2025 September 7
Six people participated in the Nature Victoria Butterfly Walk on September 7. The weather in Martindale was partly sunny and we saw three species of butterflies at Mcintyre Reservoir.
Cabbage White – 36
Purplish Copper – 1
Woodland Skipper – 1
The copper and the skipper were the first non-Cabbage butterflies to be reported from our area to InvertSightings since August 25. The copper was a “lifer” for one of the participants – always an exciting event.
Purplish Copper Tharsalea helloides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)
Aziza Cooper
At first glance, this was thought to be a female, but, writes Jeremy Tatum, it is possible that it is a male, without a purplish sheen, partly because it is a slightly worn specimen and partly because there was no strong sunshine. The female usually has a fairly sharply defined dark broad border. It has been noted more than once recently that this butterfly likes to nectar on Matricaria, such as Scentless Mayweed or, as here, Pineapple Weed.
Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)
Aziza Cooper
A few other insects were photographed during the Butterfly Walk. It is hoped to identify them and show them soon.
Val George photographed this moth on a garden fence at his Oak Bay house this morning, September 7:
Udea profundalis (Lep.: Crambidae) Val George
Jeremy Tatum photographed this moth at his Saanich apartment this morning, September 7:
Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes (Lep.: Noctuidae)
Jeremy Tatum
Jeremy found this caterpillar on Grindelia at Island View Beach yesterday, August 6:
Cucullia montanae (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jeremy Tatum
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