2017 June 1

 

   Ken Vaughan photographed some dragon/damselflies at the Beaver Lake Retreiver Ponds on May 28.  The last of these five puzzled us a bit, so we are thankful to Rob Cannings for confirming that it is an immature female Pacific Forktail.  Rob remarks that females of this species are pretty variable in colour, especially when young.

 

Tule Bluet Enallagma carunculatum (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)  Ken Vaughan

 Four-spotted Skimmer Libellula quadrimaculata (Odo,: Libellulidae)  Ken Vaughan

 

 

California Darner Rhionaeschna californica (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Ken Vaughan

 

Dot-tailed Whiteface Leucorrhinia intacta (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Ken Vaughan

 

Ken Vaughan

 

 

   Here is another photograph of  Leucoma salicis from Metchosin, taken by Jochen Moehr on his android device.

 

   Jochen notes that he saw his first Anise Swallowtail of the year three days ago.

 

   Gordon Hart writes:  I walked up Observatory Hill today, and saw only one butterfly – a Propertius Duskywing near the small observatory near the summit.  At home, we have been seeing a Western Tiger Swallowtail since May 27th, and on the 29th, I saw my first two Cedar Hairstreaks.

 

   Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Gordon Hart

 

 

   Annie Pang found a highflyer (Hydriomena sp.) on her back porch on May 29.  There are several look-alike species of highflyer, and we are not certain which this one is.

 

 

 

   Aziza Cooper found a colourful snail at Witty’s Lagoon on May 31.

 

 

 

 

   Erratum   Thanks to Jeff Skevington for pointing out that the fly we had labelled yesterday as a House Fly Musca domestica is in fact a blow fly of the family Sarcophagidae.  I have corrected the label.  I don’t believe anyone has yet photographed a genuine House Fly for Invert Alert.  They don’t actually seem to be that common these days.  There’s a challenge for photographers.

 

 

   Dar Churcher photographed another fly from Colwood, and we are grateful to Jeff Skevington for kindly identifying it for us as a female Sphaerophoria.   The small beetle is the dermestid Anthrenus verbasci.