2024 March 31

  Here are photographs of two Grey Field Slugs, one photographed by Ian Cooper at Colquitz River Park on March 29, and the other, of a slightly unusual colour, by Aziza Cooper on Mount Tolmie, March 27.

Deroceras reticulatum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)  Ian Cooper

Deroceras reticulatum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)  Aziza Cooper

Here are further recent photographs of invertebrates by Ian Cooper:

Lauria cylindracea  (Pul.: Lauriidae) Ian Cooper

Harvestman (Opiliones)   Ian Cooper

Harvestman (Opiliones)   Ian Cooper

Armadillidium vulgare  (Isopoda:  Armidillidiidae)   Ian Cooper

Camel cricket, possibly Pristoceuthophilus celatus (Orth.: Rhaphidophoridae)
Ian Cooper

Aziza Cooper writes:
Yesterday, March 30, a moth was in my house. Today, March 31, one Western Spring Azure was in front of the Swan Lake Nature House. Two Mourning Cloaks were seen on the trails at Swan Lake.

Today, March 31, Jeremy Tatum saw two Western Spring Azures at Swan Lake, and a Mourning Cloak and a California Tortoiseshell on the Mount Tolmie reservoir.  Jeff Gaskin reports a Mourning Cloak today at the corner of Wascana Street and Gorge Road West.

Nomenia obsoleta/Venusia pearsalli  (Lep. Geometridae)  Aziza Cooper

For a long time we (Invert Alert) have had difficulty in distinguishing between the similar Venusia obsoleta  and V. pearsalli, and we have been sort of hoping that the taxonomists might one day lump them as one species.  Alas, they went the other way, and they are now in separate genera, as you see from the label to the above photograph.  And we still can’t tell them apart!

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

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

2024 March 30 morning

Spring!

Jeremy Tatum writes:  According to my (astronomical) definition, Spring started here on March 19.  However, many butterfly-watchers believe that Spring starts when the first Orangetip butterfly is seen.

Jules Thomson reports having seen two Sara Orangetips on March 27, on the upper south facing slope of the main summit of Mount Douglas, just west and below the upper parking lot, in low shrub area with short spindly oak.

2024 March 29

   Ian Cooper sends photographs of a March Fly (also known as St Mark’s Fly).   Dr Rob Cannings writes: “This is a female of a species of Bibio (Diptera: Bibionidae). Known as March Flies (some appear in March). This is the only genus we have here in the family, but there are quite a few species and I can’t tell them apart without a microscope and a lot of trouble!

Interestingly, the most abundant insects found in BC Eocene fossils are in the genus Plecia in the same family. Plecia doesn’t get much farther north now than Florida, I think.”

Bibio sp. (Dip.: Bibionidae)  Ian Cooper

Bibio sp. (Dip.: Bibionidae)  Ian Cooper

Jochen Möhr sends photographs of two pug moths from Metchosin.  They are clearly one of two similar species, Eupithecia ravocostaliata or E. nevadata.  Jeremy Tatum thinks probably E. ravocostaliata,  but this is not a certain identification.  They could be the other one.

Eupithecia  (probably ravocostaliata)  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Eupithecia  (probably ravocostaliata)  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

2024 March 27 

 Ian Cooper recounts a little adventure he had with a wasp:  A wasp landed on my hand while I was in the kitchen a couple days ago. After my initial surprise, I managed to capture it in a jar with air holes in the lid and gave it a slice of apple to dine on. I then brought it along on yesterday’s pre-dawn photo shoot at Colquitz and View Royal and released it on to some flowers by the E&N Trail in Esquimalt once the sun was up on my way back into Victoria.

Polistes dominula (Hym.: Vespidae)  Ian Cooper

Polistes dominula (Hym.: Vespidae)  Ian Cooper

Polistes dominula (Hym.: Vespidae)  Ian Cooper

   Here are more of Ian Cooper’s invertebrate photographs, at *Colquitz River Park & the #Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal on March 26.

# Globose springtail (Coll.: Dicyrtomenidae)  Ian Cooper

Unidentified linyphiid spider (Ara.: Linyphiidae) Ian Cooper

Clubiona sp. (Ara.: Clubionidae)  Ian Cooper

#Pimoa altioculata with egg sac (Ara.: Pimoidae)  Ian Cooper

Young Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)  Ian Cooper

Non-biting midge  (Dip.: Chironomidae)  Ian Cooper

Unidentified early instar noctuid caterpillar (Lep.: Noctuidae) Ian Cooper