Well, writes Jeremy Tatum, that must be the shortest hospital visit ever, and it means, I think, that both I and Invert Sightings are back in full working order.
We start with a highflyer moth that Val George photographed at his Oak Bay house yesterday morning, May 13.
Hydriomena californiata (Lep.: Geometridae) Val George
Also on May 13, Marie O’Shaughnessy sends first-for-the-year reports and photographs of two butterflies. A Painted Lady on Mount Tolmie, and a Propertius Duskywing on Little Saanich Mountain (Observatory Hill).
Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy
Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy
Last year, Beaudin A. Bennett (son of Dr. Robb Bennett, who has identified many of our spiders for us) found a large batch of moth cocoons in an ancient and very dry pile of firewood in the Ten-mile Point area of Saanich. Here is a photograph of a small part of the batch of cocoons – there must surely be more than 100 in all.
Cocoons of Aphomia sociella (Lep.: Pyralidae) Jeremy Tatum
Robb gave the cocoons to me (Jeremy Tatum) to look after over the winter. The first four of the adult moths emerged yesterday, May 11, and another eight are out today by six o’clock in the evening. One is shown below. Thanks to Gregory Pohl for identifying them as Aphomia sociella.
Aphomia sociella (Lep.: Pyralidae) Jeremy Tatum
At first blush this looks like a rather ordinary undistinguished sort of micro moth. First blush is wrong. The life history of the caterpillar is in fact most interesting – it is spent in a bee’s nest, feeding largely upon beeswax, but not averse from eating the occasional ovum, larva or pupa. The Wikipedia article on Aphomia sociella gives a good account of this interesting species.
Here are two more small moths, with more conventional life histories. Both were reared from caterpillars found near Blenkinsop Lake. The first was a green caterpillar feeding on Oemleria cerasiformis. Thanks to Greg Pohl for identifying it as Argyrotaenia franciscana.
Probably Argyrotaenia franciscana (Lep.: Tortricidae) Jeremy Tatum
The second was from a black and quite wriggly caterpillar feeding on Urtica dioica. I don’t know what it is, but I feel that it must be either in or close to the genus Olethreutes.
Possibly Olethreutes sp. (Lep.: Tortricidae) Jeremy Tatum
Ian Cooper writes: Here are some additional pictures taken on May 08 2025 ^ by the E&N Trail in Esquimalt and # by the Galloping Goose trail in View Royal.
# Raspberry Weevil Otiorhynchus singularis (Col.: Curculionidae) Ian Cooper
^ Marsh Beetle Herthania concinna (Col.: Scirtidae) Ian Cooper
# Crane Fly – Probably Austrolimnophila sp. (Dip.: Limoniidae) Ian Cooper
Mosquito Culiseta incidens (Dip.: Culicidae) Ian Cooper
# Forest Spider Pimoa altioculata (Ara: Pimoidae) Ian Cooper
# Harvestman Protolophus singularis (Opiliones: Protolophidae) Ian Cooper
Here are two spiders photographed by Ian Cooper on May 8. The first was obtained along the E&N Trail in Esquimalt; the second near the 9 km marker in View Royal. Thanks to Thomas Barbin and Robb Bennett for help with the identifications.
Metaphidippus manni (Ara.: Salticidae) Ian Cooper
Anyphaena aperta (Ara.: Anyphaenidae) Ian Cooper
The Red Admiral below was photographed by Aziza Cooper on Mount Tolmie on May 10. There have been one or two there in the last few days, often nectaring on the Laburnum at the entrance to the reservoir, as in Aziza’s photograph.
Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Aziza Cooper
Yesterday, Ron Flower saw three Margined Whites along the railway line near Cowichan Station. Here is a photograph of one of them. Notice how very heavily marked are the dark veins. This is one of the spring brood. The individuals of the summer brood are much less heavily marked; indeed, many male summer Margined Whites are pure white with no dark markings whatever.
Margined White Pieris marginalis (Lep.: Pieridae ) Ron Flower
Aziza Cooper writes: On May 8, at Storm Water Community Park near Parksville, I found one Western Pine Elfin. At Little Mountain Lookout there was one Brown Elfin.
Western Pine Elfin Callophrys eryphon (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Aziza Cooper
Brown Elfin Callophrys augustinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Aziza Cooper
Here are some photographs taken by Ian Cooper on May 5th 2025 along the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal. If any viewer can help with identifications, please do so. Write to tatumjb352 at gmail dot com
Unidentified ant. (Hym.: Formicidae) Ian Cooper
Unidentified ant (Hym.: Formicidae) and unidentified aphid (Hem:Aphididae) Ian Cooper
Springtail Entomobrya triangularis (Coll.: Entomobryidae) Ian Cooper
Entomobrya triangularis (Coll.: Entomobryidae) and unidentified bark louse (Psocodea) Ian Cooper
Dome web spider, possibly Neriene litigiosa (Ara.: Linyphiidae) Ian Cooper
Aziza Cooper reports seeing a Mourning Cloak and about 12 Western Spring Azures at Beaver Lake on May 6. At the Goldstream campground and adjacent railroad tracks there were 30 or more Western Spring Azures and one Western Tiger Swallowtail.
Here is another photograph by Aziza of the moth seen by Aziza along the Goldstream Railroad yesterday (see yesterday’s posting). This moth is, in the words of Libby Avis, a nice find.
Thanks to Dr Rob Cannings, Libby Avis and Gordon Hart for help with some of these difficult ones below.
The photographs below were all taken locally near Victoria in the last few days. I hope photographers will forgive me if I don’t post the exact locations and dates – it’s hard to keep track of them all – Jeremy Tatum.
Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Aziza Cooper
Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Aziza Cooper
Boreal/Northern Bluet Enallagma boreale/annexum (Odo.: Coenagrionidae) Aziza Cooper
California Darner Rhionaeschna californica (Odo.: Aeshnidae) Aziza Cooper
Pacific Forktail Ischnura cervula (Odo.: Coenagrionidae) Aziza Cooper
Pacific Forktail Ischnura cervula (Odo.: Coenagrionidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy
Swift Forktail Ischnura erratica (Odo.: Coenagrionidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy
Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy
Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy
Invert Sightings 