July 28

Annie Pang sends pictures of a cicada and Ten-lined June Beetle. Thanks to Terry Thormin for the identifications.

Cicada Platypedia areolata (Hem.: Cicadidae) Annie Pang

Ten-striped June Beetle Polyphylla decemlineata (Col.: Scarabaeidae) Annie Pang

Here's a more difficult one - photographed by Annie along the railway tracks in the Shawnigan Lake area. Jeremy Tatum's guess is that it may be a pyralid or a crambid moth, but it's only a guess.

Any ideas, anyone? Annie Pang

July 27

Annie Pang writes: Caught these two "at it" at Viaduct Flats, Saanich. Terry Thormin adds: These are soldier beetles, family Cantharidae. The species is Rhagonycha fulva, and it is a recently introduced species from Europe. Marshall says that they are now common across the continent and 'copulating pairs of this species are a frequent late summer sight in Ontario meadows'. We will probably have to add B.C. and everywhere in between to that.

Soldier beetles Rhagonycha fulva (Col.: Cantharidae) Annie Pang

Barry Camp writes: One freshly minted Lorquin's Admiral at Kingsley Street, Saanich, today. This will be number 4 for me this year.

July 26

Are there any tortricid experts out there who can identify this one, or the ones posted on June 14, July 4 and July 7? The two prominent black spots stick up out of the plane of the wings. Notice the droplet of meconium.

Lep.: Tortricidae Jeremy Tatum

And are there any experts on pugs out there?

]

Eupithecia (certainly) ornata (maybe?) (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum

Jeremy Tatum writes: See what I found on the wall of my apartment building this morning!

July 19

Annie Pang sends photos of a dragonfly, a mud-dauber wasp, and a leaf-cutting bee carrying one of the leaf fragments that it has carefully cut out for constructing its nest. All photographed in her back yard. Barry Camp reports at least 50 Essex Skippers from Panama flats today.

Rhionaeschna sp., (Odo.: Aeshnidae) Annie Pang

Black-and-Yellow Mud-dauber Wasp (Sceliphron caementarium)

(Hym.: Sphecidae) Annie Pang

Leaf-cutter bee with leaf cutting. Megachile sp.

(Hym.: Megachilidae) Annie Pang

July 18

When you buy vegetables, you should buy locally-produced organically-grown (without insecticides) veggies. That way, you can get a bonus of interesting caterpillars, as you can see from the photo of some broccoli purchased yesterday from one of the local farms.

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

And here is a photo of a moth that emerged yesterday from a caterpillar found on Elder from King's Pond, Saanich. The little drop of fluid behind the moth is a drop of meconium, a discharge of waste products emitted by a moth immediately after emergence from the pupa.

Elder Moth Zotheca tranquilla (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jeremy Tatum

July 16

Annie Pang sends a fine portrait of Common Emerald moth. Jeremy Tatum sends a photo of a Red Admiral caterpillar that he found at Blenkinsop Lake yesterday. Although there have been few butterflies around, it's good to know that the few who are here have been busy laying eggs. He also sends a photo of a female Malacosoma californicum that was resting on his balcony this morning.

Common Emerald Hemithea aestivaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Annie Pang

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Jeremy Tatum

Malacosoma californicum (Lep.: Lasiocampidae) Jeremy Tatum

July 14

Wendy Ansell sends a photo of a dragonfly from Swan Lake on July 10. Terry Thormin suggests that it is either Aeshna palmata or A. umbrosa, but he'd like a look at the thoracic side stripes to be sure of which one. Wendy also sends a photo of a wasps' nest from Sooke Potholes on July 11, but we daren't get any closer to see the exact species!

Aeshna palmata or umbrosa (Odo.: Aeshnidae) Wendy Ansell

Wasp nest (Hym.: Vespidae) Wendy Ansell

Jeremy Tatum writes: In the space of a few minutes while walking down Lochside Drive north of Blenkinsop Lake yesterday evening I saw three gorgeous adult moths: the geometrids Campaea perlata and Nematocampa resistaria, and the lymantriid Leucoma salicis. (Wonderful what turns up when you don't have a camera with you!) It may be that conditions are now about right for the emergence of some moths, so it may be worth looking at lights in the mornings.

July 12

Barry Camp reports an Anise Swallowtail and two Lorquin's Admirals on the Swan Lake trail between the south end of the bridge and the stand of trees near Saanich Municipal Hall. Jeremy Tatum sends a photo of a Western Spring Azure caterpillar on Ocean Spray at Mount Tolmie today. This is the same butterfly as the one we have been calling Spring Azure Celastrina ladon. Taxonomic opinion on this species (part of the "argiolus" complex) changes frequently.

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Jeremy Tatum

July 11

Jeremy Tatum writes: This moth emerged yesterday. Although you can't see them in this photo, the antennae are exceptionally long. The caterpillar fed on Snowberry.

Carcina quercana (Lep.: Tortricidae) Jeremy Tatum

I am fairly sure that one of the unidentified micros pictured on July 7 is Tineola bisselliella.

