2022 September 5 morning

    Here’s another grey version of Neoalcis californiaria.   This one by Cheryl Hoyle in View Royal, September 4.

Neoalcis californiaria ( Lep.:  Geometridae) Cheryl Hoyle

Also from Cheryl:

Crane Fly Tipula paludosa (Dip.: Tipulidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Jeremy Tatum writes:  I don’t know what this fly is, except I think it is probably in the Family Tephritidae, and just possibly genus Terellia.  If any viewer can help, please let us know.

Unknown fly (Dip.: Probably Tephritidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Jochen Möhr  sends a photograph os Pero mizon  from Metchosin.  He also

reports seeing several Udea profundalis there.

Pero mizon (Lep.:Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Gordon Hart sends a photograph of a Ringlet, nectaring on Yarrow, from the field behind Island View Beach, September 4.  This photograph well illustrates that the Vancouver Island population of this widespread and variable Holarctic species, also known as Large Heath, has no trace of any “ringlet” mark.

Ringlet Coenonympha tullia (Lep.: Nymphalidae – Satyrinae)  Gordon Hart

2022 September 4

    We start today with three photographs of the unusual grey (rather than the usual brown) form of Neoalcis californiara, two from Jochen Möhr in Metchosin today, and one from Keith Taylor in Victoria, August 31.  Keith’s is so pale that at first, writes Jeremy Tatum, I didn’t recognize it as this species.

Neoalcis californiara (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Neoalcis californiara (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Neoalcis californiara (Lep.: Geometridae)  Keith Taylor

   Another identification problem – Jochen sent two photographs of the June Beetle.  (September is a little late!)  I asked Scott Gilmore how I could distinguish between Polyphylla decemlineata and P. crinita.  Scott writes:  Having chatted with Andrew Smith about this recently, I conclude that it is currently not possible. It is likely that everything on the island is crinita but there is a bunch of genetic work needed to confirm species within this rather confusing genus.

Polyphylla (probably crinita) (Col.: Scarabaeidae)  Jochen Möhr

Polyphylla (probably crinita) (Col.: Scarabaeidae)  Jochen Möhr

Here’s a spider photograph at night by Ian Cooper in Colquitz River Park, September 3.  We thank Dr Robb Bennett for confirming Ian’s identification:

Metellina sp. (Ara.: Tetragnathidae)  Ian Cooper

That night Ian made some interesting observations of a pair of Araneus diadematus.  Ian writes: I went for a pre-dawn photo shoot this morning and witnessed the mating drama of a male and female Araneus diadematus spiders in Colquitz River Park around 5 a.m. yesterday morning (2022 September  3). This was by chance, as I happened to notice a small male in the vicinity of a much larger female that I’d just photographed in the middle of her web.  Realizing this may be the beginning of a mating encounter, I stuck around to see what, if anything, would happen. Every so often, the female could be seen shaking vigorously in the centre of her web and I realized there were threads of silk connecting the two, as I could see he was also being shaken by the vibrations from some distance away. I’m not sure which of the two was initiating / propagating the vibrations, or if they were both doing it, but the female shook much more intensely than the smaller male.  It was intriguing to watch the drama play out.

2022 September 3 evening

    September Butterfly Walk tomorrow.  For Gordon’s  announcement, scroll down to this morning’s posting on Invertebrate Alert.

   Marie O’Shaughnessy writes: I was very fortunate to see this lovely dragonfly at Cattle Point, yesterday lunch time,  September 2nd.  It is a female Variegated Meadowhawk.  This is the second one I have seen here over the past month.

Variegated Meadowhawk  Sympetrum corruptum (Odo.: Libellulidae)

  Marie O’Shaughnessy

2022 September 3 morning

September Butterfly Walk

Message from Gordon Hart

Hello Butterfly Watchers,

The last butterfly walk of the year is scheduled for Sunday, September 4. We meet at the top of Mount Tolmie by the reservoir, at 1.00 p.m. You can park in the parking lot there, or in the large lot north of the summit. After a look around the summit, we will decide on a destination from there.

You can review Vancouver Island butterflies at Val George’s new website : https://vancouverislandbutterflies.com/

Currently, the forecast does not look promising, but if it brightens up by midday, the walk will likely go ahead.

Gordon Hart,

Butterfly Count Coordinator

Victoria Natural History Society

   Marie O’Shaughnessy photographed these two butterflies in Uplands Park in the last week of August.

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae)   Marie O’Shaughnessy

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides  (Lep.: Hesperiidae)

Marie O’Shaughnessy

Jeff Gaskin writes:  I was at McIntyre reservoir looking again for the Orange Sulphur yesterday, September 2nd.  I didn’t find it, but I did see a Common Green Darner and two Variegated Meadowhawks.  The Darner was close to shore on the reservoir while the two Meadowhawks were seen close together in the scrub that grows along the west side. The only other dragonflies I saw were a few Blue-eyed Darners.

[Jeremy Tatum inserts:  I was nearby on Martindale Road, where I saw a Black Saddlebags.]

Jeff continues:  I also counted the Cabbage Whites in the cabbage patch along Island View Road and came up with 120.  There were also 3 or 4 Woodland Skippers at McIntyre reservoir.

Jeff continues:  Late on September 2, a Lorquin’s Admiral flew through my mother’s back yard while I was mowing the lawn. She lives in the Burnside/Gorge neighbourhood.  Also, Kirsten Mills just told me that she saw a Grey Hairstreak amongst the bedding plants outside Hillside Centre also September 2.

2022 September 2 evening

     Some spiders and a bee recently photographed by Ian Cooper.  Thanks to Dr Robb Bennett for confirming Ian’s identification of the spiders, and to Steven Roias for identifying the bee.

Cybaeus signifer (Ara.: Cybaeidae)  Ian Cooper

Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Ian Cooper

Probably Neriene sp. (Ara.: Linyphiidae)  Ian Cooper

Megachile (probably perihirta)  (Hym.: Megachilidae)  Ian Cooper

The Eyed Hawk Moth caterpillar, which has been shown a few times since it was quite small, is now much bigger.  It will soon be as large as my middle finger.

Smerinthus ophthalmica (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Jeremy Tatum

More tomorrow morning…