2024 June 23 evening

Marie O’Shaughnessy photographed this immature male meadowhawk at Panama Flats of June 22.  Because its colours are not yet fully developed, it is hard to be certain of its exact identity.

Immature male meadowhawk Sympetrum sp, (Odo.: Libellulidae)   Marie O’Shaughnessy

Aziza Cooper photographed this beetle at the railroad tracks near Goldstream campground on June 20.  Scott Gilmore makes the tentative suggestion: Toxoleptura vexatrix

Probably Toxoleptura vexatrix  (Col.: Cerambycidae)  Aziza Cooper

She also photographed these beetles (below) in the same area.  Scoot Gilmore identified them for us as Bruchidius villosus.   If you Google this name, you will find a lot of interesting information about this beetle.

 Bruchidius villosus  (Col.: Chrysomelidae)   Aziza Cooper

Jeff Gaskin writes:  Both yesterday, June 22, and today I’ve been seeing Common Green Darners in the city.  Yesterday I was at UVic and there were three of them in a grassy field near Gordon Head Road and McKenzie Avenue. Today I saw at least two of them at Cuthbert Holmes Park.  This makes me feel that there are a number of them around as compared to other years.  Jeremy Tatum adds:  I was at Swan Lake for only a few minutes today, but I saw one there.  Also at Swan Lake there were lots and lots of Lorquin’s Admirals, all new and fresh.  I found a caterpillar of a Western Spring Azure on the Ocean Spray.

Aziza Cooper writes:  At Mount Tolmie about 6 pm, there was one Red Admiral, two Painted Ladies by the Jeffrey Pine, and one Painted Lady on the reservoir.

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

Red Admiral  Nymphalis atalanta  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

   She also sends a photograph of a Pacific Forktail from Swan Lake

Pacific Forktail  Ischnura cervula  (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)  Aziza Cooper