July 10

Jeremy Tatum writes: I saw my first Anise Swallowtail of the year today, at Island View Beach, and Barry Camp saw one at Prospect Lake Road.yesterday. They are so scarce this year that one wonders if they will have a chance to meet each other to produce their heirs and successors for next year. Barry also saw a Painted Lady at Prospect Lake Road.

Here is a caterpillar of the (North American) Tissue Moth, on a Cascara leaf at Puckle Road, Central Saanich, today.

Tissue Moth Triphosa haesitata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum

July 8

Terry Thormin mentions that he has seen only one Anise Swallowtail this year - on July 5. Where ever have they all gone?

Jeremy Tatum writes: A butterfly chrysalis is an object of exquisite beauty, including that of even the common and familiar Cabbage White. Here's the chrysalis formed by the caterpillar illustrated on July 5.

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

I have been asked how I know that the July 5 caterpillar was a boy. Here is a dorsal view of the same caterpillar. The two small dark things that you see are its round objects.

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

July 7

Annie Pang writes: Here are some pics from July 4 and July 7. July 4 pics are the Margined White and Common Whitetail male, and today was Knockan Hill (July 7) where there were from 5-9 Swallowtails, one being the Pale Swallowtail enclosed pic. There were at least 2 Lorquin's Admirals as well as a rather beat up old Mourning Cloak. No Anise, which is very odd. I have only seen the two I reported earlier in the season on Xmas Hill.

[Jeremy writes: I haven't seen a single Anise Swallowtail this year. I see that the taxonomists have been as busy with the dragonflies as with other organisms, and some are putting the Common Whitetail in the genus Libellula, while others put it in Plathemis.]

Pale Tiger Swallowtail Papilio eurymedon (Lep.: Papilionidae) Annie Pang

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae)

Annie Pang

Margined White Pieris marginalis (Lep.: Pieridae) Annie Pang

Common Whitetail Plathemis lydia (also called Libellula lydia)

(Odo.: Libellulidae) Annie Pang

Jeremy Tatum writes: The continued scarcity of butterflies and moths encourages me to continue to look at the "micro" moths - but, alas, I can't identify most of them. Here are two more. C'mon! Among the millions who must be logging on to this site every day, there must be someone who can identify these micros for us. (Later: Jeremy Gatten identified the first one - see its label.) The second is a "household pest" type of moth, of which I found a large number in our locker room, which contains nothing but a number of cardboard boxes. I think it's Tineola bisselliella, but I'd be happy if someone could confirm.

Ditula angustiorana Jeremy Tatum

Tineola bisselliella? (Lep.: Tineidae) Jeremy Tatum

July 6

Annie Pang writes: My first sighting of Lorquin's Admirals was on June 26, 2011 at Esquimalt Gorge Park in the rose garden. I was pleased to see two of them, but only one had the rose garden as its "territory" and the other flew off and was not allowed to land. This seems a bit late for them as they usually emerge the same time as the Tigers and I've seen Western Tiger Swallowtails since June 1st, though not in numbers.

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

Annie Pang

July 5

Annie Pang sends a superb photo of a nectaring Essex Skipper from Swan Lake on July 3. The following day Chris Saunders performed a gallant rescue of a Polyphemus Moth, moving it from a light outside the Swan Lake nature house to a more favourable location where it would no longer be disturbed by the light. Those big antennae show that it is a male. On July 3 botanist Bill Savale was examining a specimen of Yellow Cress Rorippa palustris at Panama Flats when he found a Cabbage White caterpillar on it. I expect Cabbage White caterpillars will eat almost any plant of the family Brassicaceae, though Jeremy Tatum writes that this is his first record of its using Rorippa. The caterpillar has now been offered a diet of Thrifty's finest cabbage, and it has left us in no doubt that that's what it likes best. A photograph of it is shown below. By the way - It's A Boy! Jeremy also reports seeing a Painted Lady in July 4 sunning itself on the top of the reservoir on Mount Tolmie on the evening of July 4.

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Annie Pang

Polyphemus Moth Antheraea polyphemus (Lep.: Saturniidae) Chris Saunders

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

July 4

Jeremy Tatum writes: I saw a few Margined White butterflies along the railway line north of Cowichan station yesterday.

The scarcity of butterflies and large moths this year gives us a good opportunity to look at some of the "micros". The problem is then to identify them. Here are two tortricids photographed yesterday.

Archips rosanus (Lep.: Tortricidae) Jeremy Tatum

Probably Archips podana (Lep.: Tortricidae) Jeremy Tatum

July 3

Val George sends us a photograph of a difficult-to-find Cedar Hairstreak which she obtained at Shawnigan Lake on July 1.

Cedar Hairstreak Mitoura rosneri (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Val George

Jeremy Tatum reports that he saw several Essex Skippers at Panama Flats on July 2, and, also, at Panama Flats, his second Lorquin's Admiral of the year. He writes: The Satyr Anglewing whose chrysalis was shown on June 25 emerged yesterday. It wouldn't allow me to photograph its upperside, but here is a photo of its underside. Compare it with the underside of the Satyr Anglewing illustrated exactly one year previously, on July 2, 2010. The underside of the sexes are different. The 2010 butterfly is a female. This year's is a male.

