2026 February 23

   Val George writes:  This morning, February 23, this moth, Phigalia plumogeraria, was on a window of the Nature House at Swan Lake.   Jeremy Tatum writes: We know it is a male, because the female, like Operophtera and Erannis, has no functional wings.  February is the usual month for seeing this moth, as well as Hydriomena nubilofasciata, also photographed by Val and shown on February 17.

Male  Phigalia plumogeraria  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Val George

    In 2025, we had sightings of butterflies in all months except January and December.  This year, we had sightings of three butterfly species in January.  This led Jeremy Tatum to speculate as to whether it might be possible to find butterflies in all twelve months of the year – we’d have to work hard in December.  But… it is already February 23 and we haven’t yet heard of a butterfly this year in February  –  so the chance of twelve butterfly months is beginning to slip away.

2026 February 17

   Val George writes:  This moth, Hydriomena nubilofasciata, was on the wall of my Oak Bay house yesterday morning, February 16.

Hydriomena nubilofasciata  (Lep.: Geometridae)    Val George

   Gordon Hart writes that he saw a picture of a Black-tailed Bumblebee Bombus melanopygus at the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific (HCP Gardens) next to Viaduct Flats on February 14 by Veronica Goidanich.  The photograph can be viewed at https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/650934632

2026 February 1

   A Third January Butterfly!
  We already posted news of a Satyr Comma and a Milbert’s Tortoiseshell on January 19.  Now Gordon has drawn our attention to a posting on another site of a Red Admiral on the following day,  January 20. This may be seen at   https://www.facebook.com/groups/176587492920781/search/?q=christa%20b%C3%BAho   It was seen and posted by Christa Búho at Government House.   Although Satyr Commas and Milbert’s Tortoiseshells are known to overwinter here in the adult stage, this is the first overwintering adult Red Admiral I have heard of (writes Jeremy Tatum).  Most of them, I think, migrate south into warmer latitudes.  Until recent years,  all Red Admirals in the UK were believed also to migrate south, but, in recent years, there have been many records there of overwintering Red Admirals – either as adults or even as caterpillars. 

2026 January 24

Another Butterfly!   James Miskelly and Gordon Hart have drawn my attention to a photograph posted by an anonymous observer (nom-de-plume: “thefungiphotographer”) on iNaturalist of a Milbert’s Tortoiseshell seen on January 19 at the corner of Finlayson Road and Quadra Street.  This is the same date as Gordon Hart’s Satyr Comma also seen on January 19.  The photograph and further details can be seen at https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/335445281

2026 January 20

   Butterfly!   Yesterday, January 19, Gordon Hart saw and photographed a Satyr Comma at Langford Lake. 
  Jeremy Tatum notes that in our annual published butterfly records from the southern Vancouver Island birdwatching area from 2015 to the present, this is the first January butterfly report we have had.  In each of 2022 to 2025, butterflies were recorded in our area in all months except January and December.  Is all 12 months possible?

Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Gordon Hart

2025 December 12

   Here is a European Winter Moth Operophtera brumata from Jeremy Tatum’s Saanich apartment this morning.  It may be compared with yesterday’s Western Winter Moth Operophtera occidentalis photographed by Val George at Goldstream Park.

Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

2025 December 11

   Val George writes: This morning, December 11, there were nine Operophtera moths on the walls of the nature house at Goldstream Park.  Eight of them were brumata, but this one looks like occidentalis.  

   Yes, writes Jeremy Tatum, this one is indeed Operophtera occidentalis.

Western Winter Moth  Operophtera occidentalis 
(Lep: Geometridae) 
Val George

2025 December 4

   Meara McIntosh sends pictures of some freshwater aquatic invertebrates from Hagan Creek on the Tsartlip Reserve. Saanich Peninsula, December 1.

Gammarus sp.  (Amphipoda:  Gammaridae) 
 Meara McIntosh

Gammarus sp. with eggs  (Amphipoda:  Gammaridae)    Meara McIntosh

Gammarus sp.  (Amphipoda:  Gammaridae)  
Meara McIntosh

Ram’s Horn snail  (Pul.: Planorbidae)  Meara McIntosh

Probably a dipterous larva  (Diptera)  Meara McIntosh

2025 November 27

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  There were about 40 Winter Moths outside the back door of my Saanich apartment this morning.

2025 November 19

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a female Winter Moth from my Saanich apartment this morning.

Female Operophtera brumata  (Lep.: Geometridae)
Jeremy Tatum