2015 March 25

   Libby Avis sends a photo of an almost full-grown Lorquin’s Admiral caterpillar from her greenhouse in Alberni.  This is astonishingly early for a caterpillar in this stage; at this time of year they would normally be found in their overwintering stage, which is a tiny first-instar caterpillar.  Presumably the combination of greenhouse plus mild winter did the trick. It was feeding on Scouler’s Willow, one of the usual foodplants.

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Libby Avis

   Libby seems to be getting far more moths up there than we do here in Victoria, for she writes:  Starting to get quite a bit of activity at the light now – we`re up to 28 species for March so far, but pretty much the usual suspects:

Lithophane – baileyi, innominata, petulca and georgii

Xylena – nupera,  curvimacula

Egira – hiemalis and several crucialis

Acerra normalis, Anticlea vasiliata, Cerastis enigmatica, Ypsolopha falciferella, Pleromelloida conserta (both dark and light versions) and a couple of Zale lunata

Piles of Triphosa, Orthosia (both hibisci and praeses) and numerous Peridroma saucia.

Several Eupithecia including one gilvipennata which is not that common here.