2018 May 18 morning

 

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of a syrphid maggot found on a lettuce.  These maggots feed upon aphids.

 

Syrphid maggot (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Annie Pang

 

   Annie also sends a photograph of a Cabbage White.

 

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae)  Annie Pang

 

   Tracey Mellor sends a photograph of a Catocala caterpillar shortly before pupation looking for somewhere to bury itself and pupate.  It is most likely our commonest species, the oak-feeder C. aholibah.

 

Catocala sp. (probably aholibah) (Lep.: Erebidae – Catocalinae)  Tracey Mellor

 

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I reared a small caterpillar from Indian Plum. The adult moth emerged a few days ago, and it was so featureless that I didn’t think it could be identified.  No problem for Jason J. Dombroskie, who kindly identified it for us as Argyrotaenia franciscana.

 

Argyrotaenia franciscana (Lep.: Tortricidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

 

   Sonia Voicescu reports the following from Rithet’s Bog, May 16: 6 Western Spring Azures, 6 Cabbage Whites and 21 (yes, that’s 21!) Ringlets.  It’s good to know that the Ringlets are doing so well at Rithet’s Bog and at Island View Beach.  Will someone check Layritz Park and Quick’s Bottom? 

 

Western Spring Azures Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Sonia Voicescu

Western Spring Azures Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae) 

Sonia Voicescu

 

Coenonympha tullia (Lep.:  Nymphalidae – Satyrinae)  Sonia Voicescu