ALBERTA LEPIDOPTERISTS’ GUILD NEWSLETTER SPRING 2015 Welcome to the ALG Newsletter, a compendium of news, reports, and items of interest related to , moths, and lepidopterists in Alberta. The newsletter is produced twice per year, in spring and fall, edited by John Acorn.

Western Tailed Blue, Gary Anweiler

Contents: Anweiler (photos)...... 1, 3 Acorn et al.: The Alberta Butterly Roundup……...... 2 Romanyshyn: A Perspective on the Guild...... 4 Christensen and Dickson: (photo)...... 6 Jackson: Putting a Name to the Faces...... 7 Pang: Ode to a White Ribbon Carpet Moth...... 11 Bird: Dry Island Butterly Count...... 12 Bird: Ellis Bird Farm Bug Jamboree...... 15

ALG Newsletter Spring 2015– Page 1 The Alberta Roundup John Acorn, Gary Anweiler, Doug Macaulay, and Greg Pohl

Everyone wants butterly ield guides to be complete, and up to date. So, most ield guides treat not only the common species, but also the rarities, and the vagrants. The result is a collection of species lists and range maps to which records are continually added, but from which none are ever deleted. Yet things in nature are ever changing. Ranges expand, ranges contract, and populations colonize new areas and disappear from others. Vagrants, well, they’re vagrant —just because a species has occurred in a given place once or twice doesn’t mean that it’s arrival is a regular event. So why don’t we put a “best before” date on butterly records? If butterly ecology is dynamic, why aren’t lepidopterists as well? The Alberta Butterly Roundup (a new ALG project) is an attempt to do just that—to start over, so to speak, at least with respect to the question, “how many species of butterlies are there in Alberta?” And what do you do when you want to inventory your livestock? You round them up, of course. The Alberta Butterly Roundup will begin in 2015, and take as long as it takes beyond that. We will count all species records that are accompanied by a photograph or a specimen, as well as location, date, and observer’s name. Records should be posted on one or more of the following: e-Butterly.org (preferred), Albertaleps listserve, ALG Facebook Page, Albertabugs listserve, or the Edmonton Nature Club listserve (ENCMembers), or forwarded to any of these. Of course, you can also keep track of your own totals.

Rhesus ( rhesus), May 14, 2015, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Jan Scott ALG Newsletter Spring 2015– Page 2 As of early June, the Roundup has already tallied 49 species (about 28% of the “known species”). The most interesting ind was probably the Rhesus Skipper (Polites rhesus), by Jan Scott in Medicine Hat, a species that has not been recorded for many years. Jan’s record was the irst ever for the eButterly database. Jan has contributed 9 records to the Roundup, but Gary Anweiler has the high count, with 17 species on the list. Other contributors include John Acorn (4), Robert Bercha (1), Charley Bird (1), Robert Brown (2), Dawne Colwell (1), Julian Dupuis (1), Chris Fisher (2), Trudi Haracsi (1), Mathieu Langlois (1), Zac MacDonald (2), Dave McKenzie (2), Colleen Raymond (1), Vic Romanyshyn (1), Devon Schneider (1), Tim Schowalter (1), and Adrian Thysse (1). Many other people have been contributing interesting records, but only those who found a species irst for the list are acknowledged above. Fourteen of these records came in through Albertaleps, but a whopping 22 were reported to the ALG Facebook page, showing that it might have a function after all (some were doubtful when it irst appeared!). Despite our desire for eButterly to serve as the primary method of entering a record, only seven records came irst to eButterly. Albertabugs and ENCMembers contributed one species each, and the other two records came to us via personal email (one to John Acorn, the other to Charley Bird). Geographically, it seems that folks are generally working their favourite spots close to home, and we have not heard of anyone launching any expeditions in search of particular species. Edmonton is the most popular location, with 20 records, followed by Medicine Hat with 12, and the Opal/Redwater sand hills with 5. So far, we realize that the Roundup has mostly told us what we already know, although the Rhesus Skipper was a great conirmation of the continued presence of this apparently rare prairie butterly. As we continue to tick off the regularly occurring species, we will whittle the list down to those that are truly interesting, and that’s when the real fun will start. Are there still Clodius Parnassians in Alberta? How about Eyed Browns? And will the range of the Dun Skipper continue to expand, or is it just a rare species in east-central Alberta? Only the Roundup will tell.

