2018 March 20

Spring Equinox

   Welcome to Spring!

    Jeremy Tatum writes: Gordon Hart sends a photograph of a bee admiring a daffodil.  Sean McCann, Claudia Copley and I have had a look at it, but none if us feels sufficiently confident to give a definite name to it, though Claudia’s suggestion of maybe Anthophora sp. looks at least plausible to me. 

Unidentified bee, possibly Anthophora sp. (Hym.: Apidae) Gordon Hart.

2018 March 19

   Butterflies are starting to appear.  Unidentified nymphalid butterflies were reported to this site on March 10 and 12 (see entries for March 11 and 13).  The first identified butterfly reported is a Mourning Cloak, by Libby Avis in Port Alberni on March 18.  The Mourning Cloak and the unidentified nymphalids overwinter in the adult stage. The first adult butterfly that overwinters in the pupal stage was a Cabbage White, reported on March 18 from Metchosin by Moralea Milne.

   Libby Avis reports the geometrid moths Epirrhoe  plebeculata and Enchoria lacteata from Port Alberni, March 18.  Gordon Hart, too, has found Enchoria lacteata, in the Highlands.

Enchoria lacteata (Lep.: Geometridae)   Gordon Hart

   More individuals of the unidentified moth shown on the March 18 posting have been found on Peden Bluff by Moralea Milne and Jeremy Gatten.

2018 March 18

   Two years ago, on March 21, Rosemary Jorna photographed a pyraloid moth (see 2016 March 30 Invert Alert), which we were unable to identify.  Now, on March 15   this year, Moralea Milne found and photographed the same species in Metchosin. “It appeared to fly out of a Manzanita bush. They seem to be only on the west facing slope, grass/moss hillside, above 200 m, from a quick reconnaissance. There were a number of them flying around.”

   We still don’t know what it is.  Here’s Moralea’s photograph:

Unidentified moth (Lep.: Pyraloidea)  Moralea Milne

2018 March 13

   Gordon Hart sends photographs of a moth and a fly from the Highlands area, March 11.  We thank Dr Jeff Skevington for kindly identifying the fly for us.   Gordon also remarks that he saw a butterfly on March 12 – probably a Green Comma.

Epirrhoe plebeculata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Gordon Hart

Sericomyia chalcopyga (Dip.: Syrphidae)   Gordon Hart

2019 March 11 morning

   Butterfly!   In Metchosin yesterday Jochen Moehr had a glimpse of what looked like a tortoiseshell – very briefly, very alive, unfortunately not a trace of a chance to document it.  

   Although he didn’t manage to photograph the butterfly, as compensation he photographed another well-fed Ixodes pacificus from his dog.  He writes: I had a chat with our vet, John Gayfer, who assured me that, although the documented contraction of a double Lyme disease infection by my friend is extremely rare, there is little to worry with our dogs, as dogs are less likely to get infected by ticks than humans, and the rate of infection of ticks is low around here anyway.  So there may be hope . . . 

Ixodes pacificus (Acari: Ixodidae)  Jochen Moehr

    Jeremy Tatum writes: We’ve had several Oak Winter Highflyers on this site already this year, but here is my first at my apartment this morning.

Oak Winter Highflyer Hydriomena nubilofasciata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Jochen also photographed another Hydriomena species –  Hydriomena manzanita.  To my eyes H. manzanita doesn’t look very much like a typical highflyer.  Maybe it more properly belongs to another genus.

Hydriomena manzanita (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

   Nathan Fisk sends a photograph of an unknown noctuid caterpillar chewing off some vetch seedlings at Fort Rod Hill Nursery.

Unknown noctuid caterpillar (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Nathan Fisk

   Jochen had a busy time yesterday in Metchosin.  As well as the tick and the highflyer, he photographed the moth Lithophane georgii  and a brown lacewing. He also notes that his area is swarmed by pug moths (Eupithecia – Geometridae).

Lithophane georgii  (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jochen Moehr

Brown lacewing (Neu.: Hemerobiidae)  Jochen Moehr