April 23

St George’s Day

Libby Avis sends two photographs of a male Ceanothus Silk Moth Hyalophora euryalus taken in Port Alberni today (April 23).  She writes: This was a real treat – we don’t see it very often! Five years since our last sighting, but I opened the front door this morning and there it was. Just had time to take a few photos. It was slowly opening and closing its wings and was gone five minutes later.

Hyalophora euryalus (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Libby Avis

Hyalophora euryalus (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Libby Avis

   Aziza Cooper writes:  At the summit of Mount Douglas, on Thursday, Apr. 21, there were:

2 California Tortoiseshells

1 Painted Lady

1 Red Admiral

1 Western Spring Azure

1 Sara Orangetip

Here are photos of the Red Admiral and the two California Tortoiseshells perching near each other. Getting the two together is quite rare since they mostly seem to be madly dashing around the top of the hill.

Today, April 23, Aziza continues, I found an Autographa californica on the west slope of Mount Douglas.

 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.:  Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

California Tortoiseshells Nymphalis californica (Lep.:  Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Autographa californica (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Aziza Cooper