2016 April 27

   While full details of all the year’s monthly Butterfly Counts are published in the following year’s March/April issue of Victoria Naturalist, Gordon Hart has kindly supplied us with the figures for this year’s April count – and last’s year’s, for comparison.

Gordon thanks all who participated.

   Gordon sends a photograph of a very bright and fresh-looking male Western Spring Azure.

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Gordon Hart

   Scott Gilmore’s recent comment about the great variability of the Multicoloured Asian Ladybird inspired Rosemary Jorna to take a series of photographs to illustrate just how variable this beetle can be.  We apologize that the first is slightly blurred, but we thought it was worth including in the series to illustrate one variation.  The second one is rather orangey in colour, and this might be (or might not!) because it has only recently ecloded from its pupal state and hasn’t yet hardened and reached its final colour.  However, great though the variability of the Multicoloured Asian Ladybird is, it turns out that two of Rosemary’s ladybirds are in fact a different species – the Seven-spotted Ladybird.  We are grateful to Scott Gilmore for the identifications.

 Rosemary Jorna

Harmonia axyridis (Col.: Coccinellidae)

 Rosemary Jorna

Harmonia axyridis (Col.: Coccinellidae)

 Rosemary Jorna

Harmonia axyridis (Col.: Coccinellidae)

 Rosemary Jorna

Coccinella septempunctata (Col.: Coccinellidae)

Rosemary Jorna

Coccinella septempunctata (Col.: Coccinellidae)

Rosemary Jorna

   Jeremy Tatum photographed the Brown Woodling moth shown below near the Swan Lake nature house today (April 27).  He saw (but, alas, did not photograph) a Mourning Cloak in flight nearby.

Egira perlubens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2016 April 26

   Gerry and Wendy Ansell write that there was a Propertius Duskywing in a Garry Oak meadow on Mount Tolmie this afternoon (Tues. Apr. 26) – their first for the year.

   Gordon Hart, in response to my query re Satyr Commas, writes:  I have not yet seen a Satyr Comma this year either. There were four reported during the April count period, all from Prospect Lake Road west into the Highlands and Colwood. In our yard I have only seen Green Commas and have been able to see them all closely and photograph them so I am pretty sure they have all been P. faunus.  Meanwhile, Gordon continues: Today in our yard in the Highlands District, I saw my first of the year Two-banded Grizzled Skipper, two Cedar Hairstreaks, a Sara Orangetip, one Green Comma, and several Western Spring Azures.

Female Sara Orangetip Anthocharis sara (Lep.: Pieridae)  Gordon Hart

 Green Comma Polygonia faunus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Gordon Hart

Cedar Hairstreak Mitoura rosneri (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Gordon Hart

Mike Yip writes from Nanoose Bay: It’s always a challenge to find a Western Spring Azure with its wings open, but a female obliged right at my feet this afternoon. Even more difficult is the dorsal view of the Western Pine Elfin or any of our elfins for that matter. I still haven’t seen one with its wings open, but I got a hint of what it might look like in the attached shot.

Female Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Mike Yip

Western Pine Elfin Incisalia eryphon (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Mike Yip

Jeremy Tatum writes: I thought I’d try my hand a photographing a spider, so I photographed this one at Swan Lake today (April 26).  Thanks to Robb Bennett, who writes: A long-jawed orbweaver, Family Tetragnathidae.  This one is almost certainly Tetragnatha versicolor.  Tetragnathids are often hugely abundant, anywhere that is even remotely damp, but especially on the margins of streams, ponds, and lakes, or in wet meadows.

Tetragnatha versicolor (Ara.: Tetragnathidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Nathan Fisk sends a photograph of eggs of a ladybird beetle from Island View Beach, April 25, low down of the stem of a Contorted-pod Evening Primrose Camissonia contorta.  Nathan asks: Why would it choose this location to lay? Mysteries abound!

