2016 May 24

    Here are some photographs of Boisduval’s Blue from Devon Parker’s trip to the clear cuts west of Spectacle Lake on May 19.  Also a Western Spring Azure from there, and two that we can’t be 100 percent sure of, but which may be Silvery Blues.   The first photograph is of a fairly battered individual, and it appears to have the marks of a bird’s bill on its wings, especially the right hindwing, and near the tornus of the right forewing.

Boisduval’s Blue Icaricia icarioides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Devon Parker

Boisduval’s Blue Icaricia icarioides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Devon Parker

Boisduval’s Blue Icaricia icarioides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Devon Parker

 Boisduval’s Blue Icaricia icarioides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Devon Parker

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Devon Parker

Maybe Silvery Blue ? Glaucopsyche lygdamus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Devon Parker

Maybe Silvery Blue ? Glaucopsyche lygdamus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Devon Parker

    While near Spectacle Lake on May 22, Devon photographed the moth below:

Hemaris thetis  (Lep.: Sphingidae)   Devon Parker

   Libby Avis sends some photographs from a hike to Cous Estuary in the Alberni Valley, Saturday May 21^st.

 Buprestis aurulenta (Col.: Buprestidae)   Libby Avis

Chrysolina quadrigemina/hyperici (Col.: Chrysomelidae)  Libby Avis

Libby writes:  Both are European species released here to control St John’s Wort.  Hard to tell apart without dissection, although Bug Guide says quadrigemina seems to be more common. We saw large numbers of them all clustered on the host plant.

Leptarctia californiae (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Libby Avis

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of a male Philodromus dispar from Victoria, May 21.

Philodromus dispar (Ara.: Philodromidae) Annie Pang.

   During the two-Parker two-Jeremy expedition on May 14 to find the Johnson’s Hairstreak in the Jordan River area, we came across a handsome noctuid caterpillar on an

alder leaf. Jeremy Gatten soon after identified it as Eurois sp., and further reference to David Wagner’s book on owlet caterpillars revealed that it was almost certainly Eurois astricta.  While it initially continued to feed on alder, it very soon turned its attention to Hardhack which I had brought in for somebody else.  Here is a picture of the caterpillar.

Eurois astricta (Lep.: Noctuidae)    Jeremy Tatum

2016 May 23

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Sorry I didn’t manage an Invert Alert yesterday – I was curled up comfortably in bed all day.  Nice to do once in a while.  Although it’s morning now, this will probably be the only Invert Alert I’ll post today, but keep the observations and photos coming in.  I think I have caught up as of Monday morning, but, if you think that I may have missed any of your photographs, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

Rosemary Jorna took a photograph of a syrphid fly at Whiffin Spit on May 18.  We thank Jeff Skevington who tells us that, although it cannot be identified for certain at species level from the photograph, it is female of the genus Syrphus.

Syrphus sp. (Dip.: Syrphidae)   Rosemary Jorna

Nick Doe sends a photograph of a Mesoleuca gratulata from Gabriola Island, May 22, which I think is a slightly late date for this species.

Mesoleuca gratulata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Nick Doe

Jeremy Tatum sends another photograph of a Large Yellow Underwing.  You can compare this one with the one posted on May 19 to see just how variable this European species is.

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

Annie Pang reports her first sightings for the year – and very early ones at that – of Lorquin’s Admiral at Gorge Park. May 20.

 Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Annie Pang

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Annie Pang

   And Marie O’Shaughnessy found one on Mount Tomie on May 22.  Seems that Lorquin’s Admirals are back in season – a little early.

On May 7, Gordon Hart found a strange-looking beetle.  Thanks to Scott Gilmore for identifying it as Neoclytus conjunctus.

 Neoclytus conjunctus (Col.: Cerambycidae)  Gordon Hart

Scott Gilmore sends pics of three nice beetles form Upper Lantzville, May 21.

Cardiophorus sp. (Col.: Elateridae) Scott Gilmore

Buprestis aurulenta (Col.: Buprestidae) Scott Gilmore

Three-banded Lady Beetle Coccinella trifasciata (Col.: Coccinellidae)

Scott Gilmore

Rosemary Jorna sends a photograph of a Cinnabar Moth, seen on Gillespie Road, May 21.

Cinnabar Moth Tyria jacobaeae (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae) Rosemary Jorna

Devon Parker sends reports of some butterflies seen on May 21 and 22:

May 21

Hill with Radio Tower east of Mallard Lake, Tofino

1 Anise Swallowtail

3 Western Pale Swallowtail

1 Western Pine Elfin

1 Western Brown Elfin ovipositing on Kinickinnick

May 22

Clearcut North of Spectacle Lake, Malahat

1 Common Ringlet (aka Large Heath Coenonympha tullia)

2 Mylitta Crescent

3 Persius Duskywing

1 Western Pale Swallowtail ovipositing on Alder and Oceanspray

2 Western Brown Elfin

2 Two-Banded Grizzled Skipper

1 Cedar Hairstreak

15+ Boisduval’s Blue (blackmorei subspecies)

10+ Western Spring Azure

2106 May 21

   Rosemary Jorna and Annie Pang each send pictures of a bumblebee;  Rosemary’s from Kemp Lake Road, May 18;  Annie’s from Esquimalt Gorge Park, May 20.  Unfortunately I can’t identify most Hymenoptera, so if there is any viewer out there who knows what these bees are, please do let us know, at   jtatum AT uvic.ca

Bumblebee,  probably Bombus sp. (Hym.: Apidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Bumblebee,  probably Bombus sp. (Hym.: Apidae)  Annie Pang

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Is this a dagger which I see before me?   Actually Jeremy Tatum didn’t write that at all – William Shakespeare did.  I don’t know the play Macbeth very well, but I assume that there is a character in the play who is a moth enthusiast, and that he has just come across a member of the genus Acronicta.  The moths of this large genus are called daggers because they show a dagger-like mark in the middle of the forewing.   This mark is prominent and obvious in some species.  In others it requires a little bit of imagination.  I think in Acronicta dactylina it needs rather more than a little bit.  I can’t honestly say that I see a dagger before me at all.

Acronicta dactylina (Lep.:  Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Here is Enargia infumata  from Blenkinsop Lake:

Enargia infumata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

And here is a Common Emerald Moth.  It is an introduced European species.  It is known as the Common Emerald in Britain, but here, at least in Victoria, it is commoner than most of our native emeralds, so the name is still appropriate.

Common Emerald Hemithea aestivaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

2016 May 19

Gordon Hart writes: Hi Butterfly Counters,

The Victoria May Butterfly Count starts this Saturday, May 21.  The count period is from the 3rd Saturday to the 4th Sunday – nine days, and will end Sunday May 29. This has been a great spring so far, so with good weather we should have a productive count.

Please use the form at  https://www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?p=33 to submit your results. Submit a separate form for each area you count, so I can take the higher number in case of double counting.

If you’d like a suggestion about what area to count, send me an email.

Please let me know if you want to be removed from this list. If you know of anyone who would like to be added, please give them my email address.

Thanks for submitting your sightings, and happy counting!

Gordon Hart

Agnes Lynn announces: Sunday, May 22

FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 2)

Birds, Blooms and Butterflies on Mount Tolmie

Early in the morning, we have a good chance of enjoying some special spring migrants on Mount Tolmie. Expect to enjoy hearing warblers and flycatchers as your reward for getting up so early on this long weekend. Western Tanagers are possible and occasionally a Western Kingbird might show up. After the birds quieten down, we can spend some time checking out the last of the wildflowers. Bring a snack to eat while we wait for it to warm up and then we may be able to enjoy some of the Butterflies who enjoy the hot dry habitat. Take the turnoff from Cedar Hill Cross Road and park at the main parking lot just north of the summit. Meet at 7:00 a.m. to catch all the best birds singing. Contact Rick at (250) 885-2454 or Agnes at thelynns at shaw.ca or (250)721- 0634 for more information.

Annie Pang sends in a few photographs from Gorge Park.

Female Anthomyia procellaris (Dip.: Anthomyiidae)   Annie Pang

(Thanks to Scott Gilmore for this identification.)

    Sceliphron caementarium (Hym.: Sphecidae)  Annie Pang

Sceliphron caementarium (Hym.: Sphecidae)  Annie Pang

Sceliphron caementarium (Hym.: Sphecidae)  Annie Pang

Annie sends us some moments of high drama between a jumping spider (identified by Robin Leech) and a Bluebottle, at Gorge Park.

Bluebottle Calliphora vomitoria (Dip.: Calliphoridae)  and

Jumping spider Salticus scenicus (Ara.: Salticidae)
Annie Pang

 Bluebottle Calliphora vomitoria (Dip.: Calliphoridae)

 and Jumping spider Salticus scenicus (Ara.: Salticidae)

Annie Pang

   You may choose whose side you are on, but eventually the spider had to look elsewhere for dinner.

Devon Parker visited Denman Island on May 16 and came back with a good haul of interesting pictures.

Roadside Skipper Amblyscirtes vialis (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Devon Parker

 Edith Checkerspots Euphydryas editha  (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Devon Parker

Two-banded Grizzled Skipper Pyrgus ruralis (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Devon Parker

Cicindela oregona (Col.: Carabidae – Cicindelinae) Devon Parker

(Beetles kindly identified for us by Scott Gilmore.)

Jeremy Tatum sends a picture of a Large Yellow Underwing from a pupa found in a vegetable garden in Grant Street, Victoria.  The adult moth emerged on May 18.

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

He also sends a photograph of, well, is it Triphosa haesitata or Coryphista meadii? There are two possible ways of identifying it.  You could scroll down to May 7 and see Rebecca Reader-Lee’s photographs of Coryphista meadii, or April 21, where you can study the Gatten criteria for distinguishing the species.  Alternatively, you can have a peek at the caption underneath the photograph – that’s a  dead give-away.  The moth came from an egg that was found on Mahonia at Munn Road shown on April 21, and the caterpillar was shown on May 6.

 Coryphista meadii (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jeremy Tatum

I’m still greatly behindhand, and there are more photos from contributors patiently waiting in the queue.  More tomorrow.

2016 May 18

   Still a little under the weather, so I hope you’ll excuse me if there’s no Invert Alert today.   Lots of nice pics in the queue, and I’ll get round to them in the fullness of time. 

Think I’ll curl up in bed now   Good night.   Jeremy Tatum