July 26

    Re the mites on geometrid moths, as shown on July 22 and 25, I am told that “Erythraeids, particularly members of the subfamily Leptinae,  quite commonly parasitize Lepidoptera, but not with any obvious host specificity. This is probably an erythraeid based on its being bright red.  But don’t quote me!”

   -so I shan’t say who it is, other than what the press would call a “usually reliable source”!

    Gordon Hart sends a picture of a Scallop Shell Moth from the Highlands.

Scallop Shell Rheumaptera undulata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Gordon Hart

      Jochen Möhr sends a picture of Tolype distincta from Metchosin.

Tolype distincta (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jochen also writes:  Woodland Skippers have been around here for a few days now.  Today was the first time I managed to get a picture.

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Jochen Möhr

July 25 afternoon

   Ron Flower reports that he saw no fewer than five Anise Swallowtails at McIntyre reservoir yesterday, July 24.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  Apologies for not posting that immediately – I wondered if it was a typing mistake, but it wasn’t!   They really were Anises.   I went there this afternoon, July 25, where I saw a female Purplish Copper.

  On July 22, we showed a photograph by Jochen Möhr of a geometrid moth with a mite on it.  Just two days later David Harris (who visited Victoria in June) sent me a similar photograph of another geometrid moth, in England, also carrying a mite.  The moth, having been photographed in England, is even more illegal on this site than Jody’s trout, but I slip it in here just for interest, and for comparison with Jochen’s.

Scopula marginepunctata (Lep.: Geometridae)   David Harris

July 25 morning

   Gordon Hart sent a couple of photographs of a bee in his Highlands garden about a week ago.  So far they have evaded identification.  If anyone can help, please let us know.

Unidentified bee   Gordon Hart

Unidentified bee   Gordon Hart

   Yesterday sand wasps seem to have attracted the attention of photographers.  Photographs were sent by Jody Wells from Saanichton and by Annie Pang from the Gorge.  The common default species here is Bembix americana, which is what we’ll label them here, though viewers might like to be more cautious and think just Bembix sp.

Sand wasp Bembix americana (Hym.:  Crabronidae)  Jody Wells

Sand wasp Bembix americana (Hym.:  Crabronidae)  Jody Wells

Sand wasp Bembix americana (Hym.:  Crabronidae)  Annie Pang

Sand wasp Bembix americana (Hym.:  Crabronidae)  Annie Pang

   Jody Wells sends a picture of a pond skater (water strider) from Goldstream Heights, July 23.  Also intruding illegally into the picture is a vertebrate animal, which Jody tells me is a young Cutthroat Trout.

Pond Skater (Hem.: Gerridae)

Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii (Sal.: Salmonidae)

Jody Wells

   Jeremy Tatum sends a picture of two moth pupae.

Sheep Moth Hemileuca eglanterina (Lep.: Saturniidae)

White-lined Hawk Moth Hyles lineata (Lep.: Sphingidae)

Jeremy Tatum

July 24

   Mike Yip writes from Nanoose Bay:  Lorquin’s Admiral, Pine White, and Cabbage White continue to pass through occasionally, but the one surprise was a fairly fresh second generation female Western Spring Azure. I also photographed one moth and three medium-sized dragonflies.

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Mike Yip

Selenia alciphearia (Lep.: Geometridae)  Mike Yip

   Libby Avis writes:  This is one of the few moths that usually sits with its wings up.

Cardinal Meadowhawk Sympetrum illotum (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Mike Yip

Cardinal Meadowhawk Sympetrum illotum (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Mike Yip

Blue Dasher Pachydiplax longipennis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Mike Yip

Blue Dasher Pachydiplax longipennis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Mike Yip

Erythemis collocata (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Mike Yip

   Jody Wells sends a picture of a dragonfly from the Blenkinsop Valley, June 29.

Four-spotted Skimmer Libellula quadrimaculata  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Jody Wells

…and that’s all I can manage today, writes Jeremy Tatum.  More tomorrow!

July 23

   Cheryl Hoyle sends a picture of a tachinid fly from Swan Lake, Saanich, July 20.  We are grateful to James O’Hara for identifying it as Uramya halisidotae.    The Spotted and Silver-spotted Tiger moths, now in the genus Lophocampa, were formerly in the genus Halisidota, so are presumably victims of this parasitoidal fly.

Uramya halisidotae (Dip.: Tachinidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

   Jochen Möhr reports seeing two Panthea virginarius and one Gabriola dyari at his Metchosin home yesterday.   Gordon Hart reports seeing two Sphinx sp. at his Highlands home.   Val George writes that in the last few days at least nine or ten adult Pyrausta californicalis have appeared around the mint patch where he found the caterpillar at his Oak Bay home.

   Gordon Hart sends a picture of a damselfly from Cowichan Station, July 5.  Thank you, Rob Cannings, for identifying it for us as a spreadwing, Lestes sp.

Spreadwing  Lestes sp. (Odo.: Lestidae)  Gordon Hart