2019 July 15

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  At the top of Christmas Hill last night (July 14, 6:30 pm) two Painted Ladies and a Red Admiral.

   Layla Munger sends a photograph of an insect seen in the Oak Bay scented garden on July 14, saying: I think this is a wasp.  Well, it’s certainly a hymenopteran, and I think we can safely go to Suborder Apocrita, so we can call it a wasp in the very broad sense (sensu very lato), but beyond that I cannot confidently go.  Would anyone out there care to go to Family?  Please let us know.

Unknown wasp (Hymenoptera – Apocrita)  Layla Munger

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

2 Biston betularia

1 Eulithis xylina

1 Eupithecia cretaceata

1 Hesperumia latipennis

1 Hesperumia sulphuraria

3 Hormothodes hanhami

1 Idaea dimidiata

1 Malacosoma californica

1 Scopula quinquelinearia

1 Nemoria darwiniata

Eupithecia cretaceata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

The caterpillar of this pug moth feeds on the very poisonous flowers of Veratrum viride.

Scopula quinquelinearia (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Idaea dimidiata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Nemoria darwiniata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

2019 July 14

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

2 Eulithis xylina

1 Hesperumia latipennis

2 Hormothodes hanhami

1 Lacinipolia strigicollis

plus a few micros, only one of which was within camera reach.  It looks very like one that Jochen posted on July 11, and which we labelled Eudonia sp. (probably commortalis) – so that’s how I’ll label this one!

Eudonia sp. (probably commortalis) (Lep.: Crambidae)

Jochen Möhr

   Cheryl Hoyle sends a miscellaneous collection.  First, a Common Whitetail from the Abkhazi Gardens:

Common Whitetail Plathemis lydia (Odo.: Libellulidae) Cheryl Hoyle

   Next, two photographs of spittlebugs.  I can’t be sure of the exact species, but in spite of the difference in colour, I expect the most likely species in both photographs is Philaenus spumarius.

Spittle Bug, most likely Philaenus spumarius (Hem.: Cercopidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Spittle Bugs, most likely Philaenus spumarius (Hem.: Cercopidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

   I can’t say much about the next one, other that that it is some sort of a bug, probably a mirid, of which there are numerous species.

Probably a mirid bug  (Hem.: Miridae)  Cheryl Hoyle

The next, I think, is a greenbottle of the genus Lucilia.

Lucilia sp. (Dip.: Calliphoridae)  Cheryl Hoyle

  Next, two Banana Slugs, and a small unidentified snail:

Banana Slugs Ariolimax columbianus (Pul.: Arionidae) Cheryl Hoyle

   Lastly, a gall made by a cynipid wasp (or, more accurately, made by an oak in response to the presence of a cynipid wasp grub), probably Cynips mirabilis.

Cynips mirabilis (Hym.: Cynipidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

2019 July 13

    It must be getting late in the season – Invert Alert is starting to receive pictures of grasshoppers.  Unfortunately, I’m not very good at identifying them, so I’m just making wild guesses at the moment, and they are probably quite wrong.  If anyone out there can help, please let us know.  If observers can get a glimpse of the colour of the hindwings of any grasshoppers they photograph, that would be a great help. The first of these was photographed at the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific (HCP), the second in View Royal, both on July 12.

Possibly Dissosteira carolina?? (Orth.: Acrididae)  Layla Munger

Possibly Camnula pellucida ?? (Orth.: Acrididae)  Cheryl Hoyle

   Layla photographed a Lorquin’s Admiral at HCP yesterday:

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Layla Munger

   The Satyr Comma caterpillar that was preparing to pupate in yesterday’s posting has now pupated:

Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

1 Callizzia amorata

1 Hesperumia latipennis

2 Lacinipolia strigicollis

1 Leucoma salicis

5 Nadata gibbosa

1 Perizoma costiguttata

1 Pero mizon

2 Scopula quinquelinearia

2 Sicya crocearia 

1 Spilosoma virginica

Leucoma salicis (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae)  Jochen Möhr

Leucania or Mythimna sp. (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Spilosoma virginica (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae) Jochen Möhr

Spilosoma virginica (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae) Jochen Möhr

Chlorosea banksaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Coryphista meadii (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Pero mizon (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

2019 July 11

   Jeremy Tatum shows a photograph of a Red Admiral chrysalis, from the caterpillar shown on July 8:

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

   Here is a Satyr Comma caterpillar (one of the two shown on July 7) preparing to pupate on a wooden stick.  I bought a dozen of these wooden sticks at a hobbyists’ store.  They asked me what I wanted them for  –  what was I going to build with them?  How could I possibly tell them that I was buying them for caterpillars to pupate upon? 

Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Cheryl Hoyle shows a moth found in her View Royal garden, July 11.  Amazingly, since I posted a photo of one myself on July 6, I didn’t recognize this huge moth!  Libby Avis recognized it at once for me as Catocala aholibah.

Catocala aholibah (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae)  Cheryl Hoyle

   We have an identification for another of our recently unidentified pictures.  Jeremy Gatten has identified Rebecca Reader-Lee’s July 8 slug as a Scarletback Taildropper Prophysaon vanattae.  See July 8 posting.

   Jeremy Gatten also sends two spectacular photographs of a Bedstraw Hawk Moth nectaring on Yellow Sand-verbena at Island View Beach on July 11.

Bedstraw Hawk Moth Hyles gallii (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Jeremy Gatten

Bedstraw Hawk Moth Hyles gallii (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Jeremy Gatten

   While there, at Saanichton (Cordova) Spit (TIXEN), Jeremy Gatten also saw both Edwards’ Beach Moth Anarta edwardsii and Sand-verbena Moth Copablepharon fuscum .

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

1 Biston betularia

1 Cabera erythemaria

1 Drepana arcuata

3 Eulithis xylina

1 Habrosyne scripta

3 Hesperumia latipennis

1 Hesperumia sulphuraria

3 Homorthodes hanhami

1 Lacinipolia strigicollis

1 Leucoma salicis

8 Nadata gibbosa

1 Palthis angulalis

1 Perizoma costiguttata

Leucoma salicis (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae)  Jochen Möhr

Habrosyne scripta (Lep.: Drepanidae – Thysanurinae)  Jochen Möhr

Brachylomia rectifascia (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Palthis angulalis (Lep.: Erebidae – Herminiinae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jochen Möhr writes:  Something diifferent for a change:  In the Ocean Spray flower fronds, I discovered gazillions of tiny beetles, hardly as large as the Ocean Spray Flower petals.  Jeremy Tatum and Libby Avis say they have seen lots of these, too, and we all wonder what they are.  How can we possibly identify tiny beetles like these?  Easy!  – just ask Scott Gilmore, who tells us that they are Family Scraptiidae, genus Anaspis.

Anaspis sp. (Col.: Scraptiidae)   Jochen Möhr

Anaspis sp. (Col.: Scraptiidae)   Jochen Möhr

Anaspis sp. (Col.: Scraptiidae)   Jochen Möhr

2019 July 11

   We have an identification for another of the unknown insects on the July 9 posting – Lincoln Best and Annie Pang agree that Gordon Hart’s bee is Bombus flavifrons:

Bombus flavifrons (Hym.: Apidae) Gordon Hart

Gordon has another photograph of it:

Bombus flavifrons (Hym.: Apidae) Gordon Hart

  Cheryl Hoyle sends a photograph of two Rhododendron Leafhoppers from her View Royal garden, July 10:

Rhododendron Leafhopper Graphocephala fennahi (Hem.: Cicadellidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

   She also sends a photograph of a Painted Lady caterpillar from the Holland Polint Shoreline Trail, July 10.

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin yesterday morning:

1 Biston betularia

1 Cabera erythemaria

1 Campaea perlata

1 Clemensia umbrata

1 Drepana arcuata

1 Edonia commortalis

3 Eulithis xylina

1 Gabriola dyari

2 Hesperumia latipennis

2 Hesperumia sulphuraria

6 Homorthodes hanhami

6 Nadata gibbosa

2 Nemora darwiniata

2 Pero mizon

1 Scopula quinquelinearia

Scopula quinquelinearia (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Cabera erythemaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Clemensia umbrata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae – Lithosiini) Jochen Möhr

   Libby Avis tells us that Clemensia for our area has had a name change to C. umbrata – the old species albata was split into two in 2018. C. albata is now limited to the north east of North America. 

Campaea perlata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Eudonia sp. (probably commortalis)

(Lep.: Crambidae)

Jochen Möhr

Pero mizon (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Hesperumia latipennis (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  One of the needles on the Douglas Fir twig below is actually a geometrid caterpillar.  We don’t (yet) know the species, though it is probably a pug (Eupithecia sp.).

Geometrid caterpillar  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum