2016 June 24

   Monthly Butterfly Walk.  No, it’s not quite yet – it will be on Sunday July 3.  We usually meet on the top of Mount Tolmie in the early afternoon, but on July 3 we are meeting there at 10:00 a.m. because we are contemplating going farther afield than usual, maybe Shawnigan Lake or Cowichan.  We’ll put a reminder on this site closer to the time, but I thought I’d mention it now because of the change in the meeting time.

   Jeff Gaskin reports that a Western Sulphur has been in a private garden in the Prospect Lake area for a week.  Also there – a Red Admiral and a Mourning Cloak.  Jeff  also reports a Red Admiral on the college grounds at Royal Roads today, June 24.

   Gordon Hart writes:  Even though the weather has not been great, there have been 19 counts submitted so far, with 12 species seen. Numbers are down from May, and several species only have one individual butterfly. After Cabbage Whites, Western Tiger Swallowtails and Lorquin’s Admirals are most common.

   Gordon Hart sends a photograph of a Dot-tailed Whiteface from Munn Road.

 Dot-tailed Whiteface Leucorrhinia intacta (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Gordon Hart

   Rosemary Jorna writes:  This is the second Pacific Sideband Snail  Monadenia fidelis I’ve found on our Kemp Lake Road property in the last week.  The cool damp weather must be bringing them out.  This one pulled in his “horns“ as I took its photo this afternoon, June 23, 2016.

Pacific Sideband Snail Monadenia fidelis (Pul.: Bradybaenidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Mike Yip sends a photograph of two ladybirds (or should that be a gentleman and a lady?) enjoying themselves in his Nanoose Bay potato patch.