Satyr Anglewing Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Jeremy Tatum

I also show a moth from Doumac Park, Saanich, photographed today. It used to be in the family Pyralidae, but I suppose we must try to keep up with the frequent taxonomic changes, and put it in Crambidae.

Herpetogramma pertextalis (Lep.: Crambidae) Jeremy Tatum

July 1

Jeremy Tatum writes: I went to the baroque recital on the summit of Mount Tolmie today. It was also attended by two Western Tiger Swallowtails. It is hard to imagine a more pleasurable occupation than listening to the music of Vivaldi while watching swallowtail butterflies.

The caterpillar illustrated on June 15 as probably Agonopterix alstroemeriana pupated two days later, and the moth emerged today. It was indeed Agonopterix alstroemeriana, and it posed for the photo shown below.

Agonopterix alstroemeriana (Lep.: Oecophoridae) Jeremy Tatum

June 25

Today at Island View beach I saw a Milbert's Tortoiseshell (I don't think I saw one at all last year) and my first Lorquin's Admiral of the season as well as a few Purplish Coppers. I have still to see an Anise Swallowtail this year, and have seen only about four Western Tiger Swallowtails and a single Pale Tiger Swallowtail. Perhaps today will turn up something.

The Satyr Angle caterpillar that was illustrated on June 21 pupated yesterday. The chrysalis is illustrated below. A butterfly pupa is generally called a chrysalis. The word comes from the Greek chrysos, meaning "gold", and is derived from the shiny gold (or in this case silver) spots on the pupae of some nymphalid butterflies. The plural of chrysalis sometimes gives problems. The Greek plural is chrysalides, though I have rarely heard it pronounced correctly as four syllables with the stress on the second. The more usual spoken plural is a slightly shorter three-syllable version of the Greek, namely chrysalids, with the stress on the first syllable, and that is the form I generally use in conversation. If you want to regard chrysalis as an English word and give it an English plural, chrysalises, I don't think there can be any serious objection. The singular "a chrysalid" is merely illiterate.

Satyr Anglewing Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Jeremy Tatum

Yesterday I also came across, at Blenkinsop Lake, one of the most extraordinary of moth caterpillars, illustrated below. The caterpillar can lengthen its three dorsal filaments and wave them about and curl them up in a remarkable fashion, while it can also distort its body into the most curious shapes so that it very effectively disguises its appearance as a caterpillar.

Nematocampa resistaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum

June 24

Terry Thormin writes: "Because of the warm weather I went to Little River Pond on June 22nd to see what dragonflies were out. The place was alive with dragonflies (finally) and I counted nine species. Two new ones for the year were the Common Whitetail, Plathemis lydia, and Dot-tailed Whiteface, Leucorrhinia intacta. Unfortunately I was unable to get photographs of anything other than this Four-spotted Skimmer, Libellula quadrimaculata. On June the 23rd I found a single, badly worn and damaged Cedar Hairstreak, in my backyard. Although this butterfly had obviously been flying for some time, it is the first individual of that species that I have seen in the Comox Valley."

Jeremy Tatum comments: "Terry did well to photograph the uncommon Cedar Hairstreak. Strangely, every individual I have ever seen (and that's not many) has been similarly worn. I don't know if that has any significance, but there it is. The scientific name of the species has been subject to changes over the years. I'm labelling it here as Mitoura rosneri - but some may know it by one of several alternative scientific appellations.

"I'm going to try the experiment of posting slightly larger images in this site. I think the smaller versions that I have been posting hitherto have not done justice to some of the original photographs. Let's see how larger images work out."

Common Whitetail Plathemis lydia (Odo.: Libellulidae) Terry Thormin

Cedar Hairstreak Mitoura rosneri (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Terry Thormin

June 23

Pug moths are a huge genus (Eupithecia) of small, narrow-winged geometrid moths, many of the caterpillars of which feed on flowers of one sort or another. They can be quite hard to identify. Jeremy Gatten photographed one in Central Saanich a couple of weeks ago, and we're still not 100 percent sure whether it is Eupithecia mutata or E. rotundopuncta. If there's anyone out there who can help us, be sure to let us know.

Val George reports 6 or 7 Pale Tiger Swallowtails on the top of Mount Douglas yesterday, and she got a nice photo of one. I saw a Western Tiger Swallowtail at Mount Douglas Beach today, but my first Anise Swallowtail of the year still eludes me. Annie Pang saw some Purplish Coppers at Island View Beach yesterday.

