2024 August 20 morning

No Invertebrate Alert was issued on August 19.

But we start off today with two nice moths seen and photographed yesterday by Val George, Catocala relicta on the Blenkinsop Trail near the lake,  Cyclophora dataria on the wall of his Oak Bay house.

Catocala relicta  (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae)  Val George

Cyclophora dataria  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Val George

2024 August 18

Val George writes:  This Dichagyris variabilis moth was at the Nanaimo River Road yesterday, August 17. The only butterflies I saw were two Common Woodnymphs and about half a dozen Woodland Skippers.

Dichagyris variabilis  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Val George

Marie O’Shaughnessy visited Outerbridge Park on the morning of August 18, where she saw

Butterflies

  4 Cabbage Whites
1 Lorquin’s Admiral
11 Woodland Skippers

Dragonflies

3  Striped Meadowhawks
4 Paddle-tailed Darners
1 Black Saddlebags
3 pairs of damselflies (bluets?)  in copula

She sent photographs of Striped Meadowhawks:

Striped Meadowhawk  Sympetrum pallipes  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

 Striped Meadowhawk  Sympetrum pallipes  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

2024 August 17

   Aziza Cooper writes that on August 16 at 6 pm, there were two Painted Ladies at Mount Douglas summit.   And Jeremy Tatum writes that on August 17 at 5:30 pm, there were two Red Admirals chasing each other around the Mount Tolmie reservoir, and occasionally landing on one or other of the white patches on the reservoir.

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

   Jeremy Tatum writes that on August 16 there were dozens and dozens of Woodland Skippers  at Rithet’s Bog.

2024 August 16 morning

   Marie O’Shaughnessy sends reports of dragonflies and butterflies and photographs of dragonflies from Beckwith and Outerbridge Parks, August 15, and Beaver Lake Ponds, August 14.

Beckwith Park

Butterflies

1 Lorquin’s Admiral
4 Cabbage Whites

Dragonflies

1 Black Saddlebags
1 Blue-eyed Darner
3 Blue Dashers
2 Paddle-tailed Darners
1 Eight-spotted Skimmer
!  Striped Meadowhawk

Black Saddlebags Tramea lacerata  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Female Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Outerbridge Park

Butterflies

21 Woodland Skippers
5 Cabbage Whites

Dragonflies

3 Paddle-tailed Darners
2 Cardinal Meadowhawks
1 Striped Meadowhawk

Striped Meadowhawk  Sympetrum pallipes  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Cardinal Meadowhawk Sympetrum illotum (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Beaver Lake Ponds

Butterflies

2 Cabbage Whites
3 Woodland Skippers

Dragonflies

8 Eight-spotted Skimmers
1 Blue-eyed Darner
2 Paddle-tailed Darners
7 Blue Dashers
1 Black Saddlebags
1 Pacific Forktail

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Female Blue Dasher Pachydiplax longipennis  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Male Blue Dasher Pachydiplax longipennis  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Pacific Forktail Ischnura cervula  (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Paddle-tailed Darners Aeshna palmata (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

2024 August 15 evening

On August 14, Aziza Cooper photographed the moth below at the 13.7 km mark along the Nanaimo River Road.   Thanks to Libby Avis for identifying it as Caenurgina erechtea.

 Caenurgina erechtea  (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae)  Aziza Cooper

Here are a moth and two dragonflies photographed by Gordon Hart.

Paddle-tailed Darner Aeshna palmata (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Gordon Hart