2017 June 9

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I have just received an announcement from BCNature which says:

Starting May 23rd and running until August 13th, we will be accepting photo entries which capture the beauty of Canadian nature all around us. Special prizes from our generous supporters are available for the winners who will be announced.

   It occurs to me that we have a lot of absolutely super photos from contributors to Invert Alert, and you might want to enter some of your Invert photos to the BCNature competition.  I have absolutely no objection (indeed I would strongly encourage you to enter), and as far as I know VNHS doesn’t either.  Whether BCNature has any restrictions such as “mustn’t have been posted elsewhere” you’d have to find out from them.  Presumably if you googled BCNature you’d find some details.

  David Allinson sends an interesting photograph of a noctuid moth that at first sight might look as though it were crippled.  In fact I believe it is in excellent health.  I believe it has just (within the last few minutes) emerged from its pupa, and its wings have not yet expanded.  The moth will climb up on to something, and its wings (initially soft and flabby) will expand and harden in 20 minutes or so.  All of this miracle is perfectly normal.  Because its wings have not yet expanded, I don’t think I can identify it, other than to Family level.

Freshly-emerged noctuid moth (Lep.: Noctuidae)  David Allison

   Ann Tiplady sends a photograph of a halictid bee Agapostemon sp. from her Oak Bay garden.

Agapostemon sp. (Hym.: Halictidae)  Ann Tiplady

   Ann also sends a photograph of a very young (second instar?) caterpillar of a Vapourer Moth from a lupine in her garden.

Vapourer Moth Orgyia antiqua (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae)

Ann Tiplady

2017 June 8

   Jochen Moehr sends a picture of a harvestman from Metchosin, kindly identified for us by Philip Bragg as Phalangium opilio.

Harvestman Phalangium opilio (Opi.: Phalangidae)  Jochen Moehr

   It seems that we have a spate of Sphinx perelegans just now.  Kurtis Herberger has a second individual (pictured below) at his Mill Hill home, Libby Avis has seen one in Port Alberni, and Annie Pang writes that she has been hearing from several people around the Island who have seen them.

Sphinx perelegans (Lep.: Sphingidae) Kurtis Herperger

   Jeff Gaskin writes that Kirsten Mills saw a Lorquin’s Admiral at Swan Lake by the parking lot on June 06.

2017 June 7, evening

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Amazing!   This morning I received a photograph, posted on this morning’s Alert, of Sphinx perelegans from Salt Spring Island, and just three hours after I posted it now we have another one – sent by Kurtis Herperger, from the base of Mill Hill in Langford.  Although I have (a very few times) seen the look-alike Sphinx vashti and its caterpillar, I have never actually seen the slightly larger perelegans. Both are spectacular insects!

Sphinx perelegans (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Kurtis Herperger

   Gordon Hart writes:  On Tuesday June 6, several of us went up to the Goldstream Heights area to find Grey Jays. No luck with that, but we did see two Two-banded Grizzled Skippers, a Cedar Hairstreak, and a few dragonflies.  Today in Uplands Park, there were at least two Western Tiger Swallowtails, a Cabbage White and a Painted Lady.

Two-banded Grizzled Skipper Pyrgus ruralis (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Gordon Hart

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  Today, June 07, there were at least 8 Field Crescents amongst the grass and daisies right by Eddy’s Storage on Stelly’s Cross  Road, which is about 300 – 400 metres west of West Saanich Road.

  Aziza Cooper writes:  Yesterday, June 6, I was at the Victoria Golf Course at 7:15am, and a Red Admiral was perching on a pine trunk.

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Aziza Cooper

2017 June 7 morning

   Ron Flower sends a photograph of two Field Crescents from Eddy’s storage facility on Stelly’s Cross Road, June 5.

 Field Crescents Phyciodes pratensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae – Melitaeinae)  Ron Flower

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of Hyphantria cunea from UVic, June 6.  The caterpillar of this moth is the “Fall Webworm”.

Hyphantria cunea (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jeremy Tatum

Michael Aronoff sends a picture of Sphinx perelegans  from Salt Spring Island – an uncommon, powerful and spectacular moth.

 Sphinx perelegans (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Michael Aronoff

   Cheryl Hoyle sends two pictures of the caterpillar of a noctuid moth.  There are too many look-alikes for us to be certain of the exact species.

Unknown caterpillar (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Unknown caterpillar (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Yesterday (June 6) at about 4:00 pm I went to the Mount Tolmie reservoir, and there were eight or more tiger swallowtails (both species) flying around and chasing each other and obviously thoroughly enjoying themselves.  It was quite spectacular to watch them.  There were just a couple of Painted Ladies on the reservoir – the nymphalids tend to come a bit later, say half past five or so.

2017 June 6 morning

Rare butterfly alert!  Ron Flower writes:  Today June 5 at Eddy’s storage on Stelly’s Cross Road there were numerous Field Crescents, with many mating on the daisies.

Jody Wells sends a photograph of a Large Yellow Underwing from West Saanich Road near Brentwood Bay yesterday.

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua coma (Lep.: Noctuidae)

Jody Wells