Eupithecia mutata/rotundopuncta (Lep.: Geometridae)

Jeremy Gatten

Pale Tiger Swallowtail Papilio eurymedon (Lep.: Papilionidae)

Val George

June 21

Happy Solstice, everyone! The Sun will reach its highest declination at 10h 16m PDT. A few butterflies are greeting the new season. Barry Camp reported an Anise Swallowtail at Viaduct Road yesterday and another at Kingsley Street, both in Saanich, while Annie Pang had a Western Tiger Swallowtail at Gorge Park, and at Esquimalt Gorge Park she found a Satyr Anglewing, two Western Tiger Swallowtails and three Cabbage Whites. Also numerous Mosaic Darners and a probable California Darner dragonfly.

I managed to photograph of a couple of caterpillars in Saanich yesterday. While I have labelled the photograph of Euthyatira pudens as in the family Thyatiridae, some authors include it in an expanded Drepanidae. The caterpillar was on Cornus stolonifera. The Satyr Anglewing caterpillar was on stinging nettle.

Euthyatira pudens (Lep.: Thyatiridae) Jeremy Tatum

Satyr Anglewing Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)

Jeremy Tatum

June 20

Hey! I saw a butterfly during the weekend (writes Jeremy Tatum). It was a Cabbage White, on Prospect Lake Road. Isn't that absolutely fantastic! But Annie Pang did very much better. She got what she calls a "Christmas present" by seeing 2 Anise Swallowtails and 3 Painted Ladies on Christmas Hill - and then a Mourning Cloak and 2 Western Tiger Swallowtails at Swan Lake, all on June 19. Meanwhile, also on June 19, I managed to photograph a Common Emerald moth (a European species) on Mount Tolmie.

Ann Nightingale found an interesting (not to say terrifying!) spider in the toe of her shoe this morning. How would you like this one in your shoe?

June 16

Jeremy Tatum writes: "On June 14 I wrote that, because of the shortage of butterflies, we are 'reduced' to looking at tortricids. Well, tortricids have an interest all of their own, and my choice of the word 'reduced' did not do them justice. Here's one from a Nootka Rose bush at Mount Tolmie yesterday."

Acleris albicomana (Lep.: Tortricidae) Jeremy Tatum

June 15

Annie Pang sends a photo of a Western Tiger Swallowtail on Knockan Hill on June 3. This is a rather pale specimen, though the width of the black stripes says that it is indeed a Western Tiger Swallowtail and not a Pale Tiger Swallowtail. "Pale" Western Tiger Swallowtails are not uncommon, and I have often wondered whether the two species hybridize or indeed whether they are indeed separate species. The caterpillars seem to be identical, except for a foodplant preference, with the Pale Tiger Swallowtail usually choosing alder, and the Western Tiger Swallowtail choosing willow.

At the eastern border of Panama Flats are huge extensive stands of Poison Hemlock Conium maculatum. Large swaths of these plants have been almost completely denuded of all foliage and inflorescence by hordes of small green caterpillars. If there is any foliage left, the caterpillars are difficult to see, but where defoliage is complete they are obvious because they have nowhere to hide. I believe these are the caterpillars of the oecophorid moth Agonopterix alstroemeriana, an adult of which was illustrated by Jeremy Gatten on April 6. Jeremy Tatum

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae)

Annie Pang

Agonopterix alstroemeriana (Lep.: Oecophoridae) Jeremy Tatum

Jeremy Tatum writes: "Since butterflies are so scarce, we are reduced to looking at tortricid moths. Here are a couple found locally in the last few days. I'm indebted to Jeremy Gatten for identifying one for me as Pandemis Sp. The Choristoneura is a big female - she is much bigger than the male. The only other insect to come to my unwelcome attention recently has been a single Lesser House Fly Fannia cunicularis, which is at this moment flying round and round at constant height in a small triangular path in the very middle of my living room.'

Terry Thormin writes: "I went out to the butterfly garden at the Therapeutic Gardens in Little River just north of Comox on June 10th and 11th. During the time I was there I only saw two butterflies, both Cabbage Whites, despite the fact that the weather was quite nice on the 11th. Where are all the butterflies?" To which we in Victoria can but reply: "Dunno - dont ask us! They certainly aren't down here." Terry continues: "I did see and photograph a number of other insects, The two snipe flies, Chrysopilus sp. and Rhagio sp. were both photographed on the 10th, all the others were photographed on the 11th. The Two-spot Ladybird Beetle, Adalia bipunctata, is one of the individuals that lacks the spots on the elytra. I have sent the long-horned beetle, Cerambycidae to a friend who is an expert on these beetles and hopefully will have an identification in a day or two. The green lacewing, Chrysopidae, is probably familiar to everyone, but as yet I have not found anyone who can identify them for me. The long-legged fly, Dolichopus sp. can be identified as a male, and also to genus because of the feather-like tips to the front legs. The ichneumonid wasp, family Ichneumonidae, is another one that has been sent to a friend for further identification. Finally the flower fly, Xylota sp. gave me a great opportunity to get a head shot which I decided to include."

