2024 May12 morning

   Aziza Cooper reports that on the afternoon of May 11, there was one Brown Elfin, two Painted Ladies and one Mourning Cloak at the Mount Tolmie reservoir, and elsewhere on Mount Tolmie she saw two Western Spring Azures.  Photographs of two of these butterflies and a fly are shown below.  We thank Steven Roias for the identification of the fly.

Brown Elfin Callophrys augustinus  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Volucella facialis  (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Aziza Cooper

   Jeremy Tatum saw a Painted Lady in Uplands Park on May 11.

Gordon Hart saw his first Pale Tiger Swallowtail of the year on May 8.  On May 11 he was finally able to identify the “small brown jobs” in his Highlands garden as Cedar Hairstreaks.  Also in his garden were continuing Green and Satyr Commas.   On May 11 Anne-Marie Hart spotted a California Ringlet at Island View Beach.

Jeremy Tatum writes:  The ATC treats Coenonympha california as a distinct species from C. tullia.  Although the ATC does not deal with English names, it would make sense for us to refer to our Coenonympha as the California Ringlet.  The ATC lists about 17 named subspecies for this complex group.

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

Cedar Hairstreak  Callophrys gryneus  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Gordon Hart

[This butterfly was formerly labelled on this site as Mitoura rosneri.]

Satyr Comma  Polygonia satyrus  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Gordon Hart

2024 May 11 morning

Ian Cooper writes:  Here are some of the invertebrate photos taken just before dawn and shortly after by the 9 km marker on the GG Trail in View Royal on May 10, 2024.

Cybaeus (probably signifer) (Ara.: Cybaeidae)   Ian Cooper

Clubiona sp.  (Ara.: Clubionidae)  Ian Cooper

Unidentified noctuid caterpillar  (Le.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

Unknown. Possibly a soft scale insect (Hem.: Coccidae)  Ian Cooper

Plectrura spinicauda  (Col.: Cerambycidae)   Ian Cooper

Culiseta incidens  (Dip.: Culicidae)  Ian Cooper

2024 May 10

   Aziza Cooper writes:  On May 9 at Beechey Head, there were two butterflies, one Western Spring Azure and one Brown Elfin.  There were six or more Cabbage Whites at Panama Flats.

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

Brown Elfin  Callophrys augustinus  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

[Previously on this site this butterfly has been known as Western Brown Elfin, or Western Elfin  Incisalia iroides.]

Aziza continues:  Today, May 10, I saw two Western Spring Azures in copula at the Prospect Lake Road end of the powerlines. Also, there were two dragonflies and two Western Spring Azures near Pike Lake. At the roadside parking spot near Pike Lake, there was one grey and white moth, the size of a Western Spring Azure.

Western Spring Azures Celastrina echo  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

Western Spring Azures Celastrina echo  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

Lomographa semiclarata  (Lep.:  Geometridae) Aziza Cooper

Four-spotted Skimmer Libellula quadrimaculata (Odo.: Libellulidae) Aziza Cooper

Barb McGrenere writes:   About 4:30 pm on May 9, Mike and I watched a fresh Pale Tiger Swallowtail at the top of Observatory Hill.  It was flying around a grassy area surrounded by Garry Oaks, conifers, and Big Leaf Maple.  It was present for about 20 minutes and did not land while we were watching it.  When we left, it was still flying.

2024 May 9

Aziza Cooper writes: On May 8, at about 4 pm, I saw four species of butterflies at Mount Tolmie: two Painted Ladies, two Mourning Cloaks, one Western Spring Azure and one flyby Anise Swallowtail.  [Jeremy Tatum writes:  The two Painted Ladies and a Mourning Cloak were still there on May 9, 4:00 pm.]

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

   Here are a few photographs taken on May 5 to 9 by Ian Cooper at Colquitz River Park.

If anyone can help with the first two insects below, please let us know.  At present we label them as “probablys”.

Probably an aphid (Hem.: Aphididae)  Ian Cooper

Probably a crane fly  (Dip.: Tipulidae)  Ian Cooper

Harvestman Protolophus sp. (Opiliones:  Protolophidae)  Ian Cooper

Tetragnatha versicolor (Ara.: Tetragnathidae)  Ian Cooper

2024 May 8

Jeremy Tatum writes:  This afternoon, May 8, at 5:30 pm, there were two Painted Ladies flying around the Jeffrey Pine at the top of Mount Tolmie, and a Mourning Cloak basking on the reservoir.

Harvestmen are apparently fierce predators.  Recent photographs by Ian Cooper on the site have shown a harvestman apparently feeding on a earthworm, and another feeding on what may be spider.  The photograph below shows a harvestman feeding upon what may be an ant.  Dr Bragg describes this harvestman as a somewhat “overfed” Protolophus.

Harvestman (Protolophus sp.) feeding on what may be an ant.  Ian Cooper

The photograph below shows a harvestman feeding upon what looks like another harvestman!

Harvestman apparently feeding upon another harvestman.    Ian Cooper

Ian photographed this colourful beetle in View Royal – confirmed by Scott Gilmore to be Chrysophana placida.

Chrysophana placida  (Col.: Buprestidae)   Ian Cooper

A colourful beetle is followed by a colourful snail:

Cepaea nemoralis  (Pul.: Helicidae)  Ian Cooper

Cepaea nemoralis  (Pul.: Helicidae)  Ian Cooper

Deroceras reticulatum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)   Ian Cooper

Clubiona sp. (Ara.: Clubionidae)  Ian Cooper

Woodlouse Hunter Spider – Dysdera crocata  (Ara.: Dysderidae)   Ian Cooper