2018 April 6

   Carl Hughes writes: I was uncrating a shipment of natural stone today and a moth flew out. Shipments are fumigated so you would think there is no way anything can survive but I saw it fly out.

American Tissue Moth Triphosa haesitata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Carl Hughes

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Alas! The swallowtail chrysalis shown on March 8 was filled with a dozen tachinid maggots.  The maggots came out of the chrysalis case today and promptly pupated.  We show the puparia below.  Perhaps not one of the most attractive of insects.

Tachinid puparium (Dip.: Tachinidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Tachinid puparia (Dip.: Tachinidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Libby Avis sends a photograph of a “beautiful little” (pulchella) moth from Port Alberni this morning.  A “lifer” for Libby – which can’t happen very often!

Orthosia pulchella (Lep.: Noctuidae) Libby Avis

2018 April 3

   Hans Roemer found and photographed a cocoon of Antheraea polyphemus in his Saanich garden:

Polyphemus Moth Antheraea polyphemus (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Hans Roemer

   Jeremy Tatum found one caterpillar on Indian Plum Oemleria cerasiformis at Lochside Drive near Blenkinsop Lake:

Aseptis adnixa (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

…and another one on Snowberry at Mount Douglas Beach Park:

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

   The only adult moth at my apartment this morning was the little micro shown below:

Agonopterix sp. (Lep.: Depressariidae) Jeremy Tatum

2018 April 1

   Nathan Fisk writes that in Oaklands cemetery yesterday, he saw a lone Cabbage White among myriad bee flies, Bombus vosnesenskii and honey bees nectaring on introduced bulbs and Spring Gold. 

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae)   Nathan Fisk

   Jochen Moehr sends photographs of two more moths from Metchosin.  One is an Orthosia praeses,  perhaps a little past its best-before date;  the other is a pristine-fresh beautiful Feralia deceptiva.

Orthosia praeses (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Feralia deceptiva  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

   Gerry and Wendy Ansell write: We saw our first butterflies of the year yesterday.  We were at Sooke Potholes Regional Park across from the farthest parking lot, on a sunny west-facing slope.  Two anglewings (commas) were spiraling upwards together.  When they were resting I got a few photos that I was hoping would identify them but the underside does not show well.  We are labelling them tentatively as Green Commas.  I’ll attach the pictures and you can see what you think.

   Well, viewers, writes Jeremy Tatum, what do you think?  The “comma” mark on the underside of the hindwing seems a bit V-shaped, rather than ear-shaped, which makes me wonder if we shouldn’t maybe even rule out gracilis.  We’d be happy for any comments.

Polygonia sp. (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Wendy Ansell

Polygonia sp. (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Wendy Ansell

The comma mark

   Today, April 1, seven hardy souls braved a bitter cold wind and went on the first Butterfly Walk of the year.  (They take place on the first Sunday of each month during the butterfly season.)  We took the same route as on last year’s April Butterfly Walk, which took place on April 2, 2017, along Lochside Trail beside Blenkinsop Lake, and, amazingly, we found exactly the same number of butterflies as last year.  The complete list follows.  As Churchill is reputed to have said (we’re not sure if he actually did so): “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

2018 March 31

   Gordon Hart writes: A few weeks ago, Anne-Marie found a black pupa while gardening. We placed it in a terrarium with a swallowtail pupa, and just yesterday the moth emerged.  This morning showed its beautiful hind wings.  Photographs below.

Smerinthus cerisyi (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Gordon Hart

Smerinthus cerisyi (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Gordon Hart

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I saw my first butterfly of the year today – a Cabbage White flew past my livingroom window.  This surely augurs well for the first Butterfly Walk of the year, starting at the top of Mount Tolmie at 1:00 pm on Easter Sunday.  See Gordon’s announcement on the March 29 posting on this site.  All welcome!

2018 March 30

   Ron Flower writes:  We went to Gore Park yesterday, Thursday May 29. No butterflies yet, but we got this nice moth on an oak branch.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  This is Epirrhoe plebeculata, and I have been trying to find its caterpillar for years.  It is supposed to feed upon Galium, but I suspect that this may be wrong.  Please, anyone, if you see this moth, follow it to see if it oviposits anywhere – and let me have the eggs so that I can hatch and rear them!

Epirrhoe plebeculata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Ron Flower

   Jochen Moehr sends a picture of Orthosia praeses from Metchosin.

Orthosia praeses (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr