2016 May 3
Jeremy Tatum writes: The longer I edit this site, the more amazed I am at the enormous diversity of invertebrates we have in our area, the huge variety of creatures that users manage to photograph, and the tremendous quality of the photographs. Thanks and congratulations to all contributors are in order, and thanks to the several experts who have helped us with identifications.
Annie Pang sends a photograph of a damselfly:
Damselfly Enallagma sp. (Odo.: Coenagrionidae) Annie Pang
Val George sends a picture of a Green Comma from Gordon and Anne-Marie Hart’s Highlands house during the May 1 butterfly walk. He writes that it shows the identifying features on both the dorsal and ventral sides.
Green Comma Polygonia faunus (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Val George
He also sends the top of a lupine flower seen at the Colwood turnoff during the butterfly walk. The sharp-eyed will see on it two eggs of the Silvery Blue butterfly.
Silvery Blue eggs Glaucopsyche lygdamus
(Lep.: Lycaenidae)
Val George
Aziza Cooper sends some photographs of commas from Mount Cokely and from Taylor Road. Commas are difficult but I believe these are Green Commas.
Green Comma
Polygonia faunus (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Aziza Cooper
Green Comma
Polygonia faunus (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Aziza Cooper
Green Comma
Polygonia faunus (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Aziza Cooper
Rosemary Jorna agrees with several other observers that there have been very few Satyr Commas this year. Jeremy Tatum has yet to see one.
Aziza sends a selection of other butterflies from a recent visit to Mount Cokely.
Western Brown Elfin
Incisalia iroides (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Aziza Cooper
Two-banded Grizzled Skipper
Pyrgus ruralis (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Aziza Cooper
Western Pine Elfin
Incisalia eryphon (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Aziza Cooper
Western Tailed Blue
Everes amyntula (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Aziza Cooper
Jody Wells photographed a tiger beetle at Cordova Spit. These beetles run around so rapidly that Jody did well to get a photograph. Thanks to Claudia Copley for identifying it as Cicindela tranquebarica.
Tiger beetle
Cicindela tranquebarica (Col.: Carabidae – Cicindelinae)
Jody Wells
Rosemary Jorna writes: I went looking for micro snails on our big leaf maples today May 2 2016 and found a second population; previous searches had not revealed them. The white curved shape is my fingernail.
Nearctula sp. (Pul.: Vertiginidae) Rosemary Jorna
Jeremy Tatum writes: That’s all I have time for today! There are more photos in the queue, so please have patience. I’ll get them up in the next couple of days.