Category: Invertebrate Alert

2023 May 21 morning

   Yesterday, Aziza Cooper and Marie O’Shaughnessy visited Mount Tolmie again in the morning and scored  1 Western Tiger Swallowtail, 1 California Tortoiseshell, 1 Cabbage White. Marie submitted several photographs of butterflies there.   In the first of these photographs below, the butterfly is on its larval foodplant (Fennel), which could mean either that the butterfly has very recently emerged, or that it is interested in ovipositing.

Anise Swallowtail  Papilio zelicaon   (Lep.: Papilionidae)

Marie O’Shaughnessy

Western Tiger Swallowtail  Papilio rutulus  (Lep.: Papilionidae)

Marie O’Shaughnessy

Pale Tiger Swallowtail  Papilio eurymedon (Lep.: Papilionidae)

Marie O’Shaughnessy

Western Brown Elfin Incisalia iroides   (Lep.: Lycaenidae)

  Marie O’Shaughnessy

California Tortoiseshell  Nymphalis californica  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)

Marie O’Shaughnessy

California Tortoiseshell  Nymphalis californica  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)

Marie O’Shaughnessy

Painted Lady  Vanessa cardui  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)

Marie O’Shaughnessy

Red Admiral  Vanessa atalanta  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)

  Marie O’Shaughnessy

    Jeremy Tatum notes that in the two days May 18-19 photographs of the following species were posted on Invert Alert:   Malacosoma californicum, Rhionaeschna californica, Hypena californica,  Nymphalis californica,  Autographa californica.  He does not doubt that in the next little while, we shall be receiving photographs of Calligrapha californica, Prionus californicus, Bombus californicus, Pyrausta californicalis, Hydriomena californiata, Neoalcis californiaria, Pheosia californica…  all (and a few more) of which occur here and have featured in Invert Alert.

2023 May 20

Aziza Cooper writes:  May 19 at about 6 pm, Marie O’Shaughnessy and I
observed nine butterfly species at Mount Tolmie summit:

Red Admiral – 2

Painted Lady – 4

Western Tiger Swallowtail – 2

Pale Tiger Swallowtail – 1

California Tortoiseshell – 1

Western Spring Azure – 1

Cabbage White – 1

Western Brown Elfin – 2 

Mourning Cloak – 2

Also on May 19, at Uplands Park, there were mining bees and a moth:  Autographa californica.

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

Pale Tiger Swallowtail Papilio eurymedon (Lep.: Papilionidae)

Aziza Cooper

California Tortoiseshell Nymphalis californica   (Lep,: Nymphalidae)

   Aziza Cooper

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Autographa californica  (Lep.: Noctuidae – Plusiinae)  Aziza Cooper

Mining bee (Hym.: Andrenidae)   Aziza Cooper

2023 May 19 evening

Ken Vaughan sends a picture of an Anise Swallowtail from Mount Tolmie this morning.

Anise Swallowtail Papilio zelicaon  (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Ken Vaughan

   Kirsten Mills writes:  Today, May 19, Jeff Gaskin and I were on Stamps Road in Cowichan. Is this an Arctic Skipper? It would be a lifer for both of us.  Answer:  Yes!!! Carterocephalus palaemon! A great find!

   Incidentally, writes Jeremy Tatum, in the UK this butterfly has been known for a long time as the Chequered Skipper, which is one of several reasons that I prefer not to use that name for our Pyrgus ruralis.

Arctic Skipper Carterocephalus palaemon  (Lep.: Hesperiidae)

  Kirsten Mills

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Today I saw a Mourning Cloak and a Pale Tiger Swallowtail along Lochside Drive north of Blenkinsop Lake.  At 5:15 pm I was at the top of Christmas Hill, where I saw two Pale Tiger Swallowtails, but no hill-topping nymphalids.   By way of compensation I found this caterpillar with a 12-syllable name on a Garry Oak:

Hydriomena nubilofasciata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

Hydriomena nubilofasciata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum

2023 May 19 morning

Yesterday, Ron Flower saw three Propertius Duskywings at Goldstream Park – interesting, because there appear to be no Garry Oaks (the larval foodplant) anywhere near.   Here is a male, photographed by Ron:

Male Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep.: Hesperiidae)

  Ron Flower

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I visited Mount Tolmie reservoir at 5:50 pm yesterday.  It was slightly windy, so not nearly as many butterflies as on the previous day.  On the reservoir there were a California Tortoiseshell, a West Coast Lady and a Pale Tiger Swallowtail, and, flying around the Laburnums, as also noted by Gordon Hart, an Anise Swallowtail.

   Marie O’Shaughnessy writes:  I spent some time on Mount Tolmie yesterday afternoon. Although sunny it was also breezy, so Swallowtails didn’t put down.  Constantly on the wing.

I saw

2 Mourning Cloak

2 Pale Tiger Swallowtail

2 Cabbage White

3 Western Tiger Swallowtail

3 Western Spring Azure

Mourning Cloak  Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae)

  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Mourning Cloak  Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae)

Marie O’Shaughnessy

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a caterpillar from the Stinging Nettles along Lochside Trail north of Blenkinsop Lake.

Hypena californica   (Lep.: Erebidae – Hypeninae)  Jeremy Tatum

 2023 May 18 afternoon

Message from Gordon Hart

Hello, Butterfly Counters,
The May count period starts Saturday, May 20 until Sunday, May 28. This is an informal census of butterfly numbers and species in Greater Victoria. The area is defined by the Christmas Bird Count circle, extending from Victoria to Brentwood Bay and Island View Road in Central Saanich, and west to Happy Valley and Triangle Mountain, and Langford Lake and Goldstream areas.   You can submit a count any time over the count period, just use a separate form for each count and location. In the case
of repeat or duplicate counts, I will use the higher numbers. To submit counts, please use the form from the VNHS website at http://www.vicnhs.bc.c n/?p=33
If you have difficulty with the form, just send me an email with the
information. Thank-you for submitting your sightings and good luck with your count.

Gordon
Gordon Hart,
Butterfly Count Coordinator,
Victoria Natural History Society

Gordon also sends photographs of two dragonflies from the Pike Lake substation ponds, May 17.  On Mount Tolmie today he saw an Anise Swallowtail and four Pale Tiger Swallowtails.

Female Dot-tailed Whiteface  Leucorhinia intacta  (Odo.: Libellulidae) 

Gordon Hart

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

    Jeff Gaskin reports that he saw a Pale Tiger Swallowtail at Providence Farm in Duncan today, and he also saw one on Christmas Hill on May 14.

   Ron Flower writes:  Today May 18 we went to Goldstream River where
we saw a Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, a Grey Hairstreak and a Cedar
Hairstreak.  We also saw a moth at Goldstream [shown and identified below]. The California Darner Dragonfly and Sara Orangetip were at Munn’s Road powerlines. We also saw two Pale Tiger Swallowtails and three more Satyr Commas and a Western Tiger Swallowtail at Moses Point.

   Jeremy Tatum notes:  The Orangetip butterfly below appears to be nectaring.  However, it is noted that it is a female and the flower (Lepidium) is one of the larval foodplants, so it is possible that she might be ovipositing.

Sara Orangetip Anthocharis sara  (Lep.: Pieridae)  Ron Flower

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Ron Flower

Cedar Hairstreak  Mitoura rosneri  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Ron Flower

Milbert’s Tortoiseshell Aglais milberti  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Ron Flower

Leptostales rubromarginaria  (Lep.; Geometridae)   Ron Flower