June 12

Jeremy Tatum writes: "Bill Savale tells me that he saw a Western Tiger Swallowtail outside my apartment window the other day. I missed it, and I haven't seen any swallowtails at all this year. Bill and I went to Cordova Spit on June 11. Although there was an enormous amount of Lomatium and Glehnia there, there was not an Anise Swallowtail in sight. (These two plants are foodplants for its caterpillar.) We saw about three Purplish Coppers there, all males, and one Coenonympha tullia. We met entomologist Gwilym Blackburn there, who showed us a very small jumping spider (Salticidae) with nice red pedipalps which he is studying - Habronattus americanus."

He continues: "Today Bill and I went to Sooke Potholes, and I saw my first swallowtail of the year - a Pale Tiger Swallowtail."

Annie Pang has seen Coenonympha tullia at Rithet's Bog and Viaduct Flats in the last two days. And she sends a photo of a Mourning Cloak from Swan Lake on June 3, and a Sara Orangetip from Christmas Hill on May 26.

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae)

Annie Pang

Sara Orangetip Anthocharis sara (Lep.: Pieridae) Annie Pang

June 9

Jeremy Tatum writes: "A friend who lives in the Mount Douglas area emailed me yesterday to say that he had a caterpillar in his garden, so I got a photograph of it. It is one that has somehow acquired the name here of Erannis vancouverensis, though I believe it is actually another European import, Erannis defoliaria, the Mottled Umber moth. However, Ill label it with its North American name."

Annie Pang saw five Coenonympha tullia ("Ringlet" or "Large Heath") at Island View Beach on June 8, and, in spite of windy conditions, managed to get a photo of one of them. The taxonomists are very busy on the "tullia complex". I probably shouldn't be calling it tullia, but for the moment it's as good a name as any!

Erannis vancouverensis (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum

Coenonympha tullia (Lep.: Nymphalidae, Satyrinae) Annie Pang

June 8

Jeremy Tatum sends a picture of a small moth from Blenkinsop Lake this morning. This is one of the "snout" moths, named for the long forward-directed palps. And Terry Thormin writes: "A trip to the airpark in Courtenay yesterday produced some new insects and an interesting spider. The roses and the thimbleberry bushes alongside the trail were quite active with insects. I found several Brown Stink Bugs, Euschistus conspersus on the leaves of the thimbleberry. The rose flowers and thimbleberry flowers, as well as having a number of flies and bees, including several Blue Orchard Mason Bees, Osmia lignaria, also produced several individuals of the long-horned beetle, Grammoptera subargentata and the Rose Curculio, Merhynchites bicolor. The spider, one of the filmy dome Spiders, Prolinyphia sp., family Linyphiidae had built its web on an old flower stalk in an open field. I noticed several of them in the field. The spider is typically found in the dome waiting for insects to blunder into the sticky strands of the tangled web below the dome."

Hypena californica (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jeremy Tatum

Brown Stink Bug, Euschistus conspersus (Hem.: Pentatomidae)

Terry Thormin

Grammoptera subargentata (Col.: Cerambycidae) Terry Thormin

Rose Curculio, Merhynchites bicolor (Col.: Attelabidae) Terry Thormin

Filmy dome spider, Prolinyphia sp. (Ara.: Linyphiidae) Terry Thormin

Filmy dome spider, Prolinyphia sp. (Ara.: Linyphiidae)

Terry Thormin

June 7

Annie Pang visited Seymour Hill on June 6. She writes: "We found three Tiger Swallowtails up there, no Pale Swallowtails (very disappointing) and an incredibly lovely Satyr Anglewing that appeared to be very fresh. It allowed me some incredibly artsy shots! Also got pics of one of the Tigers.....looks new as well. Pics of the Duskywing (female) and saw many azures of indeterminate sex as they didn't land. I am disturbed by the lack of Pale S.T.'s. They should have been there with the other Tigers."

Jeremy Tatum writes: "I'm still finding very few butterflies, so I'm having to make do with micro moths. Here's a photo today of one from Bow Park, Saanich. It's one of the ones that try to look like bird-droppings."

Terry Thormin writes: "On June 4th I went again to Little River Pond to see how the dragonflies were doing. Again I was rewarded with a new species for the year, a freshly emerged female Eight-spotted Skimmer, Libellula forensis that was hardening her wings on some emergent vegetation. As well I finally found a California Darner, Rhionaeschna californica that was resting on some vegetation and allowed me to photograph it, so I decided to include the photo. I also saw my first Mourning Cloak, Nymphalis antiopa of the season but could not get a photo."

Hedya nubiferana (Lep.: Torticidae) Jeremy Tatum

Eight-spotted Skimmer, Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae)

Terry Thormin

California Darner, Rhionaeschna californica (Odo.: Aeshnidae)

Terry Thormin

June 6

Barry Camp reports numerous Water striders (Hem.: Gerridae) on June 4 on the calm sections of Swan Lake Creek at the bridge. We had some welcome sun and warmth on June 5, though butterflies are still scarce. I have still to see a swallowtail, but Annie Pang saw a Western Tiger Swallowtail just outside her window at Obed Street in Victoria on June 1. I saw my first Coenonympha tullia at Island View Beach yesterday, and at the top of Mount Tolmie in the late afternoon of June 4 there were several Painted Ladies and my first Propertius Duskywing.

