2015 July 19

   Annie Pang sends three recent photographs of the Large Yellow Underwing moth – a European invader.  Her pictures give examples of the fairly large variability of the species, but the dark double dot near the apex of the forewing is diagnostic.

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae) Annie Pang

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae) Annie Pang

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae) Annie Pang

   Jeremy Tatum visited Mount Tolmie at 7:00 pm on July 18 and found, in addition to Painted Ladies and Red Admirals, a West Coast Lady – scarcely recognizable as such, but still flying strongly and indulging in frantic chases with other butterflies.

  Aziza Cooper writes:  This evening, July 18, I went to two hilltops in Fairfield and Oak Bay and found butterflies at both of them. At Gonzales Hill off Fairfield Road at about 7:30pm, two Painted Ladies were interacting at the lawn next to the parking lot. At Anderson Hill about 8:00 pm, one Red Admiral and one Painted Lady were at the top of the hill next to the chain-link fence on the eastern boundary.

With Mt Douglas, Mt Tolmie and Government House, this makes five hilltopping locations in Victoria. Other summits would be worth checking, for instance, Moss Rock Park, Highrock Park in Esquimalt, Mill Hill, Knockan Hill and Christmas Hill. If anyone is hiking in late afternoon or evening, please check Observatory Hill, Jocelyn Hill and Mount Work.

Any other rocky summits would also be worth checking. Probably there are hilltopping butterflies at Goldstream Heights, Spectacle Lake and other locations further out.