July 2 morning

    [In case you’re wondering, there was no July 1 posting.]

    Here’s a fly photographed a couple of weeks ago by someone and kindly identified by Michelle Locke as Dasysyrphus intrudens.   Apologies for the delay – it kind of got lost in the heap.  And more apologies – I had wrongly attributed the photo to Jochen.  Does anyone recognize it and can tell me whose it is?!

Dasysyrphus intrudens (Dip.: Syrphidae)

   Annie Pang sends pictures of a Western Tiger Swallowtail:

Western Tiger Swallowtail  Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Annie Pang

Western Tiger Swallowtail  Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Annie Pang

Western Tiger Swallowtail  Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Annie Pang

   Yesterday, July 1, we had the monthly VNHS Butterfly Walk, which is held regularly on the first Sunday of each month, led by Gordon Hart.  Nine enthusiasts attended.  Jeff Gaskin kept count, as follows:

On Mt. Tolmie   20 Lorquin’s Admirals,  1 Western Tiger Swallowtail,  and 1 or 2 Cabbage Whites.

At McIntyre Road reservoir  :  several Cabbage Whites and a few Essex Skippers.

At Island View Beach from the north parking lot to Saanichton Spit parking lot  :   16 Lorquin’s Admirals,  30 Essex Skippers,  2 Western Tiger Swallowtails, 1 Ringlet, and 4 Cabbage Whites.

Lots of dragonflies and sand wasps were seen (photos below), as well as an Otter with two young cubs (kittens?  otterlets?  Is there a name for young otters?).

Blue-eyed Darner Rhionaeschna multicolor (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Aziza Cooper

Cardinal Meadowhawk  Sympetrum illotum (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Aziza Cooper

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Aziza Cooper

Sand Wasp Bembix americana (Hym.: Crabronidae)  Aziza Cooper

More to come this afternoon or evening…

2018 June 30

Gordon Hart writes:

Hello Butterfly Watchers,

This is a reminder that the monthly VNHS Butterfly Walk will be on Sunday July 1, Canada Day! We will meet at the summit of Mount Tolmie by the reservoir at 1 p.m.  I was thinking of a trip to Island View Beach for Purplish Coppers and whatever else might be around, but we can decide at the time.  The weather is supposed to be sunny, so hope to see you Sunday,

-Gordon

   Jochen Möhr writes:  June is practically over, and I have not seen or seen mentioned any June Beetles Polyphylla sp.   Are they gone?  Jeremy Tatum writes:  I looked up in the Invert Alert Index, and I see that we have six photographs of the adult sog. June Beetle. Only one of them is in June (June 25); the remainder are in July (latest is July 28).  So there is hope yet.   Claudia Copley tells me that our species is best referred to as Polyphylla crinita.

   Aziza Cooper sends an interesting photograph of the pale forma pallida of the Essex Skipper from Cattle Point.  Jeremy Tatum writes:   We see these from time to time – maybe I see about one a year, not more.  I’ve written to David Harris to see if he sees them in Sussex.  It’s not a subspecies – it’s just a “form”.  I suppose someone has worked out the genetics of it, though I don’t know.

 

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola f. “pallida” (Lep.: Hesperiidae)   Aziza Cooper

2018 June 29

   Val George writes:  Yesterday, June 28, this Small Magpie Moth  Anania hortulata was settled on my backyard fence in Oak Bay.