Eastern Pine Elin (above) and Northern Azure (right) Photos by Gary Anweiler

ALG Newsletter Spring 2015 – Page 3 A Perspective on the Guild

Vic Romanyshyn, President

In the short time that I have been a member of the Guild it has become very apparent that I am afiliated with a very special group of people. First, there is the passionate interest members have for of the lepidopteran variety, and in some cases, other kinds of insects and even arachnids. Just check your email each day and you can actually feel the excitement emanating from the sender’s note as they describe what they saw, photographed, or collected that day. Maybe it’s a combination of passion for what we collect and study as well as the release of pent up energy as we venture outdoors again after several months of indoor coninement. It is clear that winters in Alberta are excruciatingly long, too long for the average ALG member, what with the urgency there seems to be of seeing the irst butterly emerge from its winter stupor or the irst butterly or moth emerge from its respective chrysalis or cocoon in the spring. For me, that irst butterly signals the end of another long winter, with the anticipation of warm sunny days and the welcoming transformations of life brought on by spring. It also rekindles the urge to spend time outdoors and enjoy nature in its entirety. Maybe I am– no, I am–

ALG Newsletter Spring 2015– Page 4 getting too old to spend much time outdoors in the winter anymore. Another sterling quality of this erudite membership is the willingness to share knowledge. Post a photo of an unknown species on ALG email and you will have it identiied by someone in short order. Input will not only come from members within Alberta but from Vancouver Island or the Yukon and even outside the borders of Canada. For that we must be thankful that we live in the age of the computer. Sometimes the identiication cannot be conclusive but it is amazing how often it is, simply based on a photo or two. What’s more, Guild members appear to love these identiication challenges and I can see why, as I also have been drawn into this exercise at times. And, of course, Gary Anweiler’s butterly photos and narratives as each species reached the pinnacle of their cycle during the summer months have been a special treat. I looked forward to these all summer last year and I know others did as well. In addition to sharing knowledge, guild members share their time. They take the opportunity to help out with annual butterly counts at Dry Island Buffalo Jump and Vegreville, or to volunteer their expertise along with display cases at the John Janzen Nature Centre, Devonian Gardens, Ellis Bird Farm Bug Jamboree, and other special events. The mundane internal operations of the guild fall on the shoulders of our elected representatives. Though most responsibilities are shufled from member to member over time, the position of Secretary-Treasurer has been wilfully held by Greg Pohl for some time now. He has been a guild anchorman in his willingness to continue with the administration responsibilities of our society. For this we can only be truly thankful because his continued presence provides stability and consistency to the organization in terms of its direction and viability. In other areas, outstanding contribution to the guild seems to rotate through our membership. In this regard, special mention currently must go to John Acorn for organizing the Winter Bug Count, Alberta Butterly Round-Up, the annual Feralia Symposium and for taking on the editorial duties connected with our spring and fall newsletters. We must also acknowledge the work recently undertaken by Julian Dupuis and Bryan Brunet in their efforts to move our website from the U of A to another server so that we have more convenient access to the website content for updating purposes. Additional work will be required to overhaul the website so the commitment of time and effort here is extensive. As always, the friendly and professional way with which this is all done is admirable. Most satisfying is the fact that the guild manages to serve the interests of both professional entomologists and amateur enthusiasts. Much is learned by amateurs from the professional entomologists particularly with identiication,

ALG Newsletter Spring 2015– Page 5 collecting of specimens, pinning techniques and storage of specimens. In turn, amateurs at the very least have contributed to the efforts of butterly counts done annually to monitor species distribution across the province. This professional-amateur relationship ensures that guild members continue to enjoy sharing their experiences and knowledge with other members of the society, regardless of credentials. An extension of this, of course, is public education where effort has been made by members of the guild to present educational sessions to groups in their communities when those opportunities arise. In summary, the guild is a vibrant and informative organization, always friendly, always sharing. I look forward to another summer of enthusiastic collecting, photographing, butterly counts, and taking part in the “The Alberta Butterly Roundup,” an initiative proposed for this summer.

“On an atypical day for both moth collecting and a provincial election, two burly men tried to collect moths using a MV light and a sheet. It was rumoured that it would be a frosty day in Hell before the PC would loose an election in Alberta. As the night wore on, it appeared that we were at a disadvantage, because the moths did not seem to be drawn to the sheet. Even though the problem appeared to be obvious, we thought we would put it in the newsletter to see if the rest of the ALG group would come to the same conclusion. As unbelievable as it seems, we did catch four Orthorsia hibisci.”

Bruce Christensen and Loney Dickson, May 5, 2015.

