2023 June 18

    Aziza Cooper photographed a Western Tiger Swallowtail at Pedder Bay on June 16,  and a Painted Lady and an Essex Skipper at Panama Flats.

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Aziza Cooper

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui  (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Aziza Cooper

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

Western Tiger Swallowtails, Lorquin’s Admirals and Essex Skippers are numerous just now.  For example, today, June 18, Jeff Gaskin counted a total of 104 Lorquin’s Admirals at three locations (63 at Swan Lake) and 37 Western Tiger Swallowtails.  However, there have been few reports of Pale Tiger Swallowtails in the last few days, so observers are asked to keep a look-out for them.   Jeff reports a Painted Lady at Swan Lake today.  Jeremy Tatum saw two Painted Ladies at the top of Mount Tolmie.

Jeremy Tatum shows a caterpillar from a willow at Rithet’s Bog, June, 17:

Nycteola frigidana (Lep.: Nolidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Ian Cooper continues his photography of small creatures of which many of us are unaware, from *Colquitz River Park in Saanich and along the #Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal.  The photographs below were taken on May 26.

*Woodlouse hunter spider – Dysdera crocata  (Ara.: Dysderidae)   Ian Cooper

*Jumping bristletail Pedetontus, possibly saltator
(Microcoryphia:  Machilidae)
Ian Cooper

#Otiorhynchus singularis (Col.: Curculionidae)   Ian Cooper
Thanks to Scott Gilmore for the identification.

 #Enoplognatha ovata (Ara.: Theridiidae)   Ian Cooper

#Snakefly (Raphidiidae) – Agulla assimilis  Ian Cooper

2023 June 17

   Jochen Möhr sends photographs of a Silver-spotted Tiger Moth caterpillar, from Metchosin.

 Lophocampa argentata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jochen Möhr

 Lophocampa argentata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jochen Möhr

2023 June 16

Jeff Gaskin writes:  Yesterday, June 15, I found a Common Whitetail dragonfly in Cuthbert Holmes Park.  It was by the Colquitz River behind Newbury Street.

Aziza Cooper writes:  On Thursday June 15 there was one Painted Lady at Panama Flats, along the East-West dike on the west side.

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Ann Tiplady sends photographs of a Sheep Moth seen yesterday

Sheep Moth Hemileuca eglanterina (upperside) (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Ann Tiplady

Sheep Moth Hemileuca eglanterina (underside) (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Ann Tiplady

Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of a chrysalis of a Satyr Comma.  He writes:  It has pupated on the price tag of one of a bunch of wooden sticks that I bought in a hobby shop, specifically to encourage butterfly caterpillars to pupate on them.  The lady in the shop asked me what I was building and what I wanted the sticks for.  How could I reply?   I felt so embarrassed!

Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus  (Lep.: Nymphalidae).
Jeremy Tatum

In the photograph below, by Marie O’Shaughnessy, of the batch of Mourning Cloak caterpillars at Cattle Point, all but three of the batch are crowded together on the underside of a single Aspen leaf.  It they look slightly unprepossessing, it is because they are just preparing for ecdysis (skin-change) between second (I think) and third instars, so they are not looking their best.  The remaining three are in my living room, writes Jeremy Tatum.

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

2023 June 15

June Butterfly Count
Message from Gordon Hart

Hello, Butterfly Watchers,
The June count period starts Saturday June 17 until Sunday June 25. This is an informal census of butterfly numbers and species in Greater Victoria. The area is defined by the Christmas Bird Count circle, extending from Victoria to Brentwood Bay and Island View Road in Central Saanich, and west to Happy Valley and Triangle Mountain, and the Langford Lake and Goldstream areas.
You can submit a count any time over the count period, just use a separate form for each count and location. In the case of repeat or duplicate counts, I will use the higher numbers. To submit counts, please use the form from the VNHS website at https://www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?p=33
If you have difficulty with the form, just send me an email with the information.
Thank-you for submitting your sightings and good luck with your count.

Gordon

Gordon Hart,
Butterfly Count Coordinator,
Victoria Natural History Society

    Jeremy Tatum writes:  Today I spotted a large, full-grown Mourning Cloak caterpillar crossing Carey Road in Victoria.  It was obviously looking for somewhere safe to pupate after having left its willow foodplant.  I was in a hurry on another errand, and I had no container of any kind, so I picked it up and put it in a suitable safe place and l left it there.  I still have a few of the still tiny (second instar) Mourning Cloak caterpillars from the large bunch at Cattle Point (see June 7 evening).

Cheryl Hoyle sends photographs of a pug moth  and a caterpillar of a Vapourer Moth, also known as Rusty Tussock.  Some pugs are difficult to identify, and we can’t be 100 percent certain, but this one may be Eupithecia unicolor

 Probably   Eupithecia unicolor(Lep.: Geometridae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Orgyia antiqua (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae) Cheryl Hoyle

2023 June 14

   Aziza Cooper sends a photograph of a Painted Lady on a dirt trail below the benches east of the north parking lot at Mount Tolmie, on the morning of June 13.

  Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Marie O’Shaughnessy writes:  Essex Skippers, many (10) seen along Beach Drive at the Hooker’s Onion patch by the entrance gate of Uplands Park, June 13, 2023, and another along West Saanich Road.

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

Marie also saw, along West Saanich Road, an Eight-spotted Skimmer catch a beetle in flight and rest on a perch to munch upon it.

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy