2018 April 23

St George’s Day

 

   Jochen Moehr sends a picture of the green form of a caterpillar of a Large Yellow Underwing from his Metchosin garden.  And he writes:  I took my dog out to Matheson Lake in the hope to get closer to Western Spring Azures than here.  In the past I had often seen them mud puddling at the beach there.  

 

   I was not disappointed.  Although – being surrounded by dogs who had nothing but swimming and ball playing on their minds, and constantly disturbing the flutterbys – I was never able to count more than six simultaneously, there may have been as many as a dozen.  There was fluttering blue everywhere, and of course, when they sit down, they pretty much disappear.  

 

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

 

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Jochen Moehr

 

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Jochen Moehr

 

 

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Jochen Moehr

 

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I went to Munn Road today, to Pike Lake substation and nearby.  I, too, saw lots of mud-puddling Western Spring Azures, mostly near to the yellow gate, I also saw one Sara Orangetip and one Western Brown Elfin there.  The vegetation of huge parts of that area has been flailed down, so that the area now looks like an ugly industrial wasteland.  Presumably it has been done to ease access to the electricity pylons, and the vegetation, in time, will grow back.  I hope no permanent destruction is in progress.

 

  The California Tortoiseshell that has been reported off and on from the Mount Tolmie reservoir since April 19 was still there at 4:30 this afternoon.

 

  Marie O;Shaughnessy sends a photograph of a Mourning Cloak that she saw along the lower trail at Mount Douglas, April 10^th.

 

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Marie O’Shsughnessy