2016 June 30

 

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of another bee from Gorge Park – kindly identified by Linc Best as Dianthidium sp.

 

Dianthidium sp. (Hym.:  Megachilidae)  Annie Pang

   Annie also sends photographs of a fly from Gorge Park.  She writes:  This is easily the largest syrphid I have ever seen!  To give perspective, it is on a huge Shasta Daisy.  I have never seen a syrphid this large.  Dr Jeff Skevington writes:  Cool! It is Myathropa florea, a species recently introduced to California from Europe. It is known from British Columbia but it only arrived recently.

 

Myathropa florea (Dip.: Syrphidae)   Annie Pang

Myathropa florea (Dip.: Syrphidae)   Annie Pang

   Annie sends another bee photograph from Gorge Park, June 30. Identified by Linc Best as Mellissodes microsticta.

 

 

  Melissodes microsticta (Hym.: Apidae)   Annie Pang

 

Jeff Gaskin writes:  On Tuesday June 28, there was a single Red Admiral in Outerbridge Park along Royal Oak Avenue near Lochside School.  Down Lochside Drive off Royal Oak Avenue  I as well as the Tuesday Group that I was with saw a Pale Tiger Swallowtail.

 

Jeremy Tatum writes:  I saw a Red Admiral at UVic yesterday (June 29), and, today, a Red Admiral ecloded (emerged) from the chrysalis shown on June 19.  I didn’t manage to photograph it, but I released it at the top of Mount Tolmie, so, if you see an absolutely pristine fresh one there this evening, that will probably be it!