Small Magpie Moth Anania hortulata (Lep.: Crambidae)  Val George

       Jeremy Tatum comments:  This is yet another species that has suffered name changes. For many years this was Eurrhypara hortulata in the family Pyralidae.  Now its family and genus  have both changed.  The frequent name changes affect more and more organisms – some might even say “most” of them.  It needs to be understood that many of these name changes are based not so much on new “discoveries” but on what an author means by the very concept of “species”.   There is no unique definition of “species” and it is difficult to estimate how many variations in the concept have been proposed over the years.    The two best-known such concepts are the Biological Species Concept and the Phylogenetic  Species Concept.  The former is what many of us grew up with.   The more modern phylogenetic concept relies heavily (some might say too heavily) upon genetic DNA “bar-coding” and places less (some might say no) weight upon the external appearance of the organism.  Those of us who lack the necessary training in biology are hardly in a position to judge which is the “best” system, and what is the “correct” name for an organism.   It is fair to point out, however, that the frequent (in some cases almost annual) name changes do make difficulties for poor souls such as those who run a web site such as this one  – and especially who have to maintain its index  –  and have to decide what to call a particular animal.  This particular moth has been listed only a few times on this site and is listed in the index under Anania hortulata.  There is more difficulty with organisms that have appeared dozens of times over the years on this site and which have suffered name changes during these years.   It is not practicable to change the index entries and picture captions in such cases.  When searching for an insect in the index, it is perhaps best to search under the species name alone, omitting the genus, for the species may have been placed in different genera by different authors.    

   A further minor complication is that English names are not always helpful either.  For example, this moth, the Small Magpie Moth, is not remotely related to the geometrid  Magpie Moth.

   Here is a beetle that I saw walking across some furniture in my Saanich living room today just when I was sitting down in an armchair hoping to relax:

Xestoleptura crassipes (Col.: Cerambycidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2018 June 28

    Ann Nightingale sends a photograph of larvae of the Mountain Ash Sawfly, which are DEfoliating her Mountain Ash.  This is a European species, long established as an invader in eastern North America, and a recent invader in the west.

Mountain Ash Sawfly Pristiphora geniculata (Hym.: Tenthredinidae)  Ann NIghtingale

   Marie O’Shaughnessy sends photographs of three butterflies from Mount Tolmie, June 26.

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Lorquin’s Admiral  Limenitis lorquini  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Pale Tiger Swallowtail Papilio eurymedon (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of a Cabbage White  from Gorge Park.

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae) Annie Pang

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Last night, June 27, I visited Cairn Hill in Highrock Park, Esquimalt, at 6:15 pm to see if there were any hilltopping nymphalids there.  There was just one – a Painted Lady.  However, it was rather windy at the time, and I think that that hill would be a good place to check more often for hilltoppers in less windy evenings.

2018 June 27

   In case anyone is looking for the June 26 Invert Alert – there wasn’t one!

   Aziza Cooper writes:  On June 23 I saw one Red Admiral at Mount Tolmie. There were also four Painted Ladies, one Western Tiger Swallowtail and one Lorquin’s Admiral.

   Today, June 26, some bees were on the foreshore near Bowker Creek mouth. What would they be after?  [Any suggestions, anyone – or can anyone identify the bees?]

   Have you noticed how aggressive Lorquin’s Admirals are? They almost always swoop close to any person that passes them. I once had one swoop past my car!   [Jeremy Tatum –Yes, what with Lorquin’s Admirals and Northwestern Crows, Victoria is a pretty dangerous place!]

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Bees on the seashore     Aziza Cooper

   Kirsten Mills writes:   Jeff Gaskin and I went to Kinsol Trestle around 1:45 pm on June 26. We saw this hairstreak which was very worn.   We think it’s a cedar but just want to double check.  [Jeremy Tatum writes:   Yes, I’ll go along with Cedar Hairstreak – but we’d welcome comments from other butterfly-ers.]  Later we went to Cowichan Station and saw two Margined Whites and dozens of dragonflies.  Here are some photographs.

Probably Cedar Hairstreak Mitoura rosneri (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Kirsten Mills

Probably Cedar Hairstreak Mitoura rosneri (Lep.: Lycaenidae) plus a thrips (Thysanoptera)

Kirsten Mills

Margined White Pieris marginalis (Lep.: Pieridae)  Kirsten Mills

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

   Gordon Hart writes from the Highlands:  We saw one European (Essex) Skipper today along with a Dun Skipper on lavender plants.  We also had one Cedar Hairstreak, two Cabbage Whites, some Western Tiger Swallowtails, and many Lorquin’s Admirals. There were six on one bush feeding on sweet sticky aphid excretions .

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

Dun Skipper Euphyes vestris (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Gordon Hart