2105 September 19

    Rosemary Jorna writes:  Small spider on the kitchen floor – the photo is it leaving for the outside on the dust pan!

    Robb Bennett kindly provides the following identification and information:  A Xysticus crab spider (Family Thomisidae).  It is probably the introduced species Xysticus cristatus but I can’t be sure.  It was introduced not so long ago and for a while in the late 90s to early 2000s was the most common Xysticus to be found around here.  Now it seems to have dropped off in numbers and is not so common anymore.

Crab spider Xysticus (probably cristatus) (Ara.: Thomisidae)   Rosemary Jorna

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of a Large Yellow Underwing moth (also introduced!) from his Saanich apartment.

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jeremy Tatum

   And Cheryl Hoyle caught one of the same species laying eggs in Metchosin:

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Cheryl Hoyle

   Nathan Fisk writes:  Well armoured black pupa. 2 distinct orange puffs on the small end. 8 segments on the cuticle. 1.5cm in length. Slightly shiny. ‎Very intriguing. 

Jeremy Tatum writes:   This is a fly puparium.  There will be an opportunity to photograph and identify it when the adult fly emerges.  Can’t tell when this might be, but could be any day (not unlikely) – or not until next year!

Fly puparium (Diptera)  Nathan Fisk