2024 June 20  morning

Here are some pictures taken by Ian Cooper overnight at Colquitz River Park.

Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)   Ian Cooper

Deroceras laeve  (Pul.:  Agriolimacidae)   Ian Cooper

European Sowbug  Oniscus asellus (Isopoda: Oniscidae)   Ian Cooper

Common Striped Woodlouse – Philoscia muscorum (Isopoda: Oniscidae)   Ian Cooper

Jeremy Tatum found this Yellow Douglas Fir Borer in the garden of his Saanich apartment this morning.

Centrodera spurca  (Col.: Cerambycidae)   Jeremy Tatum

2024 June 19 evening

Tomorrow, Thursday June 20, the Right Ascension (J2000.0) of the Apparent Sun will be 06h 00m at 1:51 pm PDT.  Welcome to Summer!    (Botanists might also note that today, the last day of Spring, appropriately, the flower Clarkia amoena can be found in Uplands Park in the area that is being “restored”.  I don’t know if it got there naturally, or whether it was introduced as part of the restoration process.]

Most viewers of this site will be aware that it is not always easy to identify invertebrates accurately.  We do our best here, but we have a policy that it is better to say “dunno” than to get it wrong.   For example, in spite of the obvious superb quality of Ian Cooper’s photographs that follow, even the experts are not absolutely certain whether the following four photographs are Clubionidae or Gnaphosidae.  Either way, enjoy!

Spider (Ara.:  Clubionidae or Gnaphosidae)    Ian Cooper

Spider (Ara.:  Clubionidae or Gnaphosidae)    Ian Cooper

 Spider (Ara.:  Clubionidae or Gnaphosidae)    Ian Cooper

 Spider (Ara.:  Clubionidae or Gnaphosidae)    Ian Cooper

{This reminds me, writes Jeremy Tatum, how can you tell the difference between a professional expert and an amateur dilettante?  One clue is that the former is sometimes unable to be sure of the identification of an organism; the latter is always confidently certain.   I wish birders understood that!]

Enoplognatha ovata (Ara.: Theridiidae)  Ian Cooper
Ian writes: This one must be eating well.  It’s the largest Enoplognatha ovata I’ve seen so far this season.

There are several similar species of snakefly, distributed through two families, and we don’t always try to identify them. But, writes Jeremy Tatum, because of the quality of the photograph, I feel fairly sure that this one is a female Agulla assimilis.

Female Snakefly Agulla assimilis  (Raph.: Raphidiidae)

Two nematoceran flies in copula  (Dip. – Nematocera)  Ian Cooper

Camponotus vicinus  (Hym.: Formicidae)  Ian Cooper

Butterflies and, to a lesser extent, dragonflies are still scarce. Observers are reduced to reporting single sightings, or first-of-the seasons, of normally common species.  Thus, Wendy Ansell reports a single Western Tiger Swallowtail and one or perhaps two Lorquin’s Admirals from Rithet’s Bog on June 19, while Jeff Gaskin reports his first-of-the-year Western Pondhawk at Caleb Pike in the Highlands on June 18.

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Top of Mount Tolmie, 5:15 pm June 19.   There were three Western Tiger Swallowtails and one Pale Tiger Swallowtail nectaring on the Philadelphus shrub, and a Painted Lady on the nearby blackberry blossom, all in pristine condition.  It is such a long time since I have had a good look at a butterfly that I had forgotten just how beautiful they are.  I stood there for half an hour just watching them in awe and delight.

2024 June 19 morning

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  No Invertebrate Alerts for June 17 and 18!  Sorry ‘bout that!  In case you are wondering, there were actually no submissions on June 17.  On June 18, unfortunately, I had so many appointments of one sort or another that day that I just couldn’t quite find the time or energy.  Back to normal today, I think.

I didn’t see any butterflies yesterday (June 18), but I had ample compensation in seeing a sesiiid (clearwing) moth in Swan Creek Park – almost certainly Synanthedon bibionipennis.  Sesiids are always excitng to see.

Marie O’Shaughnessy photographed this beetle along Richmond Road on June 17.  Although it doesn’t seem to have particularly long “horns”, it is nevertheless in the Family of Long-horned Beetles, Cerambycidae.  We don’t know the exact species.

Long-horned beetle (Col.:  Cerambycidae)    Marie O’Shaughnessy

Marie photographed this menacing-looking robber fly at Island View Beach on June 18.  Don’t sit too close to your computer screen in case it flies out and jumps on you.  Dr Rob Cannings identifies it as Laphria sp.

Robber Fly Laphria sp. (Dip.: Asilidae)      Marie O’Shaughnessy

In answer to Marie’s question:  Is that fly rather nasty/dangerous?,  Dr Cannings writes:

Robber flies are harmless to humans. They sometimes land on an arm or a leg or a back, but that’s only a perch for them. However, if you grab one in your hand, say, when removing one from a net, the larger ones can bite in self defence. I have had Efferia individuals bite me – it hurts, like the bite of a notonectid backswimmer (if you’ve ever had that happen to you – again, a self-defence bite).

As you know, the bite is actually an injection (through the proboscis) of proteolytic enzymes that kill insect prey. This saliva dissolves muscles and organs and the soup is sucked up through the proboscis. Thus, a small amount under your skin will sting a bit as the nerves are affected.

Also at Island View Beach, Marie photographed this Lorquin’s Admiral:

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

Val George writes:   This moth, Spargania magniolata, was on the wall of the Nature House at Goldstream Park today, June 18.

Spargania magniolata  (Lep.: Geometridae)   Val George

And this moth, which ecloded (emerged) from its pupa yesterday, was reared from a caterpillar that fed on the leaves of the Armenian Blackberry.  It was released near Blenkinsop Lake.

Aseptis binotata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2024 June 16

   James Miskelly photographed this extraordinary caterpillar at Rocky Point on June 7:

Nemoria darwiniata  (Lep.: Geometridae)   James Miskelly

Aziza Cooper writes:   Yesterday, June 15, three species of butterfly were at Government House: two Western Tiger Swallowtails and one each of Lorquin’s Admiral and Cabbage White.   Jeremy Tatum writes:  You are doing better than me (or should that be I?)  I wandered around Uplands Park for an hour or so today, June 16, and I didn’t see any butterflies at all, not even a Cabbage White.   Culicids, however, were there in abundance.  How are other observers doing?

2024 June 15

On June 14, Marie O’Shaughnessy reported that, because of cool weather, butterflies and dragonflies were scarce.  Thus, at McIntyre reservoir she found only two Cabbage Whites, one Cardinal Meadowhawk, one California Darner, plus 11 damselflies.  She saw a Western Tiger Swallowtail along Bowker Creek.  June 15 has been cool and windy; in spite of that, Gordon Hart saw a Pale Tiger Swallowtail in the Highlands today.

Gordon photographed this bright green grasshopper at Uplands Park, June 13.  James Miskelly writes:  That’s a nymph of Melanoplus bivittatus. It’s common in Melanoplus for species that are brown as adults to have nymphs that are green.

Melanoplus bivittatus  (Orth.: Acrididae)  Gordon Hart

Val George writes :  This beautiful, pristine Ceanothus Silkmoth, Hyalophora euryalus, was on the wall of the Nature House at Swan Lake today, June 15. One of the staff there said it had been there for two days.

Ceanothus Silkmoth Hyalophora euryalus  (Lep.:  Saturniidae)  Val George

Ceanothus Silkmoth Hyalophora euryalus  (Lep.:  Saturniidae)  Val George