2015 April 17

   Barb McGrenere writes:  Late this afternoon (April  16), Mike and I went to the summit of Mount Douglas to look for butterflies.  Flying and basking at the summit near the teacup were 2 Grey Hairstreaks; several Propertius Duskywings; one Red Admiral; at least 4 California Tortoiseshells chasing each other.  On the summit near the towers were about 4 Sara Orangetips and another 2 Propertius Duskywings.

  Marie O’Shaughnessy writes: I thought you might like this one…taken at the top of Observatory Hill April 15.  A lovely warm morning around 10 am.

Marie O’Shaughnessy

   Annie Pang sends a picture of a fly that she photographed at Gorge Park on April 14.

The grey thorax with black markings, combined with the straight fourth vein, mark it as an anthomyiid.  Annie describes it in her inimitable manner:

An itsy bitsy fly upon a wee, little daisy

was sunning in a manner that I thought was rather lazy.

My camera was ready though my eyes felt somewhat hazy

but I got pics of the fly upon that wee, little daisy.

2015 April 16

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a young caterpillar, a full-grown caterpillar, and an adult

Euceratia securella.  The caterpillar was found and reared on Snowberry on Mount Tolmie, and the adult was released on Mount Tolmie today.

 Euceratia securella (Lep.: Plutellidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Jeremy reports from Munn Road today (April 16), an early Tiger Swallowtail (not sure whether Western or Pale), a Green Comma, a Propertius Duskywing, a Western Brown Elfin and several Sara Orangetips and Western Spring Azures.

   Nathan Fisk writes:  Anise Swallowtail spotted at Thetis Lake halfway up Seymour Hill, and another near the Esquimalt Lagoon today.

2015 April 15

   Annie Pang sends a photo of a bee fly (probably Bombylius major) from Gorge Park on April 9.  The larvae of these flies are parasitoidal on bees, such as Andrena sp.  The long, straight, proboscis is just that – it is used for imbibing nectar, not for stinging, and it is not as vicious as it looks.

   Nathan Fisk reports a good view of a Painted Lady nectaring on Sea Blush at Fort Rodd Hill on April 14, as well as several Sara Orangetips.

    Interestingly, Jeff Gaskin also reports a lady, believed to be a Painted Lady, from Christmas Hill, on April 15, as well as two Sara Orangetips, a Western Spring Azure, a Propertius Duskywing, and several Cabbage Whites.

   Scott Gilmore writes from Upper Lantzville: 

 I found a number of fly puparia in a compost leaf pile on April 6th. I had no idea what they might be so I hung onto them.   On the 11th flies started to emerge.

  After some correspondence, Jeremy and Scott agree that the flies are a species of Phaonia.  They agree very well with P. subventa, and also with European P. rufiventris (also known as P. populi).  It seems safest to label them as probably P. subventa.

   Scott continues:  I also came across a Cixiid Planthopper (Family Cixiidae) something I have only seen once before.

  Yesterday (April 14)at a local beach I found Endeodes collaris, a Soft-winged Flower Beetle from the family Melyridae:

Scott Gilmore

2015 April 11

   Bill Katz sends photos of two Gluphisia severa  from Haro Woods,  April 10.

Gluphisia severa (Lep.: Notodontidae)  Bill Katz

Gluphisia severa (Lep.: Notodontidae)  Bill Katz

2015 April 10

   Bill Savale saw a Mourning Cloak yesterday, at the corner of Shelbourne Street and Cedar Hill Cross Road.

   Ann Nightingale was at Muir Creek west of Sooke on Thursday afternoon (April 9) and came across a moderately cooperative Grey Hairstreak.

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Ann Nightingale

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Ann Nightingale

   Mike McGrenere writes:  Daniel Dönnecke and I hiked up Mount Douglas today looking for birds and butterflies. The butterflies were the highlight, though. We saw two California Tortoiseshells at the top (one by the teacup lookout and the other by the tower), 15 Sara Orangetips, 3 Spring Azures and 3 Propertius Duskywings. We also saw a Cabbage White along the Lochside trail.

California Tortoiseshell Nymphalis californica (Lep.: Nymphalidae)

Mike McGrenere

   Annie Pang sends a series of photographs of the Western White Ribbon Carpet Moth Mesoleuca gratulata. It was busy laying eggs of the buds of the Himalayan Blackberry Rubus discolor. The moth inspired Annie to write an ode in its honour.

Ode to a White Ribbon Carpet Moth

                 Annie Pang

This tiny flitting, whimsy passing by;

is it a bit of petal or of cloth?

Too small to be a tiny butterfly,

by day, could it possibly be a moth?

I try to follow as it hovers near,

and looks as if quite soon it will alight

but then to my dismay, oh dear, oh dear,

it changes course!  Is off again in flight!

I chase it here and there, both up and down

and feeling hopeless that I’ll get a shot

do acrobatics, like a foolish clown,

not caring if I wreck my clothes or not.

And then she lands so neatly near my leg

and daintily she lays a tiny egg.

Mesoleuca gratulata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Annie Pang

Mesoleuca gratulata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Annie Pang