2020 October 7 afternoon

   For those who like fast, action-packed movies,  Ian Cooper has made a movie of a Banana Slug on the Galloping Goose Trail.   It can be viewed by clicking on

https://tinyurl.com/y299mo6x

2020 October 7 morning

   A collection of invertebrates photographed by Ian Cooper during another dusk excursion to the Galloping Goose 9km marker:

   These Snail-eating Beetles really do seem to enjoy feasting upon snails! 

Snail-eating Beetles Scaphinotus angusticollis (Col.: Carabidae)  Ian Cooper

Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)  Ian Cooper

   We are not sure which of two species of polygyrid snail this is:

Cryptomastix germana or Vespericola columbianus (Pul.: Polygyridae)  Ian Cooper

Probably Uroleucon sp. (Hem.: Aphididae)  Ian Cooper

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Eupithecia sp.

1 Eulithis xylina

1 Drepanulatrix sp.

1 Philedia punctomacularia

1 Sunira decipiens

1 Tetracis jubararia

Sunira decipiens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Tetracis (probably jubararia)  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Philedia punctomacularia (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  This delicate little moth was on the wall of my Saanich apartment building last night:

Amblyptilia pica (Lep.: Pterophoridae)  Jeremy Tatum

2020 October 6

  Jochen Möhr photographed a Harvestman in Metchosin on October 4.  Dr Philip Bragg of UBC writes:  Your guess that the specimen might be Nelima is pretty good, but I think that it is more likely to be Leptobunus parvulus. The photograph is good but it does not show clearly important details e.g. that the palpal claw of Nelima is denticulate whereas in Leptobunus it is smooth. Thanks for sending it. (And thanks, Dr Bragg, for identifying it!)

Probably Leptobunus parvulus (Opiliones: Phalangiidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jochen’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Drepanulatrix sp.

1 Eupithecia sp.

1 Orthosia mys – same as previous two days.

No pics taken

Lots more tomorrow…

2020 October 5 morning

   Here’s a rather fierce-looking spider photographed by Ian Cooper along the Galloping Goose trail, and kindly identified for us by Dr Robb Bennett as a  mature male Callobius pictus.

Callobius pictus (Ara.: Amaurobiidae)  Ian Cooper

   And a beetle, kindly identified for us by Scott Gilmore:

Helops pernitens (Col.: Tenebrionidae)  Ian Cooper

   Jochen Möhr’s short list of moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Drepanulatrix sp.

1 Orthosia mys

Orthosia mys (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

2020 October 4 afternoon

   (Unfortunately, because of a technical hitch, this was not posted until the morning of of October 5.)

   Jeff Gaskin reports the sighting of an unidentified nymphalid butterfly (a Lady or a Red Admiral) this afternoon at 2:30 pm on Lampson Street at Bewdley Street in Esquimalt.  Jeff and Jeremy Tatum are both seeing a few Cabbage Whites still.

   Ian Cooper sends two more photographs from the Galloping Goose Trail near the 9 km marker. First, a caterpillar (green form) of the Large Yellow Underwing moth.

Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

   Next, this magnificent millipede.   We have been calling this “Probably Eurymerodesmidae”, but we are sure there must be someone out there who knows exactly what it is.  Do let us know!  (jtatum at uvic dot ca)

Flat-backed millipede (Polydesmida: probably Eurymerodesmidae)   Ian Cooper

More tomorrow…