Cris Guppy confirms that, of Annie's great photos of Propertius Duskywings on the June 3 posting, the Christmas Hill butterfly is the female, and the Mount Tolmie one is the male. He also gives some good reasons to suggest that the azure I have been calling "Celastrina ladon" would be better called Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (which is the name Annie has been using), so we'll do that from now on on this site.

Terry Thormin writes: "On June 3rd I spent a couple of hours at Cumberland Marsh and managed to get some photos of some new insects. The flower fly, Eupeodes sp. was just a single individual whereas the ant-like scavenger fly, family Sepsidae was fairly numerous on the leaves of the same plant. The three beetles were all on similar leaves. The first is a long-horned leaf beetle, sub-family Donaciinae, family Chrysomelidae. These beetles are easily mistaken for Cerambycids, hence the name. The last two are Click Beetles, family Elateridae. I have sent the beetle photos to a friend in Edmonton in the hope that he will be able to identify them further."

Flower fly Eupeodes sp. (Dip.: Syrphidae) Terry Thormin

Antlike scavenger fly (Dip.: Sepsidae) Terry Thormin

Long-horned leaf beetle (Col.: Chrysomelidae, Donaciinae) Terry Thormin

Click beetle (Col.: Elateridae) Terry Thormin

June 3

Annie Pang sends a pair of recent photos of Propertius Duskywings, and she draws attention to something that I had not noticed before, namely that there is a marked difference between the sexes. But which is which? I believe Annie's Christmas Hill butterfly is the female, and the Mount Tolmie one is the male, but we'd welcome comment from anyone who is familiar with the species.

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Annie Pang

June 2

Annie Pang sends a photo of a female Spring Azure as well as the first Anise Swallowtail and the first Painted Lady of the year, all on Christmas Hill on May 23.

Spring Azure Celastrina ladon (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Annie Pang

Anise Swallowtail Papilio zelicaon (Lep.: Papilioniae) Annie Pang

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Annie Pang

June 1

Terry Thormin writes: "Yesterday morning (May 31) was halfway decent so I went out to Cumberland Marsh. The only new insect I photographed was a tiny stink bug, Cosmopepla conspicillaris that I had never seen before. There were several of them on some cultivated columbine flowers. I did see a new dragonfly, the American Emerald, Cordulia shurtleffii, but could not get a photograph. Upon returning home I found a green stink bug, Chlorochroa sp. and a blow fly, Lucilia sp. on the rhodo bush outside my front door. The stink bug is the same one that I called C. uhleri last year, but further research has shown that there are at least two other species it could be and I am not knowledgeable enough to separate them. A quick trip to Little River Pond in the afternoon produced a new dragonfly for the year, the Cardinal Meadowhawk, Sympetrum illotum, but no photograph. My final new insect for the year was a Drone Fly, Eristalis tenax that sat on the rhodo bush in front of my house long enough for me to get one quick photo."

Stink bug Cosmopepla conspicillaris (Hem.: Pentatomidae)

Terry Thormin

Stink bug Chlorochroa sp. (Hem.: Pentatomidae) Terry Thormin

Blow fly Lucilia sp. (Dip.: Calliphoridae)

Terry Thormin

Drone Fly Eristalis tenax (Dip.: Syrphidae)

Terry Thormin

Annie Pang sends some photos of Spring Azures and a Satyr Anglewing from McKenzie Bight on May 20. All of the Spring Azures are males - Annie points out that the males are usually the first to appear. The three Spring Azures huddled close together are savouring the delights of a bird dropping.

Terry Thormin writes: "What with the cooler weather than normal there have been very few insects around here. I photographed the Golden Dung Fly, Scathophaga stercoraria in my backyard in Comox on Saturday, May 28th. Yesterday I went up to Woodhus Slough near Oyster River and with the warm weather and a profusion of wildflowers, I was finally seeing good numbers of bees and flies. There were bumble bees, honey bees, halictids and andrenids, as well as a variety of flies including calliphorids and a few syrphids. I also saw two swallowtails which I'm sure were Pale Swallowtails, Papilio eurymedon. I spent so much time trying to photograph the little Thick-headed Fly, Myopa sp., that I did not have any time for anything else. This was my first visit to Woodhus Slough, but it will certainly not be my last."

Jeremy Tatum writes: "I went up to Spectacle Lake yesterday in an unsuccessful attempt to find the Western Pine Elfin. I did, however, see literally hundreds of Spring Azures, lots of Sara Orangetips and Mesoleuca gratulata (these two were laying eggs), and a single pristine Western Brown Elfin. All of these species are usually out in early spring and are usually almost over by now. The Spring Azures were mostly males and were gathering at mud puddles and bird droppings. They were joined at the mud puddles by the tiny orange gem of a geometrid moth, the Dark-ribboned Wave Leptostales rubromarginaria, whose immature stages are apparently unknown. I didn't have a camera with me, but when I got home I photographed a Virginia Ermine (also known as Virginia Tiger) moth from Blenkinsop Lake. I am listing it here under its old family name of Arctiidae (after the eponymous genus Arctia) rather than Noctuidae or Erebidae, in one or other of which it has been placed in recent years. Its caterpillar is the familiar Yellow Woolly Bear."

