2022 July 25 afternoon

    Jochen Möhr writes from Metchosin:

We continue to have an abundance of Essex Skippers here – wherever I go I disturb them from flowers or grasses.  I did not spot a single Woodland Skipper yet.  

We also continue to have our two (at least) Lorquin’s Admirals.  They have been here essentially since July 8 or so, that is for more than two weeks.  I think they may be competing males rather than a couple.  

In the evening at the light, we continue to have an abundance of Malacosomas.   Mostly females, but every now and then a male.  

And on top of that, I am gratified by the appearance of numerous greenish “Emeralds”.  Tonight at least three Common Emeralds  Hemithea  aestivaria.  But with these and Campaea perlata yesterday, and Nemoria unitaria the day before, we had three of these green beauties in a row!   

Malacosoma californicum (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)  Jochen Möhr

 

 Lep.: Crambidae – Scopariinae.  Jochen Möhr

 

Common Emerald Hemithea aestivaria (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Seeing Val George’s photograph in this morning’s posting of a Polyphylla beetle reminded me that in recent years there has been uncertainty here about the local status and the identification of P. decemlineata  and P. crinita, so I asked coleopterist Charlene Wood to comment.  This is what she wrote:

While it’s not possible for me to see the thick hairs on the pronotum, the pronotum also tends to be more red compared with the elytra in this species, which is evident in Val’s photo. 

Perhaps all in our area are crinita according to the expert, Andrew Smith. Many records of decemlineata are misidentified along the west coast and Andrew noted that decemlineata might not occur in British Columbia at all.

Val’s photo is of a male. My son and I had a female on our doorstep yesterday morning also:

Polyphylla crinita  (Col.: Scarabaeidae)  Charlene Wood

   Marie O’Shaughnessy writes:  There was a nice fresh looking Painted Lady on the Mount Tolmie reservoir at 6.30 pm yesterday, along with 1 Pale Tiger Swallowtail, 3 Lorquin’s Admirals, 1 Western Tiger Swallowtail and a very worn Red Admiral. 

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Pale Tiger Swallowtail Papilio eurymedon (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

 

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy