2019 March 11 morning

   Butterfly!   In Metchosin yesterday Jochen Moehr had a glimpse of what looked like a tortoiseshell – very briefly, very alive, unfortunately not a trace of a chance to document it.  

   Although he didn’t manage to photograph the butterfly, as compensation he photographed another well-fed Ixodes pacificus from his dog.  He writes: I had a chat with our vet, John Gayfer, who assured me that, although the documented contraction of a double Lyme disease infection by my friend is extremely rare, there is little to worry with our dogs, as dogs are less likely to get infected by ticks than humans, and the rate of infection of ticks is low around here anyway.  So there may be hope . . . 

Ixodes pacificus (Acari: Ixodidae)  Jochen Moehr

    Jeremy Tatum writes: We’ve had several Oak Winter Highflyers on this site already this year, but here is my first at my apartment this morning.

Oak Winter Highflyer Hydriomena nubilofasciata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Jochen also photographed another Hydriomena species –  Hydriomena manzanita.  To my eyes H. manzanita doesn’t look very much like a typical highflyer.  Maybe it more properly belongs to another genus.

Hydriomena manzanita (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

   Nathan Fisk sends a photograph of an unknown noctuid caterpillar chewing off some vetch seedlings at Fort Rod Hill Nursery.

Unknown noctuid caterpillar (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Nathan Fisk

   Jochen had a busy time yesterday in Metchosin.  As well as the tick and the highflyer, he photographed the moth Lithophane georgii  and a brown lacewing. He also notes that his area is swarmed by pug moths (Eupithecia – Geometridae).

Lithophane georgii  (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jochen Moehr

Brown lacewing (Neu.: Hemerobiidae)  Jochen Moehr

2018 March 8

   Objet trouvé by Ann Nightingale in Ann Scarfe’s Gordon Head garden, a chrysalis of a tiger swallowtail butterfly.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  I can’t tell whether it is a Western or a Pale Tiger Swallowtail.  Unfortunately the pupa had somehow become detached from its substrate, which would normally result in a crippled adult unable to fly or even to completely emerge from the chrysalis.  Fortunately, there is still some silk attached to the cremaster and to the girdle, and I think I may be able to attach these silk remnants to a suitable surface and with luck the butterfly may be able to emerge without injury.  I hope to be able to report a happy ending later in the year!

Tiger swallowtail Papilio sp. (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Jeremy Tatum

  Jochen Moehr writes from Metchosin:  The moth activity up here is increasing.  Since two or three days now, we have lively activity at the very weak light at our deck.  Tonight, there were about fifteen.  I think they are all pugs. Jeremy Tatum writes:  I find pugs difficult, but I think these are either Eupithecia annulata or they are not!

Eupithecia (possibly annulata) (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

Eupithecia (possibly annulata)  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

  Moralea Milne sends a photograph of a moth from Camas Hill, March 7.  Identified by Libby Avis as Orthosia pulchella, who comments that she knows of no previous records from this area.   We’ve certainly had none on Invert Alert since it started in 2010.  We’ve had six species of Orthosia, but not this one.  Moths in this genus are often unjustly called “drabs”.  Moralea’s moth is far from drab – indeed the scientific name means “beautiful little one” – a perfectly justified name!

Orthosia pulchella (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Moralea Milne

2018 March 5

   Ron Flower writes:   Hey, Jeremy – I got this one in the parking lot at Goldstream Park on Saturday, 3rd March.

Oak Winter Highflyer Hydriomena nubilofasciata (Lep.: Geometridae) Ron Flower

2018 March 3

   Jeremy Tatum writes: Every year we are challenged with a photograph of a geometrid moth for which we have to decide whether it is the American Tissue Moth Triphosa haesitata or the Barberry Geometer Coryphista meadii.  Rosemary Jorna photographed the moth below in her garage in the Kemp Lake area on March 1.  After close study, Libby Avis and I agree that Rosemary’s moth is Triphosa haesitata.

  It might be wondered – if two species look so similar that they can’t easily be told apart, are they really different species?  I have a theory that, if they are really different species, then the caterpillars will be different – and in the case of haesitata/meadii the caterpillars are indeed totally different and they are quite obviously separate species.  What about Hesperia comma/colorado (the Common and Western Branded Skippers)?   I’d really like to find the caterpillars.  Until then, I’m not sure whether they both deserve the accolade of full speciesdom.

Triphosa haesitata (Lep.: Geometridae)   Rosemary Jorna

Triphosa haesitata (Lep.: Geometridae)   Rosemary Jorna

     Jeremy continues:  I saw my first Phigalia plumogeraria of the year today, on the light at the entrance to the Swan Lake Nature House.

   New Moth Book!    I received a surprise package in the mail today – a copy of a new moth book, Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Southeastern North America, by Seabrooke Leckie and David Beadle, 652 pp. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018.  Apparently I get a very generous free copy, because one of the 2500 photographs in it is mine, though I haven’t found it yet!  I am not planning to go to the southeast in the foreseeable future, and I don’t suppose many of the moths down there are planning to visit Vancouver Island, but it’s a very nice book to have all the same.

2018 March 2

   Objet trouvé on a willow twig at Rithet’s Bog today – a cocoon of a Polyphemus Moth.

Polyphemus Moth Antheraea polyphemus (Lep.: Saturniidae)

Jeremy Tatum