May 26

Jeremy Tatum sends a photo, taken today, of a caterpillar of the European Common Emerald Moth found at Blenkinsop Lake. The olive green colour, the coarse granular skin, and the pairs of points on the head and on the first thoracic segment, identify it. It was feeding on Snowberry.

Common Emerald Hemithea aestivaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum

May 25

Terry Thormin writes: "I went out to Little River Pond on May 23rd but the only new insect I photographed was a Thirteen-spot Ladybird beetle, Hippodamia tredecimpunctata. I did get a better look at the darner (see May 21 posting) and confirmed that it was a California Darner. Yesterday, May 24th, I spent some time at Helliwell Provincial Park on Hornby Island and managed to photograph, despite a strong wind that blew the plant it was on around like mad, a Western Pine Elfin, Incisalia eryphon. The poor butterfly was clinging hard to the plant. This is the first time I have seen and photographed this butterfly in the Comox Valley area."

Thirteenspot Ladybird Hippodamia tredecimpunctata

(Col.: Coccinellidae) Terry Thormin

Western Pine Elfin Incisalia eryphon (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Terry Thormin

May 24

Annie Pang sends us a couple of her delightful poetograms inspired by a Western Brown Elfin at Playfair Park in Saanich on May 13. Some, though not all, taxonomists consider our coastal Brown Elfin to be a distinct species to be known as the Western Brown Elfin, and, for the purposes of this Website I'm going along with that for the time being. And Brenda Pilon sends a photo of a caterpillar of Lorquin's Admiral, which she found on an apple tree in her garden at Colquitz Avenue, Victoria, on May 20. In view of the current paucity of spring butterflies, it's good to know that we can expect some Lorquin's Admirals later in the year.

Western Brown Elfin Incisalia iroides (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Annie Pang

Lorquin's Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Brenda Pilon

May 23

Jeremy Tatum writes: "I went up Jocelyn Hill yesterday and I saw single butterfly - a distant Sara Orangetip. I thought I was going to pass the year without seeing one. In the evening I had a walk down Lochside Drive north of Blenkinsop Lake and I saw lots of tiny Nettle Tap moths (Anthophila alpinella, Choreutidae). Also, the nettle leaves are riddled with small holes. These are partly the handiwork of Nettle Taps and of small beetles, but mostly they are caused by numerous caterpillars of a species of snout moth (Hypena sp., Noctuidae). On April 24 we talked about the usual number of legs that a noctuid caterpillar has - that's four pairs of mid-abdominal prolegs - and we showed a photo of a plusiine noctuid, with only two pairs of mid-abdominal prolegs. Hypena is another exception. Its caterpillar has just three, as we can see in the photo of one from Blenkinsop Lake yesterday."

Snout moth Hypena sp. (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jeremy Tatum

May 22

Barry Camp writes: "May 20, 2011 - 10:45am - Viaduct Pond - on gravel trail near look out - one Banded Woolly Bear caterpillar (Pyrrharctia isabella) marching across the path. It being a dangerous jogging trail (littered with the bodies of squashed slugs), I decided to lend a helping hand." Good for you, Barry! The caterpillar would appreciate it. It was on its way to find somewhere to spin a cocoon and pupate in it. Jeremy

And here are the rest of Terry's photos, which I didn't get round to posting yesterday. We welcome our first aquatic terrestrial invertebrate to these pages.

Sawfly (Hym.: Tenthredinidae) Terry Thormin

Crane fly (Dip.: Tipulidae) Terry Thormin

Brown Water-scorpion (Hem.: Nepidae) Terry Thormin

Click beetle Agriotes lineatus (Col.: Elateridae) Terry Thormin

May 21

Terry Thormin writes: "Two warm days in a row and now we are back to cool and overcast weather. I went to Little River Pond yesterday, May 20th, to see if the warm weather had produced the first dragonflies. Sure enough there were two species, a single Four-spotted Skimmer, Libellula quadrimaculata, and a single darner which I could neither photograph nor identify positively, although I suspect strongly it was a California Darner, Aeshna californica. There were a number of other insects as well. Running around on the sand in with the many tiger beetles was a single Marsh Ground Beetle, Elaphrus sp. In amongst the sedges at the edge of the pond were a number of soldier beetles, family Cantharidae; a single ground beetle, family Carabidae; a beautiful green sawfly, family Tenthredinidae; and a cranefly, family Tipulidae. I also fished a Brown Water Scorpion, Ranatra fusca out of the pond and photographed it before returning it to its watery world. Upon returning home I noticed that there were lots of small, brown click beetles, Agriotes lineatus flying around the backyard."

To which Jeremy Tatum replies: "Great! Here are some of Terry's photos. I'll get the rest of them up in a day or so!"