ALG Newsletter Spring 2015– Page 6 Putting a Name to the Faces: Andrea Jackson (with photos by Andrea Jackson)

Bugsy! Apparently that’s my new nickname! As my husband watches me taking photos of many different kinds of insects, the only thing he asks me about the whole procedure is, “Do they talk back to you?”. Nope, not yet! If that changes, I’ll let him (and you) know! I was born in 1953 and raised in Vancouver, BC. I spent two years of my childhood in Dawson Creek, BC. It was there that I learned two very important things about ants: 1) DON’T sit on an anthill and 2) stand back after mixing red & black ants together, which was a favourite pastime of mine. Hey, I was just a kid! Later, when I got married and moved out to Battleford, Saskatchewan, I found that prairie winters held a special place in my heart. NO mosquitoes! NO wasps! NO ticks! I am happy to say that my heart now belongs to the rest of the year when other insects ARE active. (With the exception of mosquitoes, wasps, & ticks, of course)! I have been a birder and amateur nature photographer for decades. A couple of springs ago, my neighbour gave me a dead moth. It turned out to be a Glover’s Silkmoth and I found it so beautiful that it inspired a newfound passion in me for moths, butterlies and now, all insects. Since then, I have immersed myself in chasing, catching, wrestling and photographing all of them. The abundance and diversity of willing and unwilling subjects right in my own backyard never ceases to amaze me! I look forward to each and every little “face” that I meet. “Up close and personal” is my aim!

ALG Newsletter Spring 2015– Page 7 I use an older Panasonic Lumix DMC - FZ18 with an adaptor tube and close-up lens attached. This camera was made for photographing on the run. It is light and easy to use one-handed. It has an incredible stabilization system and, as a result, I do not need to use a tripod. I am looking forward to trying out my new macro LED ring lash to enhance the natural lighting on my Lumix DMC-FZ70 this year. I am anticipating a great “bugging” season in 2015.

ALG Newsletter Spring 2015– Page 8 ALG Newsletter Spring 2015– Page 9 Captions for Andrea Jackson’s photos. Page 7: Spurge Hawk Moth (Hyles euphorbiae). Page 8, top: Garden Tiger Moth (Arctia caja). Page 8, bottom: Glover’s Silkmoth (Hyalophora columbia gloveri). This page: Virginia Cteneucha (Cteneucha virginica).

ALG Newsletter Spring 2015– Page 10 Ode to a White Ribbon Carpet Moth

This tiny flitting, whimsy passing by; is it a bit of petal or of cloth? Too small to be a tiny butterfly, by day, could it possibly be a moth? I try to follow as it hovers near, and looks as if quite soon it will alight but then to my dismay, oh dear, oh dear, it changes course! Is off again in flight!

I chase it here and there, both up and down and feeling hopeless that I’ll get a shot do acrobatics, like a foolish clown, not caring if I wreck my clothes or not.

And then she lands so neatly near my leg and daintily she lays a tiny egg. © Annie Pang April 9, 2015

ALG Newsletter Spring 2015– Page 11 6 July 2014 Dry Island Butterly Count Charley Bird

Location: Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, Red Deer River Valley, east of Huxley.

Folks gathered at the Upper Viewpoint/Parking Lot and the Count started at 10 AM. Five species of butterlies were seen in that area. After an introductions and a short talk, we drove down to the picnic area. We had scattered cloud with a light NW wind throughout the Count and the temperature ranged from 20-26 C. We roamed around the picnic area, then had lunch at noon. After that we had a discussion period where various participants talked about the importance of the Park, and various natural history topics. After lunch, because of the large number of participants, we divided up into three teams, one lead by John Acorn, one by David Lawrie and Vic Romanyshyn, and one by Charley Bird, while a small group watched near the picnic tables. Wildlowers were in abundance. Mosquitoes were seldom a problem. Kilometers on foot estimated to be over 10. This count has been held annually since 1999, and the 2015 count will take place on 5 July, beginning at 10 AM.

The participants (41) were Benny Acorn, John Acorn, Curt Bagdan, Elizabeth Bagdan, Gerry Bennett, Judy Bennett, Ann Bird, Charley Bird (Compiler), Tony Blake, Shannon Brown, Wayne Brown, Les Dobos, Don Easton, Rhonda Easton, Pat Edgerton-McGhan, Bernice Hafner, Gail Hughes, Debra Jungling, Margot Jungling, Trudy Kolpean (Park Ranger), David Lawrie, Claudia Lipski, Dermot MacDougall, Iain MacDougall, Rhonda Mackay, Jim McCabe, Christie Mason, Joan Meeres, Myrna Pearman, Cynthia Pohl, Colleen Raymond, Vic Romanyshyn, Mary Roy, Tim Schowalter, Bob Schreiber, Robin Tarnowetzki (Reporter, Stettler Independent), Brooklyn Vale, Jayden Vale, Keaton Vale, Sheila Vale, and Kory Wall.

