July 25

NOTICE

(Jeremy Tatum)

   I shall be away on holiday, safely out of the reach of computers, from August 9 to August 26, and I shall not be able to run Invertebrate Alert during that period.

   There are two possibilities – either find a volunteer to run it, or close it down, during that period.

   If anyone would like to try to operate it during that period, please let me know (jtatum@uvic.ca) before the end of July.  You will need a little bit of training (not much), and there will have to be some technical adjustments to the program, so that we do need a volunteer to come forward before the end of July. (i.e. it can’t be a last-minute thing.)  With luck, things will be back to normal at the end of August.  I’ll let you know what happens.

   Nathan Fisk sends a picture of a Grey Hairstreak from Fort Rodd Hill, July 18.

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

   Scott Gilmore found a  jumping spider (Platycryptus californicus) and a greenbottle fly (Lucilia sp.) on July 20.

Jumping spider Platycryptus californicus (Ara.: Salticidae)

and

Greenbottle fly Lucilia sp. (Dip.: Calliphoridae)

Scott Gilmore

   Jeremy Tatum reports three Red Admirals and a Painted Lady on top of Mount Tolmie, July 25, 6:00 p.m.  Two of the Red Admirals were on the reservoir, and one was on the bramble patch. One of the Red Admirals seems particularly to like the blotches of coloured paint that have been spilled on the reservoir. The Painted Lady was on the side of the road next to the Jeffery Pine.

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of a bee, kindly identified by Sean McCann as Osmia sp.

Osmia sp. (Hym.: Megachilidae)  Annie Pang

    Jeremy writes:  There still seem to be lots of exciting butterflies on some of the mountains of Vancouver Island, but in the immediate area of Victoria, the butterfly season seems to be coming to an end.  We can expect Pine Whites, Woodland Skippers and of course Cabbage Whites during July and August.  There were hundreds of Cabbage Whites in the Martindale /Island View area today.  Other late-season butterflies to be expected are Large Heath (“Ringlet”) and Purplish Copper.  An uncommon butterfly to look out for (Cordova Spit perhaps) is the Western Branded Skipper.

   While it is easy to record “first of year” of species, recording the “last of year” sightings is not so easy.  For that reason I would encourage viewers to continue to report sightings of swallowtails and Lorquin’s Admirals.  There are still a (very) few of them around.  Who knows, you may achieve fame by spotting the last one of the year.

2016 July 24

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of a Bald-faced Hornet,

Bald-faced Hornet Dolichovespula maculata (Hym.: Vespidae)  Annie Pang

   Liam Singh writes:  There were three or four Black Saddlebags today at Rathtrevor Park.

Black Saddlebags Tramea lacerata (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Liam Singh

Black Saddlebags Tramea lacerata (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Liam Singh

   Devon Parker writes:  My Dad and I went for looking for butterflies at Mount Brenton/Mount Hall area near Chemainus today (July 24). We found a total of 104 butterflies comprising 13 different species. I also witnessed a very unusual behaviour of female Clodius Parnassian ovipositing eggs on the leaves of Alder, not Bleeding Heart.

Sightings for the day:
1 Grey Hairstreak
1 Red Admiral
1 Western Sulphur
1 Western Meadow Fritillary
2 Comma sp.
2 Western Tiger Swallowtails
3 Dun Skippers
6 Anna’s Blue
8 Lorquin’s Admiral
12 Clodius Parnassian
13 Mariposa Coppers
15 Blues (most likely all Anna’s)
39 Fritillaries (Speyeria sp.)

Clodius Parnassian Parnassius clodius  (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Devon Parker

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Not many butterflies left in the immediate vicinity of Victoria just now, so it is good to hear that there are still plenty elsewhere on the Island.  My visit to Mount Tolmie at 6:00 this evening was not quite as profitable as Devon’s  to  Mounts Brenton and Mount Hall, but for the record there were two Red Admirals there.

2016 July 23

   Jeremy Tatum writes:   Mount Tolmie, 6:00 pm. July 23.  A Red Admiral on the reservoir, and a Painted Lady on the roadside near the Jeffery Pine.

   Annie Pang sends a variety of photographs from Gorge Park.  First a small fly, identified by Dr Matthias Buck as a lauxaniid.

Fly (Dip.: Lauxaniidae)   Annie Pang

   Next, a small moth:

Many-plumed moth Alucita montana (Lep.: Alucitidae)  Annie Pang

   Then a spider:

Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)   Annie Pang

2016 July 22

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I found a third-instar Red Admiral caterpillar at Swan Lake today.  Unlike the Lorquin’s Admiral caterpillars which I reported on July 20, which overwinter as young caterpillars, the Red Admiral caterpillar will produce an adult butterfly later this summer.

2016 July 21

   Val George writes:  This Silver-spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa argentata was beside a road near my house in Oak Bay on July 21.

Silver-spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa argentata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)

Val George

   Samantha sends a photograph of a group of nymphs of the Birch Bug – appropriately on a birch catkin. Thanks to Scott Gilmore for the identification. There is an interesting account of this species at

http://entomofaune.qc.ca/entomofaune/punaises/punaises_acanthosomatidae.html

 Birch Bug Elasmucha lateralis (Hem.: Acanthosomatidae)

Samantha

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of  the beetle Leptura obliterata, from Gorge Park, July 21.

 Leptura obliterata (Col.: Cerambycidae)  Annie Pang