August 3

   Sending in your observations and photographs.   It takes a little while to prepare an Invert Alert (about ten minutes per photograph provided there are absolutely no problems or queries, or about an hour if there are six photographs, again if there are no problems.  Contributors can help the compiler immensely if they will do the following:

   *Submit photographs as attachments in .jpg format, and not in the body of the message.  (The few users of Macs may do something differently.)

  *Make sure that the date (not “yesterday”, but the date) and the place (not “my backyard”) of the photograph or observation, and the name of the photographer are included in the body of the message (not merely in the title).

  *You do not have to know the name of the animal you have photographed.  If you don’t know it, we shall try and identify it – but no guarantee of success!  If you do know what it is, please say so –  otherwise I have to spend unnecessary time trying to identify it again myself.

  *Please do check your text for grammar, spelling and punctuation.  I know this takes a little time, but if you don’t do it, the compiler has to.  And please, no abbreviations, and please capitalize proper nouns.  I do understand that some people find spelling and grammar easier than others, but do your best, and I’ll clean up anything you miss. 

   Thank you for your help, and for your contributions!

   Brent Beach sends a picture of a larva of the ladybird beetle  Harmonia axyridis.

Harmonia axyridis (Col.: Coccinellidae)  Brent Beach

   Rosemary Jorna sends a photograph of an Eight-spotted Skimmer from Kemp Lake Road, August 3.

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   More tomorrow!

August 2

   Nathan Fisk writes:  I’m writing in to report on the heart warming number of Woodland Skippers swarming the White-topped Aster in theFort Rodd nursery.  I’d conservatively estimate 75 Woodland Skippers, 10 Bombus vosnesenskii, 20 leaf-cutter bees and at least 3 other species are nectaring in this area. The make-up of the invertebrates changes over the course of a day with the bulk of the skippers showing after noon. A wonderful sight. 

  And Bryan Gates also comments on the Woodland Skippers in his garden.  He sends a photograph of one.

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Bryan Gates

   Mistakes:   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Every now and again I make some sort of mistake – spelling, identification, date, whatever – when entering contributions.  Some of them are glaringly obvious and must be noticed by anyone who looks at the site.  But you are all so beautifully polite and don’t want to hurt my feelings, so you don’t mention it to me.  Please, please, please, if you spot a mistake of any sort:  let me know about it, so that I can correct it!

August 1

     Jochen Möhr writes:  It looks as though there will be a “Celebraton of Life” event for Moralea Milne on Sunday, August 5 at 2:00 pm somewhere near the Municipal Hall in Metchosin – behind the Fire Hall – details depending on weather, etc.

    Here, for interest, is a repeat of Gordon Hart’s recent photograph of a Branded Skipper on Mount Washington (and therefore supposedly a “Common Branded Skipper”),  and two of Val George’s photographs from previous years of a Branded Skipper from Cordova Spit (and therefore presumably a “Western Branded Skipper”).

“Common” Branded Skipper Hesperia sp. (Lep.: Hesperiidae)     Gordon Hart

“Western” Branded Skipper  Hesperia sp. (Lep.: Hesperiidae)    Val George

“Western” Branded Skipper  Hesperia sp. (Lep.: Hesperiidae)    Val George

   According to

www.goert.ca/documents/SAR_manual/Hesperia_colorado_oregonia.pdf

Compared to Western Branded Skipper (subspecies oregonia), H. comma

(subspecies undescribed) from the mountains of Vancouver Island have a

darker base colour on the ventral hindwings and medial markings that are

wider and darker. On the dorsal surface, the brown margins are wider and

darker and the marginal apical spots (at the wing tips) are smaller. Adults

are also smaller in size (forewing length = 12.0-14.0 mm vs. 13.6-15.2 mm

for H. colorado oregonia).

    It is probable that one would have to compare series of mounted museum specimens to appreciate these differences.  The question would then remain if the two populations should be treated as separate species or as a single species.

   This just in from Kirsten Mills:  I went to Paradise Meadows and Mount Washington from 1:30 to 4:30pm on July 31. I saw 3 Boisduval’s Blues, about 15 Anna’s Blues, around 60 Mariposa Coppers, 11 Western Meadow Fritillaries, 4 Hydaspe Fritillaries, 3 Branded Skippers and 1 Woodland Skipper. All but the Woodland Skipper were new for me this year. Kirsten sends some photographs, of which the first is a Branded Skipper, presumably a “Common” Branded Skipper.

“Common” Branded Skipper Hesperia comma (Lep.: Hesperiidae)   Kirsten Mills

Western Meadow Fritillary Boloria epithore (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Kirsten Mills

Mariposa Copper Lycaena mariposa (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Kirsten Mills

   Jochen Möhr sends photographs of two moths from Metchosin.  The first one is easy.  The second one? –  Libby Avis says one of two species, not certain which, probably pensilis.

Campaea perlata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Lacinipolia pensilis/patalis (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

June 31 evening

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of a caterpillar feeding on the flowers of Gumweed from Island View Beach.

Heliothis phloxiphaga (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2018 July 31 morning

   Several regular contributors to this site have written to express their great sorrow at the death, in a traffic accident on July 28, of Moralea Milne.  Moralea was a great lover of butterflies, who contributed a number of records to this site, and welcomed other enthusiasts to her butterfly-rich property on Camas Hill.  Aziza sends a 2014 photograph of Moralea in characteristic pose with a Green Comma perched on her sleeve.

Moralea Milne