2017 August 7 evening

   Jeff Gaskin reports a Painted Lady from Clover Point, August 4.  And today, August 7, in Beacon Hill Park, he notes:  8 Pine Whites, almost all in conifers just west of the petting zoo; at least 30 Woodland Skippers; two rather tattered Western Tiger Swallowtails; and a Cabbage White. 

   Gordon Hart photographed a robber fly on Cordova (Saanichton) Spit during the VNHS Butterfly Walk yesterday, August 6.  Rob Cannings writes:  It looks like a female Stenopogon inquinatus. However, I admit I’m not 100% certain because a relative, Scleropogon bradleyi, also flies locally at this time of year. Both, especially the former, are variable in colour, and are sometimes hard to tell apart in photos when they are atypical, like this one. The distinguishing features are almost never visible in pictures. Stenopogon inquinatus usually has a black/orange abdomen but sometimes, as here, it is grey. So I’m going for inquinatus, but I could be mistaken. In my opinion, the two genera should be lumped — as they had been for many years until recently.

Robber fly.  Probably Stenopogon inquinatus  (Dip.: Asilidae)  Gordon Hart

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of a chrysalis of a Red Admiral from Lochside and Lohbrunner’s.

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Barb McGrenere writes: This morning, Mike and I saw 2 Pine Whites high in the Douglas Firs at the top of Observatory Hill.  Sorry, no photos.  We’ve been up there many times this spring and summer and these are the first Pine Whites we have seen this year up there.  There was 1 Cabbage White near the base of Observatory Hill.

2017 August 7 morning 2

   Samantha Hatfield sends a photograph of a Woodland Skipper from Gyro Beach.

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)

Samantha Hatfield

   Ken Vaughan had a good day at the Beaver Lake Retriever Ponds on August 8:

Striped Meadowhawk Sympetrum pallipes (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Ken Vaughan

Probably Spotted Spreadwing Lestes congener (Odo.: Lestidae) Ken Vaughan

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Ken Vaughan

Snipe fly Rhagio sp. (Dip.: Rhagionidae) Ken Vaughan

Ichneumon wasp Pimpla (probably rufipes or near) (Hym.: Ichneumonidae)

Ken Vaughan

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae) Ken Vaughan

Drumming Katydid Meconema thalassinum (Orth.: Tettigoniidae) Ken Vaughan

2017 August 7 morning

   Ten butterfly enthusiasts joined the VNHS monthly Butterfly Walk on Sunday August 6.  Although butterfly activity is beginning to die down, we made a specific target for the outing, namely to try to find the Western Branded Skipper at Cordova (Saanichton) Spit.  Success!  We had good looks at three of these, which were “lifers” for several of our group.  Jeff Gaskin and Aziza Cooper kept score of the butterflies we saw, namely:

   At Mount Tolmie, before we took off:

                                  1 Lorquin’s Admiral

                                  2 Woodland Skippers

                                  1 Cabbage White

   Cordova Spit:         1 Lorquin’s Admiral

                                  3 Cabbage Whites

                              c25 Woodland Skippers

                                 3 Western Branded Skippers

                                 1 Large Heath (“Ringlet”)

   At Mount Tolmie, when we returned:

                                 1 Western Tiger Swallowtail

                                 1 West Coast Lady

Also seen at Cordova Spit was the day-flying moth Heliothis phloxiphaga

Here are some photographs of butterflies and other insects from the trip:

West Coast Lady Vanessa annabella (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Gordon Hart

Western Branded Skipper Hesperia colorado (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

Western Branded Skipper Hesperia colorado (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

Western Branded Skipper Hesperia colorado (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

Western Branded Skipper Hesperia colorado (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Gordon Hart

(plus unidentified fly!)

Heliothis phloxiphaga (Lep.: Noctuidae) Aziza Cooper

Sand wasp Bembix americana (Hym.: Crabronidae)  Gordon Hart

Hunting wasp Ammophila sp. (Hym.: Sphecidae)  Gordon Hart

2017 August 6, evening

   Samantha Hatfield sends photographs of a Pine White from the E&N bike trail in View Royal, and a Lorquin’s Admiral in the North Jubilee neighbourhood.   The usual orange wingtip in the latter is replaced, for some unknown reason, with white.

Male Pine White Neophasia menapia (Lep.: Pieridae)  Samantha Hatfield

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Samantha Hatfield

   Bill Katz sends photographs of two geometrid moths from Goldstream Park.  Thanks to Libby Avis for identifying the first of these for us.

Perizoma costiguttata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Bill Katz

Plemyria georgii (Lep.: Geometridae) Bill Katz

   Aziza Cooper went to Boas Road in the Spectacle Lake area on August 5 and reported:

1 Pine White

1 Lorquin’s Admiral

1 Grey Hairstreak

9 Woodland Skippers

She sends two photographs.  Grey Hairstreaks seem to like nectaring at Pearly Everlasting, which is also the larval foodplant.

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Aziza Cooper

   Annie Pang sends some photographs of a fearful robber fly from Gorge Park, August 1.  Thanks to Rob Cannings for confirming her identification as Laphria fernaldi.

Male robber fly Laphria fernaldi (Dip.: Asilidae)  Annie Pang

Male robber fly Laphria fernaldi (Dip.: Asilidae)  Annie Pang

Male robber fly Laphria fernaldi (Dip.: Asilidae)  Annie Pang

Male robber fly Laphria fernaldi (Dip.: Asilidae)  Annie Pang

More to come tomorrow….

2017 August 5 evening

 From Gordon Hart:

Just a reminder for the VNHS monthly Butterfly Walk this Sunday, August 6.  We will meet at Mt Tolmie at 1 p.m. You can park at the main parking lot north of the summit, or in the lot by the reservoir where we will have an initial look for butterflies and then decide where to go from there.
Hope to see you Sunday!

   Debbie Mayzes writes from Lantzville that the moth below stayed at her house for a long time in June.     It is a Ceanothus Silk Moth Hyalophora euryalus.

Hyalophora euryalus (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Debbie Mayzes