2016 January 21

Jeremy Tatum writes:  My first noctuid moth of the year appeared at my Saanich apartment today – Egira hiemalis. I don’t know if it has an English name, but moths of the genus Egira are generally called “woodlings”.  Most appear early in the spring, but the earliest is usually Egira hiemalis.  “Hiemalis” means “of the winter” in Greek, so “Winter Woodling” might be a suitable name to use.   On this Invert Alert site, the species has been shown previously on nine dates ranging from January 16 to March 24, although all but one of these was in January or February.  I have never found the caterpillar, but it is known to feed on Douglas Fir.

Egira hiemalis (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jeremy Tatum

  Last year in January I posted a report on the butterflies that had been reported on this site from the southern Vancouver Island birdwatching area in 2014.  Tomorrow, or at least sometime during the next few days, I’ll do a similar report for 2015.  Jeremy Tatum