2018 April 18 afternoon

 

   Ron Flower writes:  Yesterday April 17 at noon we went to the  Goldstream River near the nature house and found the dead rodent with flies. I think I can see four varieties.  We also saw the moth, of which there were many.  Also in the area we saw four Western Spring Azures and three Sara Orangetips.

   Jeremy Tatum writes.  The moth is Mesoleuca gratulata. Its caterpillar feeds on Rubus sp., including very often on the introduced Himalayan Blackberry, as well as on native Thimbleberry.  Ron’s moth is on Rubus, and it may be contemplating egg-laying.

Mesoleuca gratulata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Ron Flower

 

   Most of the flies are blow flies  of the family Calliphoridae.  The green ones are greenbottles of the genus Lucilia, and almost certainly L. sericata.  Greenbottles have charming habits.  Some of them (I don’t think sericata, but close relatives) lay their eggs on the nostrils of frogs and toads, and you don’t want to know what happens next.  The larger flies in the photograph are probably in the genus  Calliphora, some of which are known as bluebottles.  One of them bears the charming name Calliphora vomitoria, though I’m not sure if Ron’s is exactly that species.  The adults of both species are often seen on excrement as well as on corpses.

Greenbottles and bluebottles Lucilia and Calliphora (Dip.: Calliphoridae)  Ron Flower

   Jochen Möhr reports this morning’s tally at his house in Metchosin,

48°23’30.26” N, 123°34’31.50” W and some 180m above sea level.

(Thanks for the exquisite precision – 20 centimetres!   Jeremy)

10 Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli

5 Melanolophia imitata

2 Drepanulatrix monicaria

1 Cladara limitaria

1 Hydriomena manzanita

1 Behrensia conchiformis

and 2 Eupithecias