Ladybird beetle eggs (Col.: Coccinellidae)   Nathan Fisk

2016 April 25

   Mike Yip writes from Nanoose Bay:  I was rewarded this morning (April 25) with several first-of-year Western Tailed Blues on a quick trip to the Cross Road clearcut. I also saw 6 Western Elfins, 2 Western Pine Elfins, 1 Grey Hairstreak, and several Western Spring Azures. 

   [Jeremy Tatum notes:  Like many lycaenids (and indeed other organisms), the taxonomy of the Western Tailed Blue changes frequently.  For consistency with other entries on this site I am continuing, for the time being, to label it as Everes amyntula, although viewers will often see it under the alternative name Cupido amyntula.]

  Jeremy also remarks:  Mike’s photographs show us how very small the tails of the Western Tailed Blue can be – something to be aware of when we are looking for this butterfly. The tails may be quite difficult to see.  Also of interest in Mike’s photographs – the butterfly is nectaring on Lathyrus – which is also the larval foodplant.

Western Tailed Blue Everes amyntula (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Mike Yip

Western Tailed Blue Everes amyntula (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Mike Yip

Western Tailed Blue Everes amyntula (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Mike Yip

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I didn’t see any hill-topping nymphalids on Mount Tolmie this evening (April 25), but there was one Propertius Duskywing flying around an oak near the top of the steps near the reservoir.   That was only the second one I have seen this year.  Strangely, I have yet to see a Satyr Comma this year.  Am I alone in this?

2016 April 24

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I found this bug on Mount Tolmie yesterday, April 23.  Thanks to Scott Gilmore for the identification:

Eurygaster sp. (Hem.:  Scutelleridae)   Jeremy Tatum

  Annie Pang photographed the highflyer moth below in her back porch in Victoria, April 23.   At present I’m labelling it Hydriomena (probably marinata), but we’ll see what other moth-ers think.

 Hydriomena (probably marinata) (Lep.: Geometridae)  Annie Pang

   Rosemary sends some high drama from Kemp Lake Road.  The spider is Misumena vatia. The caterpillar is a geometrid.  I can’t tell for sure beyond that, but I’d guess that there’s a very good chance that it is a pug of the genus Eupithecia.

Crab spider Misumena vatia (Ara.: Thomisidae)  Rosemary Jorna

The caterpillar is a geometrid, probably Eupithecia sp.

   Rosemary sends a photograph of a ladybird beetle from Kemp Lake Road.  I was hoping it was something different, but, alas, Scott Gilmore tells me that it is just the familiar and ubiquitous Multicoloured Asian Ladybird Beetle Harmonia axyridis.  At any rate, it does illustrate how variable this beetle can be.  Scott writes:  I think this is the most variable insect I have ever seen. For a while I was thinking it was something different as well, as it does not have the "usual" head coloration. When I looked at it further it seemed that even those characters vary!

 Multicoloured Asian Ladybird Beetle Harmonia axyridis (Col.: Coccinellidae)

Rosemary Jorna

April 23

St George’s Day

Libby Avis sends two photographs of a male Ceanothus Silk Moth Hyalophora euryalus taken in Port Alberni today (April 23).  She writes: This was a real treat – we don’t see it very often! Five years since our last sighting, but I opened the front door this morning and there it was. Just had time to take a few photos. It was slowly opening and closing its wings and was gone five minutes later.

Hyalophora euryalus (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Libby Avis

Hyalophora euryalus (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Libby Avis

   Aziza Cooper writes:  At the summit of Mount Douglas, on Thursday, Apr. 21, there were:

2 California Tortoiseshells

1 Painted Lady

1 Red Admiral

1 Western Spring Azure

1 Sara Orangetip

Here are photos of the Red Admiral and the two California Tortoiseshells perching near each other. Getting the two together is quite rare since they mostly seem to be madly dashing around the top of the hill.

Today, April 23, Aziza continues, I found an Autographa californica on the west slope of Mount Douglas.

 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.:  Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

California Tortoiseshells Nymphalis californica (Lep.:  Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Autographa californica (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Aziza Cooper