2023 July 4 morning

   Marie O’Shaughnessy photographed this Satyr Comma and Essex Skipper along Beach Drive on July 3.

Male Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

Male Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

 Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola  (Lep.: Hesperiidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

2023 July 3 evening

   Cheryl Hoyle shows a small robber fly with prey, View Royal, July 2.  We are grateful to Dr Rob Cannings for the identification.

Female Eudioctria sackeni (Dip.: Asilidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

In addition to the species mentioned in yesterday’s Invert Alert, Kirsten Mills and Jeff Gaskin, in their trip to the Nanaimo River Road, also saw two Clodius Parnassians and a Chalk-fronted Corporal.  Here is Kirsten’s photograph of the latter:

Chalk-fronted Corporal  Ladona julia (Odo.: Libellulidae)
Kirsten Mills

Following are some photographs by Gordon Hart from yesterday’s Butterfly Walk at Island View Beach.

Sand Wasp Bembix (probably americana)  (Hym.: Crabronidae)  Gordon Hart

Painted Lady  Vanessa cardui  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Gordon Hart

Western Red Damsels Amphiagrion abbreviatum
(Odo.: Coenagrionidae)
Gordon Hart

Blue-eyed Darner Rhionaeschna multicolor  (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Gordon Hart

Black Saddlebags Tramea lacerata (Odo.: Libellulidae)
Gordon Hart

Acleris albicomana (Lep.: Tortricidae)  Gordon Hart

Jeff Gaskin writes: Today, July 3rd, the butterflies at Swan Lake were the usual again except for numerous Lorquin’s Admirals, some Western Tiger Swallowtails and just a few Essex Skippers and Cabbage Whites.  The dragonflies though were spectacular on the other hand.  At the north end of the floating board walk there were 3 Eight-spotted Skimmers, upwards of 20 Blue Dashers, 1 Cardinal Meadowhawk, a few Blue-eyed Darners, 1 Common Green Darner and one that I’m pretty sure was a Black Saddlebags.

2023 July 3 morning

Aziza Cooper writes:

On July 2, on the July Butterfly Walk, eight people saw a total of eight species of butterflies.

At Mount Tolmie:
Western Tiger Swallowtail – 3
Pale Tiger Swallowtail – 2
Lorquin’s Admiral – 3
Cabbage White – 1

At MacIntyre Reservoir:
Red Admiral – 1
Cabbage White – 10+
Essex Skipper – 10+ 

At Island View Beach:
Red Admiral – 1
Painted Lady – 1
Cabbage White – 5
Lorquin’s Admiral – 8
Essex Skipper – 10+ including one forma pallida

At Mt Tolmie, late afternoon:
West Coast Lady – 1
Painted Lady – 1
Pale Tiger Swallowtail – 1

Also photographed were two species of damselfly, two small moths, a sand wasp and an insect gall.

A small geometrid moth landed on the lens of Gordon Hart’s camera.  While of course he was unable to photograph it, Aziza Cooper managed to get a snap!

The galls shown, on a Nootka Rose, are formed by the larvae of a gall wasp of the Family Cynipidae

 Galls on Rosa nutkana formed by larvae of
Diplolepis polita (Hym.: Cynipidae)
Val George

Moth on Gordon’s camera
Perizoma grandis (Lep.: Geometridae) Aziza Cooper
Thanks to Libby Avis for identification.

Euceratia castella (Lep.: Plutellidae) Aziza Cooper

Amphiagrion abbreviatum (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)  Aziza Cooper

Enallagma carunculatum (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)  Aziza Cooper

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

West Coast Lady Vanessa annabella (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
Aziza Cooper

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

2023 July 2

   Kirsten Mills writes:  Today, July 2, Jeff Gaskin and I went to Nanaimo River Road. We saw a Sylvan Hairstreak and Dun Skipper right before the 8 km mark after the highway turnoff. There was also an Eight-spotted Skimmer. We also went to Kinsol Trestle and saw a Grey Hairstreak.

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Kirsten Mills

  Dun Skipper  Euphyes vestris (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Kirsten Mills

Sylvan Hairstreak Satyrium silvinum (Lep.: Lycaenidae)
Kirsten Mills

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae) Kirsten Mills

Aziza photographed a Satyr Comma along the Lochside Trail near Blenkinsop Lake, and a Coryphista meadii  at her Saanich home, July 1

Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Coryphista meadii (Lep.: Geometridae)  Aziza Cooper

Here are two caterpillars, by Jeremy Tatum

Mourning Cloak  Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
Jeremy Tatum

Vapourer or Rusty Tussock Orgyia antiqua
(Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae)
Jeremy Tatum

2023 July 1 evening

   Ian Cooper photographed this beetle by the E&N Trail in View Royal, June 29.  Thanks to Scott Gilmore for the identification.

Agrilus sp. (Col.: Buprestidae)  Ian Cooper

Marie O’Shaughnessy sends another splendid batch of Sheep Moth photographs:

Sheep Moths Hemileuca eglanterina (Lep.: Saturniidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

Sheep Moth Hemileuca eglanterina (Lep.: Saturniidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

Sheep Moth Hemileuca eglanterina (Lep.: Saturniidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

   Cheryl Hoyle sends photographs of two tortricid moths from View Royal.  We are most grateful to Dr Jason Dombrowskii and to Libby Avis for their identification.  The second one is identified to the level of “Tribe” (which is a finer division than Subfamily).  The names of Tribes end in -ini.   Olethreutini is a Tribe within the Family Tortricidae.

Hedya ochroleucana  (Lep.: Tortricidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Olethreutine moth (Lep.: Tortricidae – Olethreutini)  Cheryl Hoyle