2024 November 24

Ian Cooper writes:  Here are six more pictures from my November 21-22 photo shoot in *Colquitz River Park and the #Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal.

# Cross Orb-weaver  Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Ian Cooper

*A young harvestman  Protolophus sp. (Opiliones: Protolophidae)  Ian Cooper

# Flat-backed Millepede  Scytonotus sp. (Diplopoda:  Polydesmidae)  Ian Cooper

Globular Springtail  Ptenothrix sp. (Coll. –  Symphypleona:  Dicyrtomenidae)  Ian Cooper

* European Sowbug  Oniscus asellus (Isopoda: Oniscidae)  Ian Cooper

Winter Moth  Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Ian Cooper

This moth is freshly emerged from its pupa – its wings as yet not fully expanded.  In a few minutes, it will look perfect.

Talking of winter moths, anyone who has time to go out to the Goldstream Park Nature House  (I don’t think I can make it, writes Jeremy Tatum), to photograph a winter moth there, the chances are better than evens that the moth will be a native Western Winter Moth Operophtera occidentalis rather than the  abundant European O. brumata.  There’s also a good chance there of finding Erannis sp.  And a small, but exciting, chance of finding Operophtera danbyi.

2024 November 23

   Now that summer is over and we have probably seen our last butterfly of the year, things are getting a little sluggish.  Ian Cooper photographed eight species on a single outing – his November 21-22 photo shoot at *Colquitz River Park in Saanich and the *Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal.

# Grey Field Slug  Deroceras reticulatum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)  Ian Cooper

# Dusky Arion  Arion subfuscus (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

# Banana Slug  Ariolimax columbianus (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

 # Yellow-Bordered Taildropper  Prophysaon foliolatum (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

* Garden Slug  Arion hortensis (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

* Three-band Garden Slug  Ambigolimax valentianus (Pul.: Limacidae)  Ian Cooper

* Longneck fieldslug  Deroceras invadens –  (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)   Ian Cooper

# Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)   Ian Cooper

2024 November 22

   No Invertebrate Alerts were issued on November 20 and 21.

Jeremy Tatum writes that, this morning, there were nearly 40 Winter Moths outside the back door of his Saanich apartment building.

Ann Tiplady sends a photograph of a Polyphemus Moth cocoon found under a cherry tree in leaf litter.

Cocoon of Polyphemus Moth Antheraea polyphemus (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Ann Tiplady

Ian Cooper writes:    I went for a productive photo shoot at Colquitz River Park in Saanich and the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal late last night, before and after midnight. The weather forecast called for ‘Rain overnight’ but I was out for four hours and didn’t get rained on at all the whole time – not even spitting drizzle on my way back.

Male European Earwig  Forficula auricularia  (Derm.: Forficulidae)  Ian Cooper

Female European Earwig  Forficula auricularia  (Derm.: Forficulidae)  Ian Cooper

Dark-bodied Glass Snail Oxychilus draparnaudi (Pul.: Daubebariidae)  Ian Cooper

Common Chrysalis Snail  Lauria cylindracea – (Pul.: Lauriidae)  Ian Cooper

Common Chrysalis Snails  Lauria cylindracea – (Pul.: Lauriidae)  Ian Cooper

Identification uncertain   Ian Cooper

2024 November 19

Ian Cooper writes:  I made a point of riding to Colquitz River Park and View Royal for a photoshoot overnight to ‘seize the opportunity’ to take pictures ahead of the approaching windstorm that’s expected to wreak havoc later today and Wednesday. Despite the forecast calling for 60% showers and donning my raingear, I wasn’t rained on at all over the entire 4 1/2 hour outing, although it had obviously showered before I left James Bay out around 2:30 am. It was cool out; there was frost on the Selkirk Trestle on the way to Colquitz, but I was well insulated with multiple layers.

All pictures are from my overnight photo shoot at *Colquitz River Park and # View Royal on November 19.

# Crane fly larva – a “leatherjacket”, most likely Tipula paludosa (Dip.: Tipulidae) Ian Cooper

# Ptenothrix maculosa olympia (Coll.: Symphypleona – Dicyrtomidae)  Ian Cooper

* Arion hortensis (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

# Harvestman  Leptobunus parvulus (Opiliones: Phalangiidae)
with its captured prey – a Longneck Field Slug Deroceras invadens  (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)
Ian Cooper

# Crab spider  Xysticus cristatus (Ara.: Thomisidae)  Ian Cooper

Large Yellow Underwing  Noctua pronuba  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

2024 November 18

   Jeremy Tatum writes that there were about 30 European Winter Moths at the back door of his Saanich apartment this morning.

Here are more photographs from Ian Cooper’s November 14 and 17 photo shoots in View Royal.

Cybaeus (possibly signifer)  (Ara.: Cybaeidae)   Ian Cooper
Thanks to Dr Robb Bennett for help with identifying this one.

Common Rough Woodlouse  Porcellio scaber (Isopoda: Porcellionidae)   Ian Cooper

Robust Lancetooth Snail  Haplotrema vancouverense (Pul.: Haplotrematidae)   Ian Cooper

Longneck Field Slug  Deroceras invadens  (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)   Ian Cooper

Grey Field Slug  Deroceras reticulatum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)   Ian Cooper

Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)   Ian Cooper

Jeremy Tatum writes:  I have heard several English names given to this slug, such as Leopard Slug, Giant Garden Slug,  Great Grey Slug.