2023 August 22

  Here are some photographs by Ian Cooper of bees from along the E&N Trail in Vic West and View Royal on July 22 and 28, 2023.   We thank Steven Roias for sorting out the three Bombus bumble bees for us.

Bombus vosnesenskii (Hym.: Apidae)  Ian Cooper

Bombus vancouverensis (Hym.: Apidae) Ian Cooper

Steven writes:  Despite the bee being a male, the abdominal colour patterning is still very distinct between vancouverensis and flavifrons. In vancouverensis, you will observe orange bands (called tergites) between yellow bands (as seen in the photo). In flavifrons males, you will see either the first two bands are yellow followed by orange bands and a black last band; or five bands of yellow and two black bands at the end.

Bombus fervidus californicus (Hym.: Apidae) Ian Cooper

Honey Bee Apis mellifera (Hym.: Apidae)   Ian Cooper

Halictus rubicundus (Hym.: Halictidae)  Ian Cooper

Megachile (possibly perihirta)  (Hym.: Megachilidae) Ian Cooper

From Salt Spring Island Ren Ferguson sends a photograph of an unusual colour variety of the caterpillar of the Spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa maculata.  It is probably third instar.  The background colour of this instar is usally yellow rather than the snow white of this specimen.

Spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa maculata
(Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)
Ren Ferguson

Jeff Gaskin writes:
Today, August 22, I found a Shadow Darner that looked identical to the one Kirsten and I saw at Muir creek in Colquitz River Park.  It was approximately 100 metres south of Marigold Road on the east side of Interurban road.

Also, today August 22, I found a lot of Woodland Skippers.  26 were in the Capital City Allotment gardens on Kent Road, and 75 were in Beacon Hill Park.  The only other butterfly I saw today was the Cabbage White and they were in typical numbers.

Jeremy Tatum reports one Red Admiral from the Mount Tolmie reservoir, 5:15 pm, August 22.