2024 July 26

[There was no Invert posting for July 25.]

Ian Cooper writes:  Here are some of the photos taken last night (July 25) on the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal near the 9 km marker.

Arion rufus (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

Large Yellow Underwing  Noctua pronuba  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

Lesser Yellow Underwing  Noctua comes  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

Dr Heather Proctor identifies the mites on the harvestman below as larval Erythraeidae, probably Leptus sp.

Harvestman (Opiliones) with mites (Erythraeidae)   Ian Cooper

Raspberry Weevil – Otiorhynchus singularis (Col.: Curculionidae)   Ian Cooper

Female Eratigena duellica (Ara: Agelenidae)   Ian Cooper

   Ian found the two spiders below at home, and gallantly took them outside to the country.  It is not recorded whether the spiders thanked Ian for his thoughtful action.  Identified for us by Dr Robb Bennett.

Steatoda sp.  (Ara.: Theridiidae)  Ian Cooper

Steatoda sp.  (Ara.: Theridiidae)  Ian Cooper

Probably Scotophaeus blackwalli  (Ara.: Gnaphosidae)  Ian Cooper

In an hour’s visit to Government house on July 25, Marie O’Shaughnessy saw 4 Western Tiger Swallowtails, 1 Lorquin’s Admiral, 1 Cabbage White , 1 Western Spring Azure.

Jeremy Tatum writes.  It is good to know that here are still a few butterflies around.  At Swan Lake on July 25, I saw three Lorquin’s Admirals¸ and found two caterpillars of Red Admiral on the nettles.  And this evening (July 26) I saw a Painted Lady and a Western Tiger Swallowtail at the top of Mount Douglas.

I have very occasionally seen Western Spring Azures in late July.  Perhaps the species is partially bivoltine (double-brooded), although Marie’s butterfly looks slightly worn and may be a surviving spring butterfly.

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Western Tiger Swallowtail  Pterourus rutulus  (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Jeff Gaskin writes:  Today, July 26, Kirsten Mills and I saw one Woodland Skipper and one Pine White at the top of Observatory Hill.  Later, we checked out McIntyre Road reservoir and found the usual number of species of dragonflies although numbers of individual dragonflies were down.  We did see one Black Saddlebags, 3 Common Green Darners, and one Cardinal Meadowhawk.  Other dragonflies included Blue-eyed Darner, Blue Dasher, Western Pondhawk, and Eight-spotted Skimmer.