2015 June 17

   Gordon Hart writes:  We were up near Courtenay on June 15, so we drove up to Mount Washington and walked the lower slopes near the alpine lodge. The most common butterfly was Western Meadow Fritillary Boloria epithore. There were dozens everywhere, some very worn and some much fresher. There were several whites and blues, but none stopped long enough for a closer look. Other species were seen down below the lodge in Paradise Meadows, the entrance to Strathcona Park. There we saw two Anise Swallowtails, and one comma, probably a P. zephyrus with a grey underside, and lots more fritillaries.  The moths were mostly tiny geometrids, but there was also a black Rheumaptera hastata .  I have attached pictures of a fritillary, a sawfly with a lime-green and black body, two beetles with nice yellow-green elytra [identified for us as Pachyta armata, by Scott Gilmore] and a cicada, probably Okanagana occidentalis; and the moth.

Spear Moth, or Argent and Sable Rheumaptera hastata (Lep.: Geometridae) Gordon Hart

Cicada, probably Okanagana occidentalis (Hem.: Cicadidae)   Gordon Hart

Pachyta armata (Col.: Cerambycidae)   Gordon Hart

Sawfly (Hym.: Symphyta)  Gordon Hart

Western Meadow Fritillary Boloria epithore (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Gordon Hart

Western Meadow Fritillary Boloria epithore (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Gordon Hart

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a photograph of some caterpillars of Milbert’s Tortoiseshell found on the Hillmann Trail during Saturday’s Bioblitz in Metchosin.

The caterpillars of Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, Satyr Comma and Red Admiral all feed on Stinging Nettle.  Those of the comma and the admiral are solitary, whereas those of the tortoiseshell are highly gregarious, sometimes being found in groups of a hundred or more.  I satisfied myself with five.  In the last week or so I have been finding caterpillars of Red Admiral in almost every nettle patch I look at.  We should be seeing lots of adult butterflies in a few weeks.

Milbert’s Tortoiseshell Aglais milberti (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2015 June 16

Aziza Cooper writes:  Hi, butterfly watchers, This is a reminder that our up-island trip is this Saturday. We should have good weather for butterflies.

If you need a ride, let me know and I’ll post it to my list. Rides need to be arranged beforehand, and riders should expect to share expenses.

We’ll be getting together at the Mount Washington Alpine Lodge at about 10:30am. The drive is about 2 1/2 hours from Victoria. I plan to explore the trails in the meadows near the lodge, so latecomers will be able to find the group near the base of the chairlift. We’ll continue to check further along the trails and meadows above the parking lot for the morning.

In the early afternoon, I’d like to take the chairlift to the top to look for the alpine species. Great Arctic and Arctic Blue are possible. Although Great Arctic are more abundant in even-numbered years, they also occur in odd-numbered years, and I saw many in 2013.

There is a very good road up the mountain, lots of free parking and a café and restrooms in the lodge. Bring your binocs, camera and field guides, and don’t forget sunscreen and a hat.

Hope to see many of you on Saturday on the mountain.

Aziza Cooper

Aziza continues:  In checking which species are expected on the summit of Mt Washington, I took a look at the blue I saw there two years ago. It’s an Arctic Blue, from the dark ground and large markings on the ventral side. It’s interesting being a newbie and getting a lifer two years after seeing the butterfly. This rarely happens with birding!

[Jeremy Tatum comments:  Well, I shouldn’t really allow a two-year-old photo on the Invert Alert, but I’ll take this as an enticement for viewers to join the Mount Washington trip – one of the goodies that you might see there!   Jeremy]

Arctic Blue Agriades glandon (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

   Val George reports an Anise Swallowtail from Uplands Park, June 15.

   Mike Yip sends a photograph of a Dun Skipper from his Nanoose garden, June 15.

Dun Skipper Euphyes vestris (Lep.: Hesperiidae)   Mike Yip

2015 June 15

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Yesterday (June 14) I went briefly to Eddy’s Self Storage at 1064 Stelly’s Cross Road, Brentwood Bay, and I saw several Field Crescents there.  Thank you, Aziza Cooper, for drawing our attention to these in the June 11 posting.

   Annie Pang sends a picture of an Eight-spotted Skipper from Esquimalt Gorge Park, June 10.

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Annie Pang

   Jeremy Tatum sends pictures of three rather different and specialized moth cocoons

from the last few days.

Nycteola frigidana (Lep.: Nolidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Behrensia conchiformis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Schreckensteinia festaliella (Lep.: Schreckensteiniidae) Jeremy Tatum

Schreckensteinia festaliella (Lep.: Schreckensteiniidae) Jeremy Tatum

   This last insect was identified for me by Eric LaGasa. It seemed hardly larger than a House Fly.  4 mm from head to tail;  6 mm from head to wing tip.  Larval foodplant Rubus. It is known as the Raspberry Skeletonizer.

