2024 August 1
2024 August 1
There was no Invert Alert on July 31.
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Hello, Butterfly Watchers, This is a reminder for the VNHS Butterfly Walk on Sunday, August 4. We will meet at the Mount Tolmie summit by the reservoir, at 1.00 p.m. You can park in the parking lot there, or in the large lot north of the summit. After a look around the summit, we will decide on a destination from there. You can review Vancouver Island butterflies at Val George’s website : https://vancouverislandbutterflies.com/ I will be away this weekend, so Jeremy Tatum will be your leader for the walk. Gordon Hart Victoria Natural History Society
Aziza Cooper writes: On July 30, this moth was on the beach at Englishman River estuary near Parksville. Libby Avis writes: It’s Loxostege cereralis. We see it quite often around here [Port Alberni] and the largest number I’ve seen at one time has been on the Englishman Estuary.
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Loxostege cereralis (Lep.: Crambidae) Aziza Cooper
Jeremy Tatum writes: The caterpillar shown on July 29 evening produced this chrysalis [Greek Chrysos = gold] last night. It will produce a beautiful Red Admiral butterfly in two or three weeks. It doesn’t matter how often I see this, I still marvel at the wonder of it.
Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Jeremy Tatum
Jeremy continues: I saw my first Woodland Skipper of the year today (August 1), on Lavender along Carey Road. This is usually one of our most abundant butterflies, yet we have had few reports of them so far this year. I saw another on the top of Mount Tolmie at 6:00 pm – the only butterfly there.
Skippers have traditionally been included among the butterflies, yet there are some who would. distinguish between “skippers” and “true butterflies”. The “true” butterflies were in the Superfamily Papilionidae, and the skippers in the Superfamily Hesperioidea. However, the 2023 Pohl and Nanz Annotated Taxonomic Checklist, which we are endeavouring to follow on this site, has no Hesperioidea, and it includes the skippers in the Papilionidae. Hence you may refer to skippers as butterflies with a totally clear conscience.
Ian Cooper writes: Here is a selection of pictures taken around dawn and early morning on July 31 2024 at *Colquitz River Park and the #Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal near the 9 km marker.
# Prophysaon (probably foliolatum) (Pul.: Arionidae) Ian Cooper
# Banana slug – Ariolimax columbianus (Pul.: Arionidae) Ian Cooper
# Female Running crab spider – Philodromus dispar (Ara.: Philodromidae) Ian Cooper
# Unidentified linyphiid spider (Ara.: Linyphiidae) Ian Cooper
* Cybaeus signifer (Ara.: Cybaeidae) Ian Cooper
* Common striped woodlouse – Philoscia muscorum (Isopoda: Oniscidae) Ian Cooper