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

2015 April 9

   Barbara McGrenere writes:  About 4:30 yesterday afternoon, Mike and I took a short hike to the south slope of Mount Douglas to look for butterflies.  There were eight Sara Orangetips –  one stopped briefly on a low growing plant with purple “pea” type flowers.  There was also one fast flying Propertius Duskywing and one Western Spring Azure that did not stop flying.

Male Sara Orangetip Anthocharis sara (Lep.: Pieridae)

Barbara McGrenere

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Today I saw a Sara Orangetip and a Propertius Duskywing on Christmas Hill, and two Satyr Commas along the Lochside trail between Lohbrunner’s and Blenkinsop Lake. I saw no butterflies at all on Mount Tolmie, but I did find something else of interest.  I came across a small colony of mining bees, probably Adrena sp.  There were about 20 burrow entrances on or beside the path, and several bees flying around them.  But almost as many as the bees were a number of bombyliid flies (Bee flies), probably Bombylius major, obviously interested in the burrows.  I got down on my hands and knees and watched them for a while, pretending to be J. H. Fabre.  Typically a fly would hover about a centimetre immediately above a burrow entrance, and then suddenly it would dart down to the entrance of the burrow in the twinkling of an eye, and be off.  I looked to see if there were any eggs scattered around the entrance to the burrow, but I couldn’t find any.  I watched this behaviour over and over again.  Although I can’t be a hundred percent certain, I believe that when a bee fly darted down in the twinkling of an eye, it probably threw an egg right down into the burrow.  It was fascinating to watch.  There were also a few very tiny bees with a shiny green thorax, which occasionally entered the burrow of the mining bees, and I was sure that this small bee was up to no good.

        Courtney Smith sends a photo of a caterpillar found today in Estevan Village.

(Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)

Courtney Smith

2015 April 8

    Jeff Gaskin writes:   There was a Satyr Comma on Hector Road near Interurban Road around 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 7, and it looked in pretty good condition.

    Barbara McGrenere writes:  This afternoon, Mike and I had a Western Elfin basking on a rhododendron in our garden in Saanich.  It was cooperative and I have attached a photo.

Barbara McGrenere