2024 July 9 evening

Jochen Möhr sends a photograph of a Lorquin’s Admiral from his Metchosin property.

Lorquin’s Admiral  Limenitis lorquini  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Jochen Möhr

Here are more pictures from Ian Cooper.  All pictures taken by the ^E&N Trail and the #Galloping Goose Trail on Sunday July 07, 2024.

^ Enoplognatha ovata (Ara.: Theridiidae)   Ian Cooper

# Unidentified nematoceran fly (Dip. – Nematocera)  Ian Cooper

^ Blue-green Sharpshooter Hordnia atropunctata (Hem.: Coccinellidae)   Ian Cooper

Psyllobora borealis (Col.: Coccinellidae)  Ian Cooper

2024 July 9 morning

   Val George writes: On the morning of July 8, there were two Satyr Commas on the Blenkinsop trail near Blenkinsop Lake.   [Jeremy Tatum notes:  The one below is on Stinging Nettle – presumably laying eggs?]

Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Val George

Aziza Cooper writes:   On July 8, there were many Blue Dashers at McIntyre Reservoir. There were also four Cabbage Whites and five Essex Skippers.

Blue Dasher  Pachydiplax longipennis  (Odo.:  Libellulidae)  Aziza Cooper

Here are four photographs of a yellowjacket wasp by Ian Cooper.  You’d think it would be easy to identify.  So far, we haven’t been able to do so with complete certainty, even to genus.

Yellowjacket wasp (Hym.: Vespidae)  Ian Cooper

Yellowjacket wasp (Hym.: Vespidae)  Ian Cooper

Yellowjacket wasp (Hym.: Vespidae)  Ian Cooper

Yellowjacket wasp (Hym.: Vespidae)  Ian Cooper

2024 July 8 evening

   We have had two recent difficult moth identification problems, and we thank Libby Avis for her help with and comments on the identifications.  The suggested species designations in the captions below are suggestions only, not definitive identifications.

Eudonia sp. (possibly commortalis) (Lep.: Crambidae)  Val George

Apamea sp. (possibly atriclava)  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

2024 July 8 morning

   It was a very hot day yesterday for the July Butterfly Walk – probably too hot even for many butterflies.  Six participants braved the heat for the Walk.  Here is what we saw:

Mount Tolmie:
Lorquin’s Admiral – 2
Western Tiger Swallowtail – 2
Pale Tiger Swallowtail – 1
Cabbage White – 2

 Swan Lake:
Lorquin’s Admiral – 7
Western Tiger Swallowtail – 5
Cabbage White – 1
Essex Skipper – 15 or more

In addition, many dragonflies were seen at Swan Lake, including a Black Saddlebags.  Following is a selection of photographs taken during the Walk.

Pale Tiger Swallowtail Pterourus eurymedon  (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Aziza Cooper

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

Essex Skippers Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Gordon Hart

 Blue Dasher Pachydiplax longipennis  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Gordon Hart

Blue Dasher Pachydiplax longipennis  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Aziza Cooper

Blue Dasher Pachydiplax longipennis  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Gordon Hart

   Here is a tiny, tiny moth photographed by Ian Cooper on June 24 in Colquitz River Park.  It is almost certainly one of the smallest moths, in the Family Nepticulidae, possibly genus Stigmella.

Possibly Stigmella sp. (Lep.: Nepticulidae)  Ian Cooper

Kirsten Mills writes:     July 6^th, Jeff Gaskin and I went looking for butterflies near Mount Cokely and Mount Arrowsmith.  The butterflies we saw included the following  :   13 Clodius Parnassians, 1 Cedar Hairstreak, 1 Mourning Cloak, 1 Sulphur species possibly Western seen only by Kirsten,  Western and Pale Tiger Swallowtails,  9 Hydaspe Fritillaries, and several Essex Skippers.

At Cowichan Station,  we saw an immature male and an adult male Common Whitetail and a Western Pondhawk.  Butterflies included Western Tiger Swallowtail, Lorquin’s Admiral, Essex Skippers and Cabbage Whites.

  Male Common Whitetail Plathemis lydia  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Kirsten Mills

Clodius Parnassian  Parnassius clodius  (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Kirsten Mills

Hydaspe Fritillary  Argynnis hydaspe (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Kirsten Mills

Hydaspe Fritillary  Argynnis hydaspe (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Kirsten Mills

    This species was formerly called Speyeria hydaspe.   However, the ATC treats Speyeria merely as a subgenus of Argynnis, which is the genus used for the European large fritillaries.

2024 July 7 evening

   On July 4 evening, we posted this photograph, taken by Ian Cooper, asking if anyone knew what it was!

Larva of elaterid beetle  (Col.: Elateridae)   Ian Cooper

  Beetle expert Charlene Wood knew what it is!   It is the larva of an elaterid beetle (click beetles). Charlene writes:  It’s not in the Ampedini – they are lighter yellow and have a conical terminal segment. Some members of the former “Ctenicera group” have the characteristics of the one photographed (brown-black with bifurcated, spiny terminal segment.

Jochen Möhr writes from Metchosin:  This morning for the first time this year some abundance of moths.

According to Chris, the light “was covered in those white guys”.  When I got up, there were merely two Leucoma salicis left, apparently a male and a female.   There were also one Callizzia amorata and one Emmelina monodactya, both beyond the reach of the camera.  Then there was a Hemithea aestivaria.  My attempt to get a decent image with my usual camera equipment failed miserably, but my son Marcel Hartges saved the day with his I-phone. And, finally, there was another Eulithis xylina.

Leucoma salicis  (Lep.:  Erebidae – Lymantriinae)  Jochen Möhr

Leucoma salicis  (Lep.:  Erebidae – Lymantriinae)  Jochen Möhr

Eulithis xylina  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Hemithea aestivaria  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Marcel Hartges

Ian Cooper writes:  Here is a selection of photographs taken yesterday afternoon and evening (July 06) by the ^E&N Trail and the #Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal near the 9 km marker.

#Crane fly Tipula pubera  (Dip.: Tipulidae)  Ian Cooper

# Male Snipe Fly. Probably Chrysopilus sp. (Dip.: Rhagionidae)   Ian Cooper

# Large Yellow Underwing Moth – Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Ian Cooper

#Moth fly  Psychoda sp. (Dip.: Psychodidae)  Ian Cooper

# Brown Lacewing  (Neu.: Hemerobiidae)   Ian Cooper

^ Asian Lady Beetle – Harmonia axyridis (Col.: Coccinellidae)   Ian Cooper

Pictures and report on today’s Butterfly Walk in tomorrow morning’s posting!