2016 September 05

    About seven people attended the monthly Butterfly Walk yesterday.  We went out to Island View Beach.  We saw several Woodland Skippers and Large Heaths (“Ringlets”) nectaring on Douglas Asters in the grassy fields inland from the beach, and a female Purplish Copper on the sand dunes apparently ovipositing on the Beach Knotweed Polygonum paronychia.  And, of course, a few inevitable Cabbage Whites.  Finally, a Red Admiral awaited us on our return to Mount Tolmie, for a total of five species – not bad for September.   There were lots of tiny micro moths on the sand dunes, one of which was photographed by Aziza Cooper. Not sure what they are – other than a species of crambid moth.  Some of the more undisciplined members of the party, (that is to say, all of us) saw a few birds – Common Nighthawk, Wilson’s Snipe, Cedar Waxwing, Merlin, Mourning Dove, and lots of American Pipits.  Jeremy Tatum

   Here are a few of Aziza’s photographs from the trip.

Purplish Copper Lycaena helloides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

Purplish Copper Lycaena helloides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

Large Heath (“Ringlet”) Coenonympha tullia (Lep.: Nymphalidae – Satyrinae)

 Aziza Cooper

Micro moth (Lep.: Crambidae)  Aziza Cooper

  Meanwhile Annie Pang photographed a potter wasp (to quote Vera Lynn – “don’t know where, don’t know when”!), identified by Matthias Buck.

Male Ancistrocerus (probably albophaleratus) (Hym.: Vespidae – Eumeninae)

 Annie Pang

    Jeremy Tatum writes:  I have been asked what were the 26 species of butterfly that I saw in a small area of Sussex, England, in two days in August!  Well, that doesn’t strictly belong in this Vancouver Island site, but, to satisfy the curious, here they are:

Small Skipper                           Small Copper                           Peacock

Essex Skipper                           Small Blue                                Comma

Silver-spotted Skipper            Brown Argus                            Dark Green Fritillary

Large Skipper                           Common Blue                          Speckled Wood

Clouded Yellow                        Chalkhill Blue                           Wall Brown

Brimstone                                 Holly Blue                                Gatekeeper

Large White                              Red Admiral                             Meadow Brown

Small White                              Painted Lady                            Small Heath

Green-veined White                Small Tortoiseshell