Four-spotted Skimmer Libellula quadrimaculata (Odo.: Libellulidae) Terry Thormin

Marsh Ground Beetle Elaphrus sp. (Col.: Carabidae) Terry Thormin

Soldier beetle (Col.: Cantharidae) Terry Thormin

Ground beetle (Col.: Carabidae) Terry Thormin

May 20

Terry Thormin writes: Here are photos of three new insects. The first is a Pacific Forktail, Ischnura cervula which I photographed at Little River Pond three days ago on May 17th. I was hoping for my first dragonfly, but no luck. It has just been too cool a spring. The next two, both ground beetles, were photographed in my backyard garden. The first is Amara sp. and the second is the beetle John Acorn calls the Sidewalk Carabid, Pterostichus melanarius. Let's hope this warm weather will bring a few more insects out of the woodwork.

Pacific Forktail Ischnura cervula (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)

Terry Thormin

Ground beetle Amara sp. (Col.: Carabidae) Terry Thormin

Sidewalk Carabid, Pterostichus melanarius (Col.: Carabidae) Terry Thormin

May 19

A little bit of sunshine and warmth at last, but it will take some time for the butterflies to recover. Annie Pang saw some Brown Elfins on Christmas Hill Tuesday May 17, and two or three Propertius Duskywings on Knockan Hill. Her husband John saw a Sara Orangetip on May 17, and there are one or two Cabbage Whites and Spring Azures around. I haven't heard of any sightings of swallowtails yet. Today I saw a Red Admiral in Goldstream Park., but the only thing I could photograph was something a bit slower moving, at Panama Flats. Jeremy Tatum.

Cepaea nemoralis (Pulmonata: Helicidae) Jeremy Tatum

May 18

This little white moth came in inadvertently with some Snowberry leaves which I had brought in from Mount Tolmie yesterday as foodplant for another caterpillar, and it let me photograph it indoors before I returned it to Mount Tolmie. Also on Snowberry yesterday I watched another small moth, Alucita sp. in the act of laying eggs. It used to be called Alucita hexadactyla, but the taxonomists have been working on that genus and have divided the North American populations into several species, and I'm not sure what we are supposed to call our local population this year.

Euceratia castella (Lep.: Plutellidae) Jeremy Tatum

May 16

The wet weather continues, and we are still deprived of butterflies. Annie Pang managed a very nice photo of a male Spring Azure on May 4 (she points out that male Spring Azures and Sara Orangetips are generally out before the females). On the rare occasions when the Sun shows, a very few Spring Azures and Cabbage Whites are to be seen, and there have also been a few reports of Sara Orangetips and Brown Elfins, though I haven't seen either myself yet. But if we have few insects, Terry Thormin photographed our first millipede on this site on May 13th at Seal Bay Nature Park north of Comox. Terry also photographed a cantharid (soldier) beetle by the Oyster River north of Comox on May 12th. Jim Hammond of the Canadian Forest Service in Edmonton suggests that it might be a species of Podabrus, but he can't be entirely sure.

Spring Azure Celastrina ladon (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Annie Pang

Cyanide Millipede Harpaphe haydeniana (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae)

Terry Thormin

Soldier beetle. Possibly Podabrus sp. (Col.: Cantharidae) Terry Thormin

May 10

Here are two photos of a caterpillar of Neoalcis californiaria found at Mount Douglas Beach Park yesterday. One, trying not to be noticed. Two, going for a walk.

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum

Re butterfly names: In the April 2010 issue of these Invertebrate Alert postings, and again in the July-August issue of The Victoria Naturalist, I posted a list of the names (including preferred spelling, punctuation, hyphens, etc) that I proposed to use on the Invertebrate Alert site. I see that I really muddled things up by writing "Moss's Hairstreak". This was not intended - it was just my shoddy proofreading. It should, of course, be Moss's Elfin. There are a number of possible questions about the name of this species. Is it really a different species from the Early Elfin? Should we put an s after the apostrophe? (I tossed a coin on that one.) But "Hairstreak" was a straight mistake. Sorry 'bout that!

Annie Pang saw several Sara Orangetips on Christmas Hill on May 1, including a female, which she managed to photograph. She also sends recent photographs of a Spring Azure and a White Ribbon Carpet Mesoleuca gratulata.

Jeremy Gatten writes: "The moth scene really fluctuates with weather which intuitively makes sense, but it's amazing to see the differences from one day to the next when the weather conditions change. Last night (May 2), for instance, was quite windy and only a couple of moths came in. A few nights ago, it was clear and I had a few new species including Ceanothus Nola Moth Nola minna, Hypena decorata, and False Pinion Moth Litholomia napaea. I already submitted photos from the Metchosin Bioblitz to be put up on their website, but I can at least report a few species that were seen during the event (April 30). In Garry Oak habitat, I had Three-striped Longhorn Moths (Adela trigrapha) and Western Red Twin-spot (Xanthorhoe defensaria) in the moth department, and for butterflies we had Moss's and Western Elfins, Sara Orangetip, Western Spring Azure, Propertius Duskywing, and Cabbage White. It is finally happening out there!"