2018 April 23

St George’s Day

   Jochen Moehr sends a picture of the green form of a caterpillar of a Large Yellow Underwing from his Metchosin garden.  And he writes:  I took my dog out to Matheson Lake in the hope to get closer to Western Spring Azures than here.  In the past I had often seen them mud puddling at the beach there.  

   I was not disappointed.  Although – being surrounded by dogs who had nothing but swimming and ball playing on their minds, and constantly disturbing the flutterbys – I was never able to count more than six simultaneously, there may have been as many as a dozen.  There was fluttering blue everywhere, and of course, when they sit down, they pretty much disappear.  

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Jochen Moehr

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Jochen Moehr

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Jochen Moehr

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I went to Munn Road today, to Pike Lake substation and nearby.  I, too, saw lots of mud-puddling Western Spring Azures, mostly near to the yellow gate, I also saw one Sara Orangetip and one Western Brown Elfin there.  The vegetation of huge parts of that area has been flailed down, so that the area now looks like an ugly industrial wasteland.  Presumably it has been done to ease access to the electricity pylons, and the vegetation, in time, will grow back.  I hope no permanent destruction is in progress.

  The California Tortoiseshell that has been reported off and on from the Mount Tolmie reservoir since April 19 was still there at 4:30 this afternoon.

  Marie O;Shaughnessy sends a photograph of a Mourning Cloak that she saw along the lower trail at Mount Douglas, April 10^th.

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Marie O’Shsughnessy

2018 April 22

   Jeff Gaskin and Kirsten Mills saw a California Tortoiseshell at 4:00 pm on the Mount Tolmie reservoir today, as well as three Cabbage Whites elsewhere on the hill.  The tortoiseshell was presumably the same individual that Val George photographed on April 19.  However, Val photographed another California Tortoiseshell today on the summit of Mount Douglas. 

California Tortoiseshell Nymphalis californica (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Val George

    Aziza Cooper puts me a little on the spot!  She writes that she saw some commas on the tracks near the Goldstream campground, and she wants to know what species they are.  Well may you ask, Aziza, and you are just as good (or bad) at these things as I am!

Well, I (Jeremy Tatum) shall put a label under the photographs, and if anyone disagrees with them (or even if you agree), please do let us know!  Aziza also saw a Sara Orangetip and a Cabbage White there.

Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Male Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Green Comma Polygonia faunus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Green Comma Polygonia faunus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

   Jeremy Tatum saw only his second butterfly of the year today – a Western Spring Azure at Blinkhorn Lake.  He comments that after a dull winter, he had forgotten how very beautiful these butterflies are.

   On April 20, Nathan Fisk found a bee holding fast to a Flower of Deltoid Balsamroot.  Thank you Sean McCann for identifying the bee as a kleptoparasitic bee of the genus Nomada.

Nomada sp. (Hym.: Apidae)  Nathan Fisk

2018 April 22 morning

   Gordon Hart writes:  I visited Francis/King Park yesterday and saw one Sara Orangetip Anthocharis sara, and a Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius. There were also several Mesoleuca gratulata flying. This was in the area across the road from the Nature House. At home in the Highlands, a Green Comma flew by, but I saw no other butterflies.

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Gordon Hart

   Jochen Moehr sends a picture of Lithophane petulca from Metchosin.

Lithophane petulca (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of a caterpillar of the Silver-spotted Tiger Moth from Munn Road.

Silver-spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa argentata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)

Jeremy Tatum

2018 April 21 evening

   More of Jochen’s moth photos from Metchosin.

Orthosia praeses (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jochen Moehr

Orthosia praeses (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jochen Moehr

Egira simplex  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Egira simplex  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Orthosia transparens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

A bee fly photographed by Aziza Cooper at Trail Way, Goldstream Heights, April 19.  Keep a look out for these flies shooting their eggs into the burrows of mining bees.  And welcome back, Aziza.

Bee fly Bombylius major (Dip.: Bombyliidae) Aziza Cooper

Bee fly Bombylius major (Dip.: Bombyliidae) Aziza Cooper

   And a bee fly photographed by Gordon Hart at Prospect Lake Road.  Although there are many species of bombyliid, according to the website https://bugguide.net/node/view/14997  Bombylius major is the only Nearctic Bombylius species with the wing pattern shown by Aziza’s and Gordon’s flies.  So, although the piles are different colours in these two individuals, I shall label them both Bombylius major.  Any comments by knowledgeable dipterists would be welcome.

Bee fly Bombylius major (Dip.: Bombyliidae) Gordon Hart

   Mistakes:

        Jeremy Tatum writes:  Every now and again I make a mistake while typing out the day’s posting for Invertebrate Alert. Maybe it’s something big;  maybe it’s just a small spelling or even punctuation mistake.  My friends are so polite and don’t wish to offend me that they do not mention it.  Fear not!  Far from being offended, I will be very happy and pleased to be notified of mistakes, so that I can correct them as soon as possible.  Otherwise the mistake remains there forever on display, under my name, for all to stare at!   So please do let me know of any that you find.  jtatum at uvic dot ca    Thank you!

2018 April 21 morning

   More of Jochen’s moth photos from Metchosin.

Behrensia conchiformis (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Moehr

Behrensia conchiformis (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Moehr

Melanolophia imitata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

Orthosia hibisci (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

   I think the caterpillar below may be Noctua pronuba, but I’m not entirely certain. (Jeremy Tatum)

Noctuid caterpillar, perhaps Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jochen Moehr

On April 18, we posted pictures of some early bees on or around some Shooting Star flowers, which we labelled Dodecatheon.  Apparently the botanical taxonomists are every bit as enthusiastic about name changes as are the zoologists, and Jeremy Gatten points out to me that Shooting Stars are now supposed to be in the genus Primula. Jeremy Gatten confesses to being a bit baffled by this – as does Jeremy Tatum – though we have to assume that the taxonomists have some good reason for it.  To my eyes, Shooting Stars bear little resemblance to the Primroses that I used to see in my youth in the hedgerows of England in spring.