August 6 morning

 

   Jeff Gaskin, Aziza Cooper and Jeremy Tatum write:  The results of the August 5 VNHS  Butterfly Walk – attended by about 10 people – are as follows  :   On Mount Tolmie we had a prolonged close view of an Anise Swallowtail flying around and perching on the Fennel.   Jeff saw a Lorquin’s Admiral and a Western Tiger Swallowtail on the way up the hill from Cedar Hill Cross Road.  Then we went to Island View Beach to look, unsuccessfully, for Purplish Coppers, but between Island View Beach and Saanichton Spit we saw the following :   3 Lorquin’s Admirals, 7 Woodland Skippers, 2 Cabbage Whites.  At Saanichton Spit we saw the following :   3 or more Woodland Skippers, at least 2 and maybe 3 Western Branded Skippers (our target species for the day), 3 Ringlets, 2 Cabbage Whites and 1 Lorquin’s Admiral.  Along the way back to our cars from Saanichton Spit we stopped to look at more of the ubiquitous Woodland Skippers, no one listening to Aziza who tried in vain to tell everyone that one of them wasn’t a Woodland Skipper.  Eventually she was vindicated when she took an excellent photograph of what proved to be a rather late Essex Skipper, for a total of eight species – an excellent number for a dry season.

   Here are some photographs from the trip, by Aziza Cooper and Gordon Hart.

Anise Swallowtail Papilio zelicaon (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Aziza Cooper

Anise Swallowtail Papilio zelicaon (Lep.: Papilionidae)   Gordon Hart

“Western” Branded Skipper Hesperia comma colorado (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Aziza Cooper

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

 

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Gordon Hart

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Gordon Hart

Ringlet (Large Heath) Coenonympha tullia  (Lep.: Nymphalidae – Satyrinae) Aziza Cooper

 

Grasshopper Trimeroptropis verruculata (Orth.: Acrididae)  Aziza Cooper

Fall Webworm Hyphantria cunea (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Gordon Hart

 

   Gerry and Wendy Ansell write:  There were quite a few Ringlets (Large Heaths) at Layritz Park yesterday (Aug 5).  It was difficult to determine numbers as they were flitting everywhere so you couldn’t tell if they were repeats or new.  I would guess a minimum of 12 and probably a lot more.

   Rosemary Jorna sends some photographs from the Kemp Lake area, August 5.  Thanks to Annie Pang and Lincoln Best for the bee identification.

Bombus melanopygus (Hym.: Apidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Rosemary Jorna

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae) Rosemary Jorna

Greenbottle Lucilia sericata (Dip.: Calliphoridae)  Rosemary Jorna

 

   Jochen Möhr writes that he saw some Lorquin’s Admirals and Pine Whites while he was on the way to the Celebration of Life of Moralea Milne.  On the way, he took a picture or a Pine White in memory of Moralea:

Pine White Neophasia menapia (Lep.: Pieridae) Jochen Möhr