2018 October 21

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  Yesterday,  October 20 at Martindale Flats just south of Garcia farms there were three or four Cabbage Whites.  Jeremy Tatum adds:  Yes, I saw two there today, plus another one at Maber Flats.  Also, several Banded Woolly Bear caterpillars at Quick’s Bottom.

2018 October 20

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  This moth was at my Saanich apartment this morning:

Drepanulatrix monicaria (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jeremy Tatum

   Two male millipedes were standing at the street corner, when they spotted a beautiful female millipede walking along the other side of the road.  Said one male millipede to the other:  “Boy!  Just have an eyeful of that!   What a beautiful pair of legs pair of legs pair of legs pair of legs pair of legs pair of legs pair of legs pair of legs pair of legs…”

  This one appeared indoors in my office at UVic yesterday.  It wouldn’t keep still enough for a sharp photograph.  Can anyone out there identify it, even if only to Family?  Or Suborder?

Millipede (Polydesmida)   Jeremy Tatum

     There were about five Cabbage Whites  at McMicking Point this afternoon.

2018 October 19

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Yesterday I showed a photograph of a lycaenid caterpillar photographed by Nathan Fisk on Beach Knotweed – a common foodplant of the Purplish Copper.    I cautioned, however, that the caterpillar more closely resembled that of a Grey Hairstreak.   I am now wholly convinced that it is indeed a Grey Hairstreak, and I have now labelled it as such.  Here is an enlargement of a second photograph by Nathan of the caterpillar.   On comparison with my photograph of a Grey Hairstreak caterpillar at    facweb.furman.edu/~snyderjohn/tatum/098-101.htm     there can now be little doubt of the identity.

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Nathan Fisk

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  One Cabbage White, Martindale Road, this afternoon.  Also a big, brightly-coloured moth flew past me, almost colliding with my head.  I believe it was probably a Garden Tiger Arctia caja.

2018 October 18

   Bryan Gates sent this photograph of a harvestman from Oak Bay on October 12.  I think it is possible that it is not the usual European Phalangium opilio, but we haven’t got an identification yet, so for the time being we’ll just have to leave it at Order level.

Harvestman (Opiliones)    Bryan Gates

   Nathan Fisk sends a photograph of Bombus melanopygus  from Fort Rodd Hill.

Bombus melanopygus (Hym.: Apidae)  Nathan Fisk

   He also sends a photograph of a Grey Hairstreak caterpillar on Black (or Beach) Knotweed.

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Given this foodplant, my immediate reaction is that this must be the caterpillar of a Purplish Copper butterfly.   The difficulty is that I don’t think it looks quite right for that species, which is usually green and rather weakly, if at all, patterned.  The patterning, the colour, and the slightly bristly appearance make me wonder if it might actually be a Grey Hairstreak.  Here they usually feed on Salal (spring generation) or on Pearly Everlasting (fall), though a wide variety of foodplants has been recorded.  See the October 19 posting, to see why I finally convinced myself that it is a Grey Hairstreak.

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Nathan Fisk

2018 October 17

   Bryan Gates writes:  I cleaned out 40+ nest boxes at the Uplands Golf Course today. This spider was encountered in at least five boxes, along with other spiders not photographed.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  I think this is… well, I shan’t say what I thought it was, for Robb  Bennett writes:  Oops – go to the back of the class until such time as you have an opportunity to redeem yourself.  It’s an amaurobiid – Callobius severus.

Callobius severus (Ara.: Amaurobiidae)   Bryan Gates