2017 August 30

   Jochen Moehr writes from Metchosin:  At the North-eastern end of Duke Road in Metchosin, across from the bus stop, there is a nice stand of Jewel Weed (Impatiens capensis) on one side of the road.  It is a nice little micro eco system.  Ants cultivate crowds of aphids on the stems, which again are feasted on by what looks like Asian Lady beetles Harmonia axyridis, their larvae, by wasps and even flies.  I attach a few pictures taken there today, Tue. Aug. 29, 2017. 

Aphids and ants     Jochen Moehr

Aphids, a yellowjacket and a ladybird     Jochen Moehr

The ladybird is Harmonia axyridis.  The wasp is Vespula pensylvanica

Bombus vosnesenskii  (Hym.: Apidae)  Jochen Moehr

       We are grateful to Sean McCann for the identification of the wasp and the bee.

Ladybird larva (Col.: Coccinellidae)   Jochen Moehr

Ladybird pupae (Col.: Coccinellidae)   Jochen Moehr

Fly  (Dip.: Tachinidae)    Jochen Moehr

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  The slender unknown caterpillar that I showed on August 24 and 28 is now a little larger and it has turned out to be a species of Zale.

Zale sp.:  (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  On August 28 I showed a photograph of a batch of 596 ova of a Large Yellow Underwing moth from an Aspen leaf in Bow Park.  Today in a nearby Red Oak tree just a few yards away I found two more batches.  They were on adjacent leaves on the same twig, inches from each other.  On the other hand the two batches of eggs are different colours.  I leave the reader to speculate as to whether the two batches were laid by the some individual moth, or by two separate individuals.  It is interesting that, although the caterpillars of pronuba usually feed on low-growing herbs, the ova ore often (not invariably) laid on the leaf of a tree, allowing the newly-hatched larvae to drop down into the vegetation below.

1513 ova of a Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)

 Jeremy Tatum

1923 ova of a Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)

 Jeremy Tatum

   There’s more in the queue, but that’ll have to do for today.

2017 August 29

   Jeremy Gatten sends a couple of photographs and he writes: The first is from the morning of August 26th at my place in Saanichton: Brachylomia populi.  This species is primarily considered to be an east of the Cascades/Coast Mountains species, but there are some records from the west side.  For all I know, there might not be any previous records for Vancouver Island.  The next species is from the wee hours this morning (August 28th), also from my place.   It didn’t take long for me to figure out it was Euxoa perexcellens.   From the last few days I’ve had Tolype distincta, Euxoa obeliscoides and E. xanthographa, which are all attractive moths.  Too bad the latter species is introduced.

Brachylomia populi (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Gatten

Euxoa perexcellens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Gatten

   Jeremy Gatten continues: I should also add that I had an Orange Sulphur at Island View Beach in the back fields (i.e., west of the beach and past the "wall" of hawthorn and shrubs).  Additionally, plenty of Vancouver Island Ringlets (Large Heaths) were present, along with many Woodland Skippers and a single Red Admiral.

  Jeff Gaskin writes:  This morning,  August 29, a Lorquin’s Admiral was seen by myself and the Tuesday Group at Swan Lake below the Saanich Municipal Hall.

  Jeremy Tatum asks:  What is worse than finding a worm in your apple?  Answer: Finding half a worm.  The “worm” in question is the caterpillar of the Codlin Moth. I found a whole one yesterday in a pear grown in Saanich.  A “codlin” was a variety of cooking apple, not often seen today – or at least not under that name.  The name “codling moth” is a misspelling.

Codlin Moth Cydia pomonella (Lep.: Tortricidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Scott Gilmore writes from Upper Lantzville:  I found this huge caterpillar on Red Alder on Sunday 27th.  Jeremy Tatum replies:  It is a Rough Prominent.  The usual foodplant is oak, though it is occasionally found on alder.  The yellow mandibles, seen so well on the second photograph, are a distinguishing feature.

Rough Prominent Nadata gibbosa (Lep.: Notodontidae)  Scott Gilmore

Rough Prominent Nadata gibbosa (Lep.: Notodontidae)  Scott Gilmore

Rough Prominent Nadata gibbosa (Lep.: Notodontidae)  Scott Gilmore

The end….

