2022 August 28

    Correction:  We had incorrectly labelled a dragonfly on the evening posting for August 24.  The label has now been corrected.  See that posting for the discovery by Mike Yip of the second-ever sighting of a Cherry-faced Meadowhawk on Vancouver Island

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  This micro was on the wall of my Saanich apartment building this morning – identified by Libby Avis as a member of the difficult crambid Subfamily Scopariinae – a group that probably needs a lot of work to sort out the various genera and species.

 

Micro moth (Lep.: Crambidae  – Scopariinae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

Jochen Möhr photographed this Dargida procinctus in Metchosin on August 22.  The photograph somehow got lost in the big bunch of photographs received by Invert Alert in the last few days!

Girdler Moth  Dargida procinctus  (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

 

Jochen has four more moth photographs from Metchosin today:

 

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Udea profundalis (Lep.: Crambidae)  Jochen Möhr

 

The fourth is an underside view – always a challenge to identify.   Jochen hazards a “wild guess” at Noctua pronuba.   Jeremy Tatum  writes:  I’d say it is better than a wild guess, but a very good guess indeed.  The shape is just right for N.pronuba.  I don’t know that this shape uniquely identifies it, but it is certainly characteristic, and I am happy to label it as a “probable”!

 

Probably Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

 

Ian Cooper photographed this spider on rough conifer bark in Colquitz Creek Park at 4:00 am, August 28.  Dr Robb Bennett writes:  I think that’s one of the long-jawed orbweavers (Tetragnathidae) that don’t have long jaws – we have 3 species (2 native, 1 introduced)  of Metellina .   Most likely M. curtisi. But could be M. segmentata or the introduced M. mimetoides.

 

Zygiella sp. (Ara.: Araneidae)  Ian Cooper

 

Zygiella sp. (Ara.: Araneidae)   Ian Cooper

   Jeemy Tatum writes:  At 5:00 pm today, Sunday August 28, two Red Admirals were on the Mount Tolmie reservoir.  One was very worn – possibly the same one reported by Jeff Gaskin on August 21.  In spite of being worn, both butterflies flew very strongly, chasing each other round and round as though it were spring.

More tomorrow…