                       0

Woodland Skipper                                           5                                           5

totals                                                                246                 123              123

Number of observers                                     11                    12

Number of reports                                          19                   22

Number of locations covered                     21                   20

Gordon also reports seeing a Painted Lady and six Cabbage Whites at Ocean Grove, near Esquimalt Lagoon on October 15.

2017 October 21

   Apologies – I have been out of action for a few days.  Big backlog on my computer, so I hope I don’t inadvertently miss some contributions.  E.g., I think I missed Rosemary Jorna’s spider below some days ago.  And thanks to Thomas Barbin for identifying it – I had mislabelled it on an earlier version of this posting.  And please, all viewers, if you ever spot a mistake, please do let me know!

Platycryptus californicus (Ara.: Salticidae)  Rosemary Jorna

And also two moths photographed by Jochem Moehr in Metchosin:

Drepanulatrix sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

Dysstroma citrata (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Moehr

   October is the month for Banded Woolly Bears, the caterpillar of the Isabella Moth.   Here is one found near the Red Barn at Tod Flats by Jody Wells.

Banded Woolly Bear Pyrrharctia isabella (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jody Wells

Scott Gilmore writes from Upper Lantzville:  I was surprised to find three small weevils inside a red pepper. The peppers had been grown in California and I assume they must be the Pepper Weevil, Anthonomus eugenii.  Jeremy Tatum ponders:  If they were found on Vancouver Island, but were imported from California, are they eligible for posting on Invert Alert?  I took one look at the first charming photo below and immediately decided yes!  You just have to love it.  According to a Web article, the length of the weevil varies from 1.5 to1.8 mm.  (Have a look at a ruler to remind you of how small this is.)

Pepper Weevil Anthonomus eugenii (Col.: Curculionidae)  Scott Gilmore

Pepper Weevil Anthonomus eugenii (Col.: Curculionidae)  Scott Gilmore

Pepper Weevil Anthonomus eugenii (Col.: Curculionidae)  Scott Gilmore

   Aziza Cooper writes:  On October 15 I found two flies at Lochside Trail near the pig farm. They were in a weedy patch diagonally across the trail south of the pig farm. (The pig farm is south of Martindale Road.)  Also on October 15 one moth was along McIntyre Road near McHugh Road, Central Saanich,

Jeremy Tatum writes.  The first fly is Eristalis tenax.  I think we’ll have to leave the second one as just an unidentified fly, unless anyone has a suggestion.  Because of the yellow colour (which I think is at least partly pollen), I had at first thought of Scathophaga stercoraria, which is common at the pig farm, but it’s the wrong shape and the eyes are too large.  The moth is a rather worn  Noctua pronuba.

Drone Fly Eristalis tenax (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Aziza Cooper

Unidentified fly (Diptera)   Aziza Cooper

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.:  Noctuidae)  Aziza Cooper

The caterpillar that Barb McGrenere found on September 21 (q.v.) yesterday produced the moth shown below.

Girdler Moth Dargida procinctus (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jeremy Tatum