More pictures and observations tomorrow.

2017 August 28

   Reminder:  Please send images as attachments in .jpg format.   Please!!!!

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Recently I have repeatedly photographed (August 18, 20 and 24) a woolly bear caterpillar, in the belief that it was a “lifer” for me.  However, it has now reached its final instar, and I realize that it is a Yellow Woolly Bear, or Virginia Ermine, by no means a lifer. Assuming the final instar is number five, the August 18 photograph (third instar) showed a red dorsal stripe, and the August 20 photograph showed blackish hairs on the thoracic segments, both features that were unfamiliar to me.  However, the final instar, shown below, shows that it is the familiar Yellow Woolly Bear.  As soon as I realized this I offered it some Plantago to eat, which it obviously relished.

Yellow Woolly Bear Spilosoma virginica (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jeremy Tatum

The apparent geometrid-like caterpillar shown on August 24 is now a little larger, and is now obviously not a geometrid.  It looks as though it may be on its way to being something quite exciting.  Maybe Erebidae.   [Added later – Yes, Zale, Erebidae]

Zale sp. (Lep.: Erebidae)   Jeremy Tatum

Jeremy continues:  There were two adult Neoalcis californiaria outside my back door in Saanich this morning – remarkable for their difference in size.  One was 43 mm wingtip to wingtip, and other was just 35 mm.

Jochen Moehr photographed a grasshopper in Metchosin on August 26.  Claudia Copley’s “best guess”   (probably a good one!) is Camnula pellucida.   (It has obviously hopped up here from the centre of the Earth.  ERB enthusiasts will know what I’m referring to.)

Camnula pellucida (Orth.: Acrididae)  Jochen Moehr

   Ren Ferguson writes:  I just returned from Saturna Island where I was camping at Narvaez Bay from August 24-27th. The Red Alders that overhung our site had large numbers of sawfly larvae busily feeding on the leaves. Some branches were denuded completely. When I pulled a branch down to photograph them they all went into a defensive pasture in unison — raising their curled rear ends. It was interesting to watch. I woke in the night and thought it might be raining but seeing stars through the tent window, I realized that it was the frass from the larvae that was raining down! I have never seen this species before and would be interested to learn more about them. (Photograph and identification below.)

Ren continues:  This is a late piece of information but when I was doing a bird survey on Mount Tuam on Salt Spring on August 1st, I witnessed the largest number of Common Woodnymphs on the wing in any one area that I have ever seen. There were over thirty in a 100 metre radius from the summit.

Hemichroa crocea (Hym.: Tenthredinidae)  Ren Ferguson

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here are 596 eggs of a Large Yellow Underwing moth from an Aspen leaf at Bow Park (Saanich) this morning.  You will notice that a few of them are darker than the others.  These darker ones are probably hatching even as I type.

596 ova of Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Mark Wynja writes: At 11:30 am on August 27th I went to Paradise Meadows. I saw 1 Hoary/Zephyr Comma and 1 Green Comma. Also present there were at least 6 Mariposa Coppers, and several Hydaspe Fritillaries. Nearby, along Alpine Road (NW of the parking lot for Paradise Meadows) were 2 Hoary/Zephyr Commas and 1 Green Comma, 1 Lorquin’s Admiral, and 3 Mariposa Coppers. At the parking lot at the base of the Sunrise Quad Chairlift was a fresh Painted Lady, at least 5 Anna Blues, 2 Mariposa Coppers and 1 Branded Skipper. About 20 Cabbage Whites were seen throughout the area.

Green Comma Polygonia faunus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mark Wynja

Hoary Comma Polygonia gracilis (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Mark Wynja

Green Comma Polygonia faunus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mark Wynja

Hoary Comma Polygonia gracilis (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Mark Wynja

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mark Wynja

Branded Skipper Hesperia comma (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Mark Wynja

   More photographs and observations in the queue – for tomorrow!   Jeremy

2017 August 27

   Jochen Moehr sends some photographs from around his Metchosin house, August 26.   The first is a jumping spider Salticus scenicus with a moth, which I think may be a bit too far gone to identify, although I think it is a geometrid.

