2022 August 3

    Jeremy Tatum writes:  I’m expecting another Red Admiral to emerge today:

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Jeremy Tatum

   Mike Yip sends a photograph of a caterpillar found under an apple tree in his Nanoose garden.  We don’t know exactly what it is, but Dr David Wagner suggests that it may be a morph of a species of Zale. 

Possibly Zale sp. (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae)  Mike Yip

    Jochen Möhr sends a photograph of a moth and a gigantic beetle from Metchosin.  Thanks to Libby Avis for identifying the moth.

Adelphagrotis stellaris (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Prionus californicus (Col.: Cerambycidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Aziza Cooper writes:  On August 2, the VNHS birding group went to Pat Bay. On a neighbourhood road we found a large nest of the Bald-faced Hornet.

Bald-faced Hornet Dolichovespula maculata (Hym.: Vespidae)  Aziza Cooper

There was a young man from Tralee

Who was stung on the nose by a wasp.

When asked:  “Does it hurt?”

He replied: “No it doesn’t –

It’s a good thing it wasn’t a hornet.”

Sometimes attributed to W.S. Gilbert

   Val George writes:  Yesterday afternoon, August 2, there were many dragonflies at McIntyre Reservoir: Eight-spotted Skimmers, Blue-eyed Darners, Blue Dashers and two female Western Pondhawks (photo of one of them). [Jeremy Tatum interjects – I was there too on that day, and I also saw a Black Saddlebags – but almost no butterflies, in spite of the Teasels being in full bloom.]   Val continues:  On the way home I checked the door of the Nature House at Swan Lake; as well as several Malacosoma moths there was this large Catocala moth.

Female Western Pondhawk Erythemis collocata (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Val George

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  In spite of being so large and spectacular, Catocala moths are notoriously difficult to identify to species.    For Val’s moth, I am very tentatively thinking of C. unijuga – but this is by no means certain.

Catocala (possibly unijuga?) (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae)  Val George

2022 August 2 afternoon

    On July 15 we showed a photograph of a tiny Red Admiral  caterpillar.  On July 29 we showed what progress it had made by July 27.  (It was already a chrysalis.)  Let’s have a look and see if it has made any further progress today:

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Jeremy Tatum

It has emerged as an adult!   Unfortunately,  I had an appointment to keep and I was unable to spend the time to get a photograph of its beautiful upperside.  I released the butterfly on Buddleia in the Finnerty Gardens at UVic.   I saw two Woodland Skippers in the Gardens – the first I have seen this year.

   Jochen Möhr writes from Metchosin:  This morning’s lonely visitor at the light was what I think is Spargania magniolata.  [Libby Avis agrees!]

Spargania magniolata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

  Jeff Gaskin writes: 

  Kirsten Mills and I drove a lot around the Nanaimo logging roads yesterday, August 1st.  On Northwest Bay logging road we found 3 Hydaspe Fritillaries, 5 Common Wood Nymphs, 6 Pale and 4 Western Tiger Swallowtails and 17 Lorquin’s Admirals.

  On the roads up Mount Cokeley, we found an Anna’s Blue, 11 Hydaspe Fritillaries, 3 Pale and 7 Western Tiger Swallowtails, 2 Mourning Cloaks,  1 Satyr Comma and 10 Lorquin’s Admirals.

 Today, I saw a Western Tiger Swallowtail in Esquimalt Gorge Park.  Dragonflies I saw also in the park included a female Western Pondhawk, and a Blue-eyed Darner. I also saw a Common Whitetail along the Northwest Bay logging road.

2022 August 2 morning

    Yesterday’s appeal for someone to identify a crane fly shown in yesterday’s posting bore fruit.  Scroll down to August 1 to see what it was!

   Jochen Möhr sends a photograph of a beautiful  Golden Jewel Beetle that landed on his deck in Metchosin.

Buprestis aurulenta (Col.: Buprestidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum shows a Rusty Tussock or Vapourer Moth.  The caterpillar was shown on July 15.  This moth is a male.  You can tell that not only because of its elaborate antennae, but also because the female has no wings!  Many plants have been recorded as larval foodplants;  this individual was reared on Mahonia.

Rusty Tussock or Vapourer Orgyia antiqua (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae)  Jeremy Tatum

Here’s a Yellow Woolly Bear found yesterday at McIntyre Reservoir.

Yellow Woolly Bear Spilosoma virginica (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jeremy Tatum

2022 August 1

    Gordon Hart sends photographs of a bug that he found on a potted geranium at his Highlands home.   We cannot be certain, but we think this may be a nymph of a Stilt Bug (Berytidae).

Maybe a nymph of a Stilt Bug (Hem.: Berytidae)  Gordon Hart

Maybe a nymph of a Stilt Bug (Hem.: Berytidae)  Gordon Hart

Ren Ferguson sends a photograph of a moth photographed today on Salt Spring Island:

 Hesperumia sulphuraria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Ren Ferguson

Jody Wells sends photographs of a

Caterpillar  on a  path near Glencoe Cove park July 29^th

Common Whitetail ..Low Tide.. area accessed from  Helmcken Park July  20^th

Eight-spotted Skimmer July 27^th  Pendray’s out near Victoria Airport

Smerinthus ophthalmica (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Jody Wells

Common Whitetail Plathemis lydia (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Jody Wells

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae)

   Jochen Möhr sends photographs from Metchosin today.  If any viewer can identify the crane fly, please do let us know.  [Later:  This appeal worked!  Libby Avis has identified it as Tipula vittatipennis.]

Macaria lorquinaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Macaria lorquinaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Lophocampa argentata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jochen Möhr

Crane fly Tipula vittatipennis (Dip.: Tipulidae)  Jochen Möhr

Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of a noctuid moth from Swan Lake.  Libby Avis suggests that it may be a species from the large and difficult genus Lacinipolia.

Probably Lacinipolia sp. (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jeremy Tatum

2022 July 31

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  From time to time I make mistakes, large or small, or one sort or another, in the Invert Alert postings.  I am sure some viewers must notice them.  Please, if you spot a mistake of any sort, please do let me know:  jtatum at uvic dot ca     I shall not be in the least annoyed.  Quite the opposite, I shall be exceedingly grateful.   It is a very easy matter for me to make corrections.

    Barb McGrenere writes:  Yesterday morning, Mike and I walked up Observatory Hill.  We saw 1 Western Tiger Swallowtail, 1 Cabbage White, 1 tattered Painted Lady nectaring on purple flowers in the garden area in front of the main office building, and 1 Lorquin’s Admiral.

Aziza Cooper sends photographs of a butterfly and a bee from Swan Lake today.

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae) Aziza Cooper

Bombus fervidus (Hym.: Apidae)  Aziza Cooper

         Steven Roias writes:  The bee is Bombus fervidus californicus. According to recent genetic research B. californicus and B. fervidus are the same species, despite morphological differences. Because the western type looks so different, I refer to them as California Bumblebee, but note that they are still B. fervidus.

Bruce Whittington sends a photograph of a female Blue-eyed Darner from Ladysmith.  We thank Dr Rob Cannings for the identification.

Rhionaeschna multicolor (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Bruce Whittington