2017 August 7 evening

 

   Jeff Gaskin reports a Painted Lady from Clover Point, August 4.  And today, August 7, in Beacon Hill Park, he notes:  8 Pine Whites, almost all in conifers just west of the petting zoo; at least 30 Woodland Skippers; two rather tattered Western Tiger Swallowtails; and a Cabbage White. 

 

   Gordon Hart photographed a robber fly on Cordova (Saanichton) Spit during the VNHS Butterfly Walk yesterday, August 6.  Rob Cannings writes:  It looks like a female Stenopogon inquinatus. However, I admit I’m not 100% certain because a relative, Scleropogon bradleyi, also flies locally at this time of year. Both, especially the former, are variable in colour, and are sometimes hard to tell apart in photos when they are atypical, like this one. The distinguishing features are almost never visible in pictures. Stenopogon inquinatus usually has a black/orange abdomen but sometimes, as here, it is grey. So I’m going for inquinatus, but I could be mistaken. In my opinion, the two genera should be lumped — as they had been for many years until recently.

 

Robber fly.  Probably Stenopogon inquinatus  (Dip.: Asilidae)  Gordon Hart

 

 

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of a chrysalis of a Red Admiral from Lochside and Lohbrunner’s.

 

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

 

   Barb McGrenere writes: This morning, Mike and I saw 2 Pine Whites high in the Douglas Firs at the top of Observatory Hill.  Sorry, no photos.  We’ve been up there many times this spring and summer and these are the first Pine Whites we have seen this year up there.  There was 1 Cabbage White near the base of Observatory Hill.