July 25

NOTICE

(Jeremy Tatum)

 

   I shall be away on holiday, safely out of the reach of computers, from August 9 to August 26, and I shall not be able to run Invertebrate Alert during that period.

 

   There are two possibilities – either find a volunteer to run it, or close it down, during that period.

 

   If anyone would like to try to operate it during that period, please let me know (jtatum@uvic.ca) before the end of July.  You will need a little bit of training (not much), and there will have to be some technical adjustments to the program, so that we do need a volunteer to come forward before the end of July. (i.e. it can’t be a last-minute thing.)  With luck, things will be back to normal at the end of August.  I’ll let you know what happens.

   Nathan Fisk sends a picture of a Grey Hairstreak from Fort Rodd Hill, July 18.

 

 

 Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Nathan Fisk

 

 

   Scott Gilmore found a  jumping spider (Platycryptus californicus) and a greenbottle fly (Lucilia sp.) on July 20.

 

and

Greenbottle fly Lucilia sp. (Dip.: Calliphoridae)

Scott Gilmore

 

 

   Jeremy Tatum reports three Red Admirals and a Painted Lady on top of Mount Tolmie, July 25, 6:00 p.m.  Two of the Red Admirals were on the reservoir, and one was on the bramble patch. One of the Red Admirals seems particularly to like the blotches of coloured paint that have been spilled on the reservoir. The Painted Lady was on the side of the road next to the Jeffery Pine.

 

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of a bee, kindly identified by Sean McCann as Osmia sp.

 

 

 

    Jeremy writes:  There still seem to be lots of exciting butterflies on some of the mountains of Vancouver Island, but in the immediate area of Victoria, the butterfly season seems to be coming to an end.  We can expect Pine Whites, Woodland Skippers and of course Cabbage Whites during July and August.  There were hundreds of Cabbage Whites in the Martindale /Island View area today.  Other late-season butterflies to be expected are Large Heath (“Ringlet”) and Purplish Copper.  An uncommon butterfly to look out for (Cordova Spit perhaps) is the Western Branded Skipper.

 

   While it is easy to record “first of year” of species, recording the “last of year” sightings is not so easy.  For that reason I would encourage viewers to continue to report sightings of swallowtails and Lorquin’s Admirals.  There are still a (very) few of them around.  Who knows, you may achieve fame by spotting the last one of the year.