2019 April 23 

   Jeremy Tatum shows a caterpillar that he found yesterday on Indian Plum in Bow Park, Saanich.

Aseptis binotata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Aseptis binotata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2019 April 22

   Jochen Möhr writes:

This morning’s assemblage:

10 Venusia obsoleta

4 Hydriomena manzanita

2 Anticlea vasiliata

2 Cissusa indiscreta

1 Melanolophia imitata

1 Drepanulatrix monicaria

1 Eupithecia sp.

I attach a picture of the A. vasiliata and one each of the C. indiscreta

Jochen adds:  I see quite a few Sara Orangetips, some here at home and regularly when I drive towards town via Esquimalt Lagoon and Ocean Boulevard.

Cissusa indiscreta (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae)  Jochen Möhr

Cissusa indiscreta (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae)  Jochen Möhr

Anticlea vasiliata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Thanks to Libby Avis for identifying the Cissusa.  Libby writes from Port Alberni:  We got our first Feralia comstocki and Anticlea vasiliata last night. Also saw our first Sara Orangetips at the Somass Estuary at the weekend. And a Grey Hairstreak from the Alberni Valley, April 20th 2019.

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Rick Avis

2019 April 21

Ron Flower writes:  We went back to the  Goldstream River yesterday April 20 at 1:30 pm. I got one shot of the Sexton Beetle before it flew away. We also saw 8 Western Spring Azures, 2 Satyr Commas, 2 Propertius Duskywings and 1 Mourning Cloak .

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Ron Flower

   Charlene Wood writes: This beetle is Nicrophorus defodiens. Black antennal club and base of elytral epipleuron entirely black whereas the epipluron base is orange in the similar looking N. vespilloides, which has a black antennal club (with fine white hairs on the 9th and 10th antennal segments).

Sexton beetle  Nicrophorus defodiens (Col.: Silphidae) Ron Flower

    Mike Yip writes from Nanoose:  Spent an hour at the Fairwinds Garry Oak meadows yesterday morning and saw at least a dozen Propertius Duskywings. The first one was basking on the grass and moss in one particular spot and it returned there regardless of the many distractions such as other duskywings. About six were seen nectaring on Blue-eyed Susan and one was on an oak branch but I don’t know if it oviposited. The only other species there was a Western Brown Elfin.   Later, two Western Spring Azures were seen on the Cross Road trail.

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep. Hesperiidae)  Mike Yip

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep. Hesperiidae)  Mike Yip

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep. Hesperiidae)  Mike Yip

Western Brown Elfin Incisalia iroides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Mike Yip

   Gordon Hart writes:  On Saturday, April 20, we had a good day for butterflies. There was one fresh Cabbage White, one Mourning Cloak, at least two Western Spring Azures, and at least three commas, and I think all were Satyr Commas. I have attached a photo of the Cabbage White and a Satyr Comma. There were several  Mesoleuca gratulata flying around. We still have not seen any Orangetips.

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae)  Gordon Hart

Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Gordon Hart

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  Kirsten Mills and I saw a Moss’s Elfin and up to six Western Spring Azures on the Panhandle Trail near Francis Park today, April 21.

  Rosemary Jorna writes:  This very small jumping spider is living in a cherry tree in our Kemp Lake garden photographed April 20..

Jumping spider  (Ara.:  Salticidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Jumping spider  (Ara.:  Salticidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Rosemary writes:   The small spider below was resting on the rail of the bridge over Charters Creek on April 19, 2019 (Sooke River Road).   Robb Bennett writes: This is an ant-mimicking gnaphosid, a species of Sergiolus. Most probably Sergiolus columbianus but could be S. montanus.

Sergiolus(probably columbianus)  (Ara.: Gnaphosidae)  Rosemary Jorna

2019 April 20

   Numbers.  Sonia Voicescu asks that, for butterflies , it would be helpful to her if observers would avoid such phrases as “a few” or “several” and try to give an approximate number.  An accurate count is not needed – a very rough estimate will do.  Even something like “half-a-dozen or so” would be fine.  The problem is that Sonia needs a number before she can submit our observations to eButterfly.  Or, to be more accurate, the eButterfly computer needs a number!

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  There was a California Tortoiseshell on the Mount Tolmie reservoir at 3:30 pm yesterday (April 19) afternoon.

  This afternoon (April 20) I walked along the Panhandler Trail off Munn Road and saw:  3 Sara Orangetips, 3 Western Spring Azures, 2 Moss’s Elfins.

   Rosemary Jorna writes:  This ladybeetle was on Whiffin Spit  April 19 2019.

Coccinella septempunctata (Col.: Coccinellidae)  Rosemary Jorna

  Rosemary continues:  Yesterday there was a fresh Grey Hairstreak  in our yard (Kemp Lake Road) but no photo. It was the first one I have seen in our yard in 15 years.  On our walk up Charters Creek we saw three blue butterflies under the trestle, probably Western Spring Azures [Jeremy Tatum writes:  At this tine of year almost certainly],but they would not land.

   Jochen Möhr writes from Metchosin:  This morning’s haul consisted of:

6 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli

5 Melanolophia imitata

1 Drepanulatrix monicaria

1 Hydriomena manzanita

and three pugs.  

This time I took pictures of the latter:

Eupithecia ravocostaliata/nevadata (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr

Eupithecia sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr

Eupithecia sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr

2019 April 19

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  On a rainy day, a Web-spinning Clothes Moth was the best I could do.

Tineola biselliella (Lep.: Tineidae)  Jeremy Tatum