2023 May 18 afternoon

Message from Gordon Hart

Hello, Butterfly Counters,
The May count period starts Saturday, May 20 until Sunday, May 28. 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 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 http://www.vicnhs.bc.c n/?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

Gordon also sends photographs of two dragonflies from the Pike Lake substation ponds, May 17.  On Mount Tolmie today he saw an Anise Swallowtail and four Pale Tiger Swallowtails.

Female Dot-tailed Whiteface  Leucorhinia intacta  (Odo.: Libellulidae) 

Gordon Hart

Four-spotted Skimmer  Libellula quadrimaculata  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Gordon Hart

    Jeff Gaskin reports that he saw a Pale Tiger Swallowtail at Providence Farm in Duncan today, and he also saw one on Christmas Hill on May 14.

   Ron Flower writes:  Today May 18 we went to Goldstream River where
we saw a Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, a Grey Hairstreak and a Cedar
Hairstreak.  We also saw a moth at Goldstream [shown and identified below]. The California Darner Dragonfly and Sara Orangetip were at Munn’s Road powerlines. We also saw two Pale Tiger Swallowtails and three more Satyr Commas and a Western Tiger Swallowtail at Moses Point.

   Jeremy Tatum notes:  The Orangetip butterfly below appears to be nectaring.  However, it is noted that it is a female and the flower (Lepidium) is one of the larval foodplants, so it is possible that she might be ovipositing.

Sara Orangetip Anthocharis sara  (Lep.: Pieridae)  Ron Flower

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Ron Flower

Cedar Hairstreak  Mitoura rosneri  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Ron Flower

Milbert’s Tortoiseshell Aglais milberti  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Ron Flower

Leptostales rubromarginaria  (Lep.; Geometridae)   Ron Flower

2023 May 18 morning

Yesterday evening Kirsten Mills photographed all five nymphalids that were seen yesterday on Mount Tolmie [see yesterday’s evening posting].

Mourning Cloak  Nymphalis antiopa  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Kirsten Mills

California Tortoiseshell  Nymphalis californica  (Lep.:  Nymphalidae)

Kirsten Mills

Painted Lady  Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Kirsten Mills

West Coast Lady  Vanessa annabella  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Kirsten Mills

West Coast Lady  Vanessa annabella  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Kirsten Mills

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Kirsten Mills

   Aziza Cooper photographed the blue butterfly below yesterday at Lochside Trail and Lohbrunner Road, and the moth on Mount Douglas.   We thank Libby Avis for identifying the moth for us.

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Aziza Cooper

Digrammia muscariata  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Aziza Cooper

   Cheryl Hoyle photographed the four creatures below in View Royal Yesterday.   Thanks to Thomas Barbin for identifying the jumping spider, and to Scott Gilmore for confirming the tiny ladybird beetle.

Platycryptus californicus  (Ara.:  Salticidae) Cheryl Hoyle

Male Misumena vatia   (Ara.: Thomisidae)   Cheryl Hoyle

Twenty-spotted Ladybird  Psyllobora vigintimaculata 

(Col.: Coccinellidae)

Cheryl Hoyle

Malacosoma californicum  (Lep.:  Lasiocampidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

2023 May 17 evening

Jeremy Tatum writes that he saw a Mourning Cloak fly outside his living room window on Poplar Avenue, Saanich, this afternoon.

   At 5:20 pm this evening, Jeremy Tatum and Jeff Gaskin met at the Mount Tolmie reservoir, and we were given an exciting display of five species of Nymphalidae (Painted Lady, West Coast Lady, Red Admiral, California Tortoiseshell, Mourning Cloak), plus a Pale Tiger Swallowtail, in a whirling cloud of butterflies chasing each other, and occasionally alighting on the surface of the reservoir.  It was difficult to count them; we know there were at least two Mourning Cloaks, and there were probably more than one of several of the other species.  Jeff also saw on Mount Tolmie a Cabbage White and a Western Spring Azure, which, however, were not taking part in the spectacular show on the reservoir.

   About an hour later, Kirsten Mills arrived armed with camera. She writes: I saw 2 Painted Ladies, 1 West Coast Lady, 1 Mourning Cloak, 1 Red Admiral, and 1 California Tortoiseshell.   Kirsten took photographs of all five nymphalids, which we shall try to post tomorrow morning.

  Aziza Cooper writes: Today, a Pale Tiger Swallowtail flew past me on Lochside Trail south of Lohbrunner Road. I also saw two Cabbage Whites and one Western Spring Azure there.  On the west slope of Mount Douglas, there was one Sara Orangetip, three Western Spring Azures, and one moth.   Aziza also took photographs of one of the butterflies and the geometrid moth, which we hope to post tomorrow, by which time we hope we shall have identified the moth.

  And there are some non-butterfly photographs also waiting in the queue, perhaps for posting tomorrow.  Quite an eventful day!

2023 May 17 morning

   Aziza Cooper writes:  May 16, at Mount Tolmie, I saw four Painted Ladies, one Mourning Cloak and a Spring Azure.

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

2023 May 16

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  The moth below, variously known as the Virginia Tiger or the Virginia Ermine, is widespread in North America.

Spilosoma virginica   (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jeremy Tatum