2017 September 20

Sorry – no posting yesterday (September 19).

Today we have two syrphid flies, and we are grateful to Jeff Skevington and Andrew Young for their identification.  The first one, perched on an anemone, was photographed by Jochen Moehr in Metchosin.

Meliscaeva cinctella (Dip.: Syrphidae) Jochen Moehr

   The second one was photographed on Pender Island in July by Ren Ferguson

Polydontomyia curvipes (Dip.: Syrphidae) Ren Ferguson

The spider below was photographed yesterday by Rosemary Jorna in the Kemp Lake area of Otter Point.  We are grateful to Robb Bennett for identifying it for us as a fenmale Araneus saevus  or Araneus nordmanni.  Its head is hidden by its massive abdomen.

Araneus saevus/nordmanni (Ara.: Araneidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Araneus saevus/nordmanni (Ara.: Araneidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Jeremy Tatum shows a caterpillar of Pheosia rimosa  on an Aspen leaf from Munn Road.

Pheosia rimosa (Lep.: Notodontidae) Jeremy Tatum

2017 September 18

   Jochen Moehr sends a photograph of a beetle from his property in Metchosin.  Thanks for Charlene Wood, who writes:  Most beetles have 11 antennal segments, but more important to family ID are the tarsal segments on all three sets of legs. Luckily, this photo gives another clue that is helpful in this case – the maxillary palp is triangular in shape, which ruled out the similar shaped Ground Beetles and leads me to the family Tenebrionidae (Darkling Beetles). Tentatively, it looks to be in the genus Helops. Five species range into SW Canada. 

Probably Helops sp. (Col.: Tenebrionidae) Jochen Moehr

   Jochen also sends photographs of more moths and a caddisfly from Metchosin.  Thanks for Libby Avis for doing the identifications.  Some of the moths in the Agrochola/Sunira group can be a challenge to identify.  Jochen’s moth is either Sunira decipiens or S. bicolorago, and, from the ranges of these two species, it is most likely decipiens.

Sunira decipiens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Of the next one, Libby writes:  This one is in what PNWM refers to as the “Xestia finatimis species group”. Four very similar species, three of them (finatimis, infimatis & verniloides) very hard to distinguish even when they aren’t faded. This one looks to me like possibly finatimis or verniloides,  but I wouldn’t care to make a bet on it!

Xestia sp. (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Autographa californica (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

   Next:  Tetracis probably pallulata (jubararia is the other option for the fall). Used to be that pallulata was considered to be the one with darker median lines, closer together which this one has. However,  but I read a paper on them a while ago which seemed to cast doubt on the whole thing – nothing ever seems to be simple anymore!

Tetracis (probably pallulata) (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

   Of the caddisfly, Libby writes:  We get a lot of caddises at the moth light and I got a bunch of them ID’d by BOLD a few years ago. This one looks like a pretty good match for one of ours which was confirmed as Lenarchus rho photo attached) but there are also other Lenarchus species which are similar and I’m not that confident on how far you can go on these visually.

Caddisfly Lenarchus (maybe rho) (Tri.: Limnephilidae)

Jochen Moehr

2017 September 17

   Mike McGrenere sends a second photograph of the American Lady that he found at McIntyre reservoir on September 10.  This photograph allows a clearer view of the underside.  This is a rarity here, and indeed in British Columbia, although it is the second report we have heard of on Vancouver Island this year.  One was photographed by Martin Dollenkamp from Black Creek on August 8. (See the posting for August 11.)  On 2015 August 26 one was photographed at Ucluelet by a visitor from the UK, Patrick Moore, and was shown on the Sussex (England) butterfly website

www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk/sightings/

specifically at    http://www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk/old%20sightings/nov-dec2015.html

American Lady Vanessa virginiensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae)

Mike McGrenere

   There are still a few Painted Ladies around – Anne-Marie Hart spotted a fresh one nectaring on a Buddleia bush in their Highlands garden yesterday.

Libby Avis tells us that she is still seeing lots of Nepytia phantasmaria (see yesterday’s posting) in Port Alberni –  15 of them last night!

Janet Renouf sends a photograph of a green caterpillar from under an oak tree.  It is a Rough Prominent Nadata gibbosa, and it looks as if it is just about to pupate at any moment.  Unfortunately it seems to have had some sort of a mishap, because it usually spins a tough cocoon in which to pupate, and, without its cocoon, I don’t rate its chances of survival greatly.

Nadata gibbosa (Lep.: Notodontidae)  Janet Renouf

   Gordon Hart sends photographs of damselflies from the Beaver Lake retriever ponds, September 15.  We are grateful to Rob Cannings for the identifications.  Rob writes: The first is a Lestes male. Unfortunately, the tip of the abdomen is out of focus, which makes identification tricky from the dorsal view. The two species common here in September are L. disjunctus and L. congener and, based on this and certain characters, it’s one of those. I’m afraid I can’t really tell.   The second is a female Enallagma carunculatum. Eighth abdominal segment is all black on top.

Spreadwing Lestes disjunctus/congener (Odo.:  Lestidae)  Gordon Hart

Female Tule Bluet Enallagma carunculatum (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)

Gordon Hart

2017 September 16

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is an objet trouvé from Swan Lake.  It is the empty skin of a chrysalis of a Lorquin’s Admiral hanging from an apple tree.  The butterfly probably emerged from the chrysalis several months ago.

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

Jeremy Tatum

   The Cabbage White chrysalis below, however, is occupied!   The butterfly might emerge later this year, but more likely next spring.

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae) Jeremy Tatum

Jochen Moehr sends some moth photographs from his home in Metchosin.  We are very grateful to Libby Avis for identifying them for us.

Xanthorhoe defensaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

Oligia divesta (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Pleromelloida cinerea (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Plemyria georgii (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

The next one is a pug, and they are always difficult.  Libby expresses some caution for her identification as probably E. graefii, though I think she has it just right.  Looks like a very good fit to me (Jeremy Tatum)

Eupithecia graefii (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

Libby writes that she has been seeing more than usual Nepytia phantasmaria in Port Alberni. She writes:  Over a two week period at the beginning of September we were getting 10 or 12 a night – actually counted 28 on Septeber 6!  I have attached a photo of three of them from September 4.

Nepytia phantasmaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Libby Avis

Rarity Alert!!!

Mike McGrenere writes:     I had an Orange Sulphur last Sunday (September 10) at McIntyre reservoir along with an American Lady. There were about 40 Cabbage Whites as well. Yesterday (September 15) at the reservoir, there were only about 5 Cabbage Whites. I have attached photos of the butterflies.

Male Orange Sulphur Colias eurytheme (Lep.: Pieridae)

 Mike McGrenere

American Lady Vanessa virginiensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae)

Mike McGrenere

   Jeremy Tatum reports a Red Admiral perched on the Mahonia just outside the entrance to the Mount Tolmie reservoir, 5:45 pm today.

Annie Pang is bravely taking on the task of rearing a caterpillar of a Spotted Tiger Moth – feeding, unusually, on birch.

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

2017 September 15

   Jeremy Tatum had two moths outside his Saanich apartment this morning:

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jeremy Tatum

Squarespot Rustic Xestia xanthographa (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jeremy Tatum

The photographs are deceiving – pronuba is about twice the size of xanthographa!

From Gordon Hart

With our last 2017 butterfly count starting this weekend, I thought I would send a summary of the August count. In 2016 a dry summer resulted in very few butterflies flying for our count: 9 species and 709 individuals. In August 2017, we had much higher numbers: 14 species and 1328 individuals counted. Both Cabbage Whites and Woodland Skippers had hundreds more counted, with every species having more than 2016.

-Gordon 

From Gordon Hart

Hello Butterfly Counters!

The last butterfly count period for 2017 will begin Saturday, September 16 running until Sunday September 24. Please use the submission form on the VNHS website: www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?p=33. 

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. The count area is the same as the Victoria Christmas Bird Count circle. 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 need suggestions for a place to count, please email me.  If you want to be removed from this list, please let me know. If you know someone who wants to be on the list, please ask them to email me.

Last year was very dry, with few butterflies – all Cabbage Whites and Woodland Skippers. I think this year we should have a bit more variety!

Thanks for participating in the count!

Gordon Hart,

Butterfly count coordinator ,

Victoria Natural History Society