ALG Newsletter Spring 2015– Page 12 SPECIES OBSERVED – The names and order follow that of G.R. Pohl et al., 2010, An Annotated List of the of Alberta, Canada (ZooKeys 38, 1-549, Special Issue).

Pyrgus communis (Checkered Skipper) – 10 garita (Garita Skipper) – 10 Polites themistocles (Tawny-edged Skipper) – 6 Polites mystic (Long Dash Skipper) – 4 Euphyes vestris (Dun Skipper) - 1 Papilio machaon dodi (Dod’s Old World Swallowtail) – 10 Papilio canadensis (Canadian Tiger Swallowtail) – 3 Colias philodice (Clouded Sulphur) – 7 Colias alexandra christina (Christina Sulphur) – 1 Pieris rapae (Cabbage Butterly) - 1 Pontia (Pieris) occidentalis (Western Checkered White) – 6 Lycaena hyllus (Bronze Copper) – 2 Everes amyntula (Western Tailed Blue) - 5 Glaucopsyche lygdamus (Silvery Blue) – 15 Plebejus (Lycaeides) melissa (Melissa Blue) – 11 Icaricia shasta (Shasta Blue) – 10 Aricia (Plebejus) saepiolus (Greenish Blue) – 19 Basilarchia arthemis (White Admiral) – 17 Speyeria cybele pseudocarpenteri (Great Spangled Fritillary) – 3 Speyeria aphrodite (Aphrodite Fritillary) – 1 Speyeria hesperis (atlantis lais) (Northwestern Fritillary) – 4 Speyeria callippe (Callippe Fritillary) - 1 Phyciodes batesii (Tawny Crescent) – 12 Phyciodes cocyta (Northern Crescent) – 11 Phyciodes spp. – 20 Coenonympha inornata benjamini (Common Ringlet) - 24

Two dragonlies were observed: Ophiogomphus severus (Pale Snaketail) and Aeshna interrupta (Variable Darner). One damselly was noticed: Enallagma annexum (cyathigerum) (Northern Bluet). General Comments: An excellent turnout with 41 observers. Twenty-ive species of skippers and butterlies and 214 individuals were seen. Two species, Lycaena hyllus (Bronze Copper), netted by Shannon Brown and Christie Mason; and Euphyes vestris (Dun Skipper), netted by David Lawrie, had not been seen on any of the previous counts. This is only the third record of Dun Skipper from Alberta. One species, Speyeria callippe (Callippe Fritillary), netted by Tim Schowalter, had only been recorded once before on a Dry Island Count. Many participants had nets. The Count being in a Provincial Park, was catch, identify and release. All agreed that this Park is one of the most beautiful in Alberta and all hoped that, with continued good management, it will remain so. Lots of scenery and lower photos were taken. There was an abundance of wildlowers in bloom. The light times of butterlies often corresponds with the lowering times of various plants, therefore, notes were kept of the plants that were seen in lower (Gail Hughes is thanked for her help in compiling this list).

ALG Newsletter Spring 2015– Page 13 These included: Achillea millefolium (Yarrow), Anemone canadensis (Canada Anemone), Astragalus canadensis (Canada Milk-vetch), Campanula rotundifolia (Harebell), Astragalus bisulcatus (2-grooved Milkvetch), Astragalus goniatus (Purple Milkvetch), gracilis (Blue Grama Grass), Bromus inermis (Awnless Brome), Cornus stolonifera (Red Osier Dogwood), Eriogonum lavum (Yellow Umbrella-plant), Gaillardia aristata (Brown-eyed Susan), Galium boreale (Northern Bedstraw), Gaura coccinea (Scarlet Butterlyweed), Geum allepicum (Yellow Avens), Guttierezia sarothrae (Broomweed), Hymenoxys richardsonii (Colorado Rubber-plant), Lilium philadelphicum (Western Wood Lily), Linum lewisii (Wild Blue Flax), Linum rigidum (Yellow Flax), Melilotus alba (White Sweet-clover), M. oficinalis (Yellow Sweet-clover), Monarda istulosa (Wild Bergamot), Opuntia polyacantha (Prickly- pear Cactus), Penstemon gracilis (Lilac-lowered Beardtongue), Penstemon procerus (Slender Beardtongue), Petalostemon purpureum (Purple Prairie-clover), Potentilla anserina (Silverweed), Potentilla arguta (White Cinquefoil), Potentilla fruticosa (Shrubby Cinquefoil), Potentilla gracilis (Graceful Potentilla), Psoralea esculenta (Indian Bread-root), Rosa acicularis (Prickly Rose), Rosa arkansana (Prairie Rose), Senecio canus (Silvery Groundsel), Sisyrinchium montanum (Blue-eyed Grass), Sphaeralcea coccinea (Scarlet Mallow), Stellaria longifolia (Long-leaved Chickweed), Symphoricarpos occidentalis (Buckbrush), Taraxacum oficinale (Common Dandelion), Thalictrum venulosum (Meadow Rue), Tragopogon dubius (Goat’s-beard), Vicia americana (Wild Vetch), Vicia cracca (Tufted Vetch) and Viola canadensis (Canada Violet).