Salticus scenicus (Ara.: Salticidae)  Jochen Moehr

The second is a handsome geometrid moth Ennomos magnaria.

Ennomos magnaria (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Moehr

The third one – a noctuid moth – is more difficult.  The best that Libby Avis and Jeremy Tatum can come up with is probably Euxoa sp.  That is one of the largest noctuid genera, so that doesn’t narrow it down a great deal.  As Libby points out, this genus is one where several species are similar, and there can be quite a variation among individuals of the same species.

Probably Euxoa sp. (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Jochen writes:  One thing I find worth mentioning is that I always see Pine Whites, but
always only single ones.  In the years after the total devastation of
the insect world because of the aerial bombing with BTK in 1999 –
perhaps around 2005 – I often saw many, just driving by the Royal Roads
property along Metchosin Road.  Once I counted 28 in one pass.

What is the reason for the current scarcity?

Good question!  Who knows?  They vary greatly in numbers from year to year, and I think most watchers would agree that Pine White numbers have been rather low this year. The species overwinters in the egg stage, and the young caterpillars hatch in the spring. This year we had a prolonged wet spring at a time when the young caterpillars will have been active.  Maybe this had something to do with it.   Has anyone seen a Pine White recently?

Jeff Gaskin writes:  Yesterday, August 26,  Kirsten Mills tells me she saw 2 Orange Sulphurs along Martindale Road about half way down the road.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  I thought I’d follow up on this, so I went out to Martindale today (August 27), to see if I could find a sulphur.  There were lots of Cabbage Whites, and one or two Woodland Skippers, but I didn’t see any sulphurs.  However, I did see two unexpected nice surprises – an Anise Swallowtail and a Grey Hairstreak.  The fresh hairstreak was nectaring on Wild Carrot along the east edge of the cabbage field on Martindale.  The slightly worn swallowtail was flying around erratically, occasionally nectaring on a wild species of Brassica.

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of Alucita montana from her kitchen window sill.

Alucita montana (Lep.: Alucitidae)  Annie Pang

Time to go home.  More photos tomorrow!   Jeremy

2017 August 26

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I have had exactly the same experience as Annie Pang (see August 25 posting) – for weeks I have had no moths at my back door in Saanich, when suddenly, in the space of a few days, Annie and I both get a Neoalcis californiaria!

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

   And no sooner had I written the above, when Dar Churcher sent in a photograph of yet another one in Colwood:

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Dar Churcher

   Dar also sends a photograph of a “small brown job” from Colwood, August 18.  This is a tough one, and I often give up on pugs, but I think I’ll stick my neck out and call it Eupithecia unicolor (a misnomer if ever there was one –  it’s one of the few pugs with obviously two colours!)

Eupithecia unicolor (Lep.: Geometridae)  Dar Churcher

   Dar also sends a photograph of a moth from her fir hedge on July 3.  I can’t identify it for sure, but I believe it may be Choristoneura freemani.   There are probably some forestry experts on this species around somewhere – we’d be glad to hear from one.

Possibly Choristoneura freemani (Lep.: Tortricidae)  Dar Churcher

   Dar Churcher sends a photograph of a small caterpillar found on an amaryllis plant.  It is a “micro”, and I don’t think I can identify it.  Funnily enough it looks not unlike the caterpillar of Choristoneura freemani – though amaryllis is quite the wrong foodplant!       Dar asks: Is that a parasitic worm visible inside the lower half of the body?  Jeremy writes:  It is not a tachinid or hymenopterous parasitoid.  I am not expert on the insides of caterpillars, but I think the wiggly thing (not a very technical term!) is probably part of the caterpillar’s digestive tract.

Unidentified “micro” moth caterpillar (Lepidoptera)  Dar Churcher

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  At McIntyre reservoir today, there were still uncountable numbers of Cabbage Whites there and in the adjacent cabbage fields.  The only other butterflies I saw there were a single Woodland Skipper and a single fresh-looking Painted Lady.  A few days ago I saw a recently-vacated nest of a Painted Lady caterpillar on a thistle in that area.   This evening at 6:00 pm I saw three Painted Ladies at the top of Christmas Hill.  Although very worn, they were still flying strongly.

 There are a few more photographs in the queue.  Shall try to post tomorrow.