2016 April 30

    Here is Mike Yip’s geometrid from Cross Road, Nanoose Bay, April 29.  It is Xanthorhoe defensaria.

Xanthorhoe defensaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Mike Yip

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Bill Savale and I went to the Kinsol Trestle today, hoping to find Western Tailed Blues.  No luck – the Lathyrus that they depend on were not yet in flower. Besides Western Spring Azures and Cabbage Whites, we saw a Red Admiral and a Two-banded Grizzled Skipper.  Jeremy adds that at 6:00 p.m. this evening there were a Red Admiral and a California Tortoiseshell on the Mount Tolmie reservoir.

   Annie Pang sends a picture of a Two-spotted Ladybird.

Two-spotted Ladybird Adalia bipunctata  (Col.: Coccinellidae)  Annie Pang

   Rosemary Jorna writes: I’ll bet this Ladybird Beetle found on the spit at Witty’s Lagoon, April 30 2016, is Harmonia axyridis.  Jeremy Tatum responds: With that big black W on its thorax, so do I!

Harmonia axyridis (Col.: Coccinellidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Rosemary continues:  This little bug that appeared on the lens of my camera at Witty’s Lagoon, April 30 2016, was tentatively identified as a spittle bug nymph by the naturalists at Metchosin’s Biodiversity Day.  [Yes – I’ll go along with that – Jeremy.]  She also sends a photograph of a bee from the same area.

 Spittlebug nymph, possibly Philaenus spumarius (Hem.: Aphrophoridae)

Rosemary Jorna

Honey Bee Apis mellifera (Hym.: Apidae)  Rosemary Jorna.

   Mike Yip writes from Nanoose Bay:  It really felt like butterfly weather this morning so I decided to check out the Sundew Main logging road. As usual, Western Spring Azures were abundant, and commas continued to be non-existent. [I still haven’t seen a Satyr Comma! – Jeremy]  Species available were a pair of first-of-year Mylitta Crescents, 5 Pale Tiger Swallowtails, 1 Sara Orangetip, 2 Western Brown Elfins, 4 Grey Hairstreaks, 5 Two-banded Grizzled Skippers, and 1 Cabbage White.  A late afternoon walk at the Cross Road trail was relatively quiet with only a few Western Spring Azures, 3 Western Brown Elfins, one Western Tailed Blue, and one Mourning Cloak. The Western Tailed Blue had better tails than the previous one I sent you.

Western Tailed Blue Everes amyntula (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Mike Yip

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mike Yip

 Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Mike Yip

Male Mylitta Crescent Phyciodes mylitta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mike Yip

Western Spring Azures Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Mike Yip