Brooklyn Vale and a Pale Snaketail, on the Dry Island Butterly Count.

ALG Newsletter Spring 2015– Page 14 Ellis Bird Farm Bug Jamboree, 9 August 2014 Charley Bird

Myrna Pearman and team once again organized a Bug Jamboree at the Ellis Bird Farm, southeast of Lacombe. Over 250 adults and children attended. A pollinator photo contest was added to the Jamboree this year. Authorities in various entomological areas are invited to attend and to setup displays in their various areas of interests. Representing the Alberta Lepidopterist’s Guild were Vic Romanyshyn and David Lawrie. Ken Fry dealt with garden insects and Charley Bird had a display of butterlies and moths as well as literature relating to both groups. Margo Pybus had a display of parasitology and odd bone deformations in wildlife while J. Ray LeBlanc had a display of various tropical insects. EBF Head Gardener, Cynthia Pohl, set up a very popular leaf-cutter bee hotel, which families could help add to. Adrian Thysse had a display of insect photographs and also served as the judge of the pollinator photo contest which was won by Roger Kirchen. Representatives of the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance, Jeff Hanger and Joey Temple, were at the ever-popular pond dipping station at the pier. In addition, there was children could have their faces painted with insects or spiders and each family could build and take home their own bumblebee box. Joining the “bugsters” this year was Susanne Maidment of Calgary. Susanne, a hummingbird bander, set up her trap feeder and displays up in the Tea House garden. Although she did not catch any hummingbirds, her interesting display and enthusiastic chats were greatly enjoyed by visitors. John Acorn introduced the event with a selection of “Acorn – the Nature Nut” songs. Large numbers of youngsters, accompanied by their parents and/ or grandparents attended. There is nothing more thrilling than having “bug- eyed” children with oodles of questions come up to look at your display of books and specimens. The purpose of the event is to introduce children to the wonderful world of entomology. The event started at 1 PM and was followed by a Butterly Count at 3 PM that ran for over half an hour. Many children had, or were loaned, EBF nets and followed “catch and release” protocol. The leaders for this year’s Butterly count were Charley Bird, David Lawrie, Vic Romanyshn and John Acorn; while Cheyenne Knight of the Ellis Bird Farm was Recorder. Participants were: Benny Acorn; Giselle Andriuk; Sheena, Faith, Aaron & Shayla Barritt; Michael Coyne; Len Derowin; Nolan, Heidi, Adam & Luke Bieganek; Charlotte, Teresa, Laverne & Mark Cutts; Denise & Chloe Fredeen; Jeff & Treena Heyer; Sara Hn; Rita Hnatiuk; Rony Jin; Rick

ALG Newsletter Spring 2015– Page 15 Kavanagh; Henry & Jayne Kinsley; Sheila Klein; Ray LeBlanc; Ken, Ashley (photographer), Finnley, Lewis & Bennie Lehman; Wendy Lin; Cindy Lu; Cari McGillivray; Tracy, Kaden, Sarah, Megan & Lynn Moker; Thomasina & Chantal Payne; Margo Pybus; Sandra Rincon; Carla, Madie and Anika Roesler; Steen Skitton; Shawna, Kohen & Kali Yeske; Elaine Yang; Zia Ziamonsavi. The butterlies encountered in this year’s count were: European Skipper 45 (irst appeared in 2004, only 11 were seen on last year’s count); Cabbage White 51 (only 2 were seen last year), Clouded Sulphur 9; Common Wood Nymph 4; Inornate Ringlet 1; Milbert’s Tortoiseshell 1; and Compton’s Tortoishell 1 (just emerged). A Cherry-faced Meadowhawk dragonly was also seen.

Benny Acorn and Charley Bird, Ellis Bird Farm Bug Jamboree, 2014.

ALG Newsletter Spring 2015– Page 16