   Eric LaGasa also kindly identified the tortricid below as the European Leaf Roller. Archips rosanus. It’s all in the costal fold!

Archips rosanus (Lep.: Tortricidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Ken Vaughan writes:  Off to the Beaver Lake Ponds again this morning, June 15. (What else do I do?) Not much new, except for sighting two male Common Whitetails Plathemis lydia, and eventually getting close to one to get a good photo. Also included is a reminder that dragonflies are carnivorous, in spite of their
beauty: a teneral Western Pondhawk munching on a Tule Bluet. I watched it snatch it right out of the air.

Common Whitetail Plathemis lydia (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Ken Vaughan

Western Pondhawk Erythemis collocata (Odo.: Libellulidae)

and

Tule Bluet Enallagma carunculatum (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)
Ken Vaughan

   Val George sends a photograph of a Dun Skipper from the VNHS trip to Nanoose and Harewood Plains on June 14.

2015 June 14

   Sorry, no June 13 posting – too tired!

   Annie Pang sends photographs of an upper- and underside of a Western Tiger Swallowtail from Gorge Park, June 12.  She notes that they enjoy nectaring on Himalayan Blackberry, but they appear to ignore the native Mock Orange blossom.

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Annie Pang

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Annie Pang

    Bill Katz sends a photograph of a Scallop Shell moth from UVic’s Finnerty Gardens.

 Scallop Shell Rheumaptera undulata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Bill Katz.

He also sends a photograph of Eupithecia unicolor  from his Summit Hill Garage.

 Eupithecia unicolor (Lep.: Geometridae) Bill Katz

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I went to Metchosin yesterday as part of the Bioblitz to see if I could find any caterpillars.  Not very many, and it was too hot for me to stay out long, but

I did find caterpillars of Western Spring Azure, Red Admiral and Milbert’s Tortoiseshell.

   The moth below emerged yesterday from a pupa formed by a caterpillar found in March in Mount Douglas Beach Park, which is where I released it yesterday.  I had some difficulty in identifying it at first, because I have never seen a specimen of this species so strongly and boldly marked.  It is the Brown Angle Shades.  Richard South, writing of its European counterpart over 100 years ago, wrote that the moth, when newly emerged from its pupa, is an “exceedingly beautiful creature”.  I think he was right – don’t you?  This species is best known from its habit of resting with its wings folded in pleats.  When it was freshly emerged, it didn’t do this – another thing that made me fail to recognize it immediately.   The usual appearance of this moth here is like the one shown on 2011 September 6.  To access the archival photographs on the site, scroll to the bottom and press END.  Then go again to the bottom and you’ll find a list of months, which you can click on.

Brown Angle Shades Phlogophora periculosa (Lep.;  Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Aziza Cooper writes:  James Miskelly reminded me that I haven’t posted my list of sightings from our trip to Mt Cokely road last weekend. Here it is:

1. W Tiger Swallowtail
2. Pale Swallowtail
3. Anise Swallowtail
4. Clodius Apollo
5. Margined White
6. Sara’s Orangetip
7. Western Sulphur
8. Cedar Hairstreak
9. Grey Hairstreak
10. Brown Elfin
11. Western Pine Elfin
12. W Tailed Blue
13. Silvery Blue
14. W Spring Azure
15. Boisduval’s Blue
16. Zephyr Comma
17. Mourning Cloak
18. Painted Lady
19. Hydaspe Fritillary
20. Mylitta Crescent
21. Lorquin’s Admiral
22. Persius Duskywing
23. Arctic Skipper
24. Two-banded Checkered Skipper

   Scott Gilmore writes: My son and I found a very interesting tiny rove beetle flying across our front lawn yesterday evening – Megarthrus pictus.   [Jeremy Tatum writes:  Scott doesn’t say how big this beetle is, but I found a reference that says length 3 mm – so this is quite a remarkable photograph!]

Megarthrus pictus (Col.: Staphylinidae) Scott Gilmore

2015 June 12

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a chrysalis (Greek chrysos – gold) of a Red Admiral.

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

  And here is the moth Oncocnemis semicollaris:

   Aziza Cooper writes:  Today, June 12, I saw seven European Skippers, my first of year, in about a half-hour’s walk in the east end of Uplands Park. There were also two Lorquin’s Admirals and two Cabbage Whites. A large orange butterfly flew by fast going towards Beach Drive near the southeast entrance to Uplands Park, across from the entrance to Cattle Point.

   Jeremy Tatum ventures tentatively:  A large orange butterfly flying by fast at this time of year often turns out to be a Sheep Moth Hemileuca eglanterina.

European (Essex) Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Aziza Cooper