2017 September 15

 

   Jeremy Tatum had two moths outside his Saanich apartment this morning:

 

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jeremy Tatum

 

Squarespot Rustic Xestia xanthographa (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jeremy Tatum

 

The photographs are deceiving – pronuba is about twice the size of xanthographa!

From Gordon Hart

 

With our last 2017 butterfly count starting this weekend, I thought I would send a summary of the August count. In 2016 a dry summer resulted in very few butterflies flying for our count: 9 species and 709 individuals. In August 2017, we had much higher numbers: 14 species and 1328 individuals counted. Both Cabbage Whites and Woodland Skippers had hundreds more counted, with every species having more than 2016.

-Gordon 

12 sp           9 sp     Aug-2017 Aug-2016     Difference Anise Swallowtail 1 1 0 Western Brown Elfin     0 Cabbage Butterfly 611 302 309 California Tortoiseshell       Cedar Hairstreak     0 Ringlet/ Large Heath (Coenonympha tullia) 99 32 67 European (Essex) Skipper     0 Green Comma     0 Grey Hairstreak 1 0 1 Lorquin’s Admiral 20 4 16 Milbert’s Tortoiseshell     0 Moss’s Elfin     0 Mourning Cloak     0 Painted Lady 26 5 21 Pale Swallowtail     0 Pine White  26 6 20 Propertius Duskywing     0 Purplish Copper 3   3 Red Admiral 4   4 Sara OrangeTip     0 Satyr  Comma     0 Silvery Blue     0 Spring Azure     0 Two-Banded Grizzled (Checkered) Skipper       West Coast Lady      0 Western Pine Elfin       Western Sulphur     0 Sulphur sp. 3 1 2 Western Tiger Swallowtail 5 1 4 Woodland Skipper  529 357 172         totals 1328 709 619             Number of observers 10 17           Number of reports  25 40           Number of locations covered 45

 

 

 

From Gordon Hart

 

 

Hello Butterfly Counters!

The last butterfly count period for 2017 will begin Saturday, September 16 running until Sunday September 24. Please use the submission form on the VNHS website: www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?p=33. 

 

You can submit a count anytime over this period, and you can do more than one count, just use a separate form for each count. In the case of repeat counts, or more than one person counting an area, I will take the highest count for each species. The count area is the same as the Victoria Christmas Bird Count circle. For butterfly identification there are numerous internet sites, but most or all Victoria species are listed on E-Fauna. If you select by photographer, all the photos under James Miskelly’s name are of Victoria species. Here is the link: http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/efauna/photoGallery/Gallery.aspx?gr=showall&pid=175&photographer=miskelly,%20james&specrep=0

 

If you need suggestions for a place to count, please email me.  If you want to be removed from this list, please let me know. If you know someone who wants to be on the list, please ask them to email me.

 

Last year was very dry, with few butterflies – all Cabbage Whites and Woodland Skippers. I think this year we should have a bit more variety!

 

Thanks for participating in the count!

 

Gordon Hart,

Butterfly count coordinator ,

Victoria Natural History Society