2017 July 23

  Jeremy Tatum writes:  Back from holidays, so Invertebrate Alert is back in business – slowly as I recover from jet lag.   I saw lots of butterflies on the Sussex South Downs, largely thanks to Sussex butterfly enthusiast David Harris.  One of the most memorable was a Chalkhill Blue nectaring on a Round-headed Rampion – both species iconic symbols of the Sussex South Downs.  Also, not one, but two sightings of the absolutely enormous syrphid fly Volucella zonaria.

   Anyway, some unfinished business first. The moth/caddisfly with the very long antennae photographed by Ken Vaughan (see July 5 posting) has been identified by Claudia Copley and Libby Avis as a caddisfly (as originally suggested by Ken) of the family Leptoceridae, possibly, suggested by Libby, of the genus Oecetis.

  More unfinished business.  Nick Doe found several of these small moths on Gabriola Island in June 27.  He has since identified them as Protodeltote albidula

Protodeltote albidula (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Nick Doe

   Val George sends a photograph of Coryphista meadii from his Oak Bay garden, July 16. The caterpillar feeds on Mahonia and Berberis.

Coryphista meadii (Lep.: Geometridae)  Val George.

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  I have been doing quite a bit of looking for butterflies since it is butterfly count week and here are a few of my findings.

July 15, was the date of my first Pine White which was from the highway or Sooke Road near the View Royal Casino

July 19,  a Pale Tiger Swallowtail in Finnerty Gardens at UVic.

July 18,  6 Pine Whites near the View Royal Casino as seen from the highway or Sooke Road,  and a Painted Lady at Tower Point.

July 17, a Large Heath or “Ringlet”  in Layritz Park south of Markham Road and a Woodland Skipper on nearby Broadcast Hill.

July 17, on Mount Tolmie at 5 p.m. 1 West Coast Lady, 2 Red Admirals, and 5 Painted Ladies all near the concrete reservoir.

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of a Western Tiger Swallowtail from Gorge Park, July 16.

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Annie Pang

   We have a few